I'm using Gel-tek to treat Random the GSP for internal parasites:
1) put 5 drops on a piece of freeze-dried krill
2) wait until all the liquid is absorbed
3) feed krill piece to the GSP & watch him snarf it
He gets two treated krill pieces per day. (They aren't a whole krill each time.)
The Gel-tek bottle says to feed 5 drops, 2x/day, for 3 days. But I'm wondering -- given the size of the puff (~2.5") and the low concentrations of meds in the Gel-tek, does Random need to continue on this for longer than that?
Other tank info: 55g, s.g. 1.004, ammonia/nitrites/nitrates 0/0/5-10, adding melafix every other day to help with the nipped fins. No food other than the treated FD krill. (and yes, I read the article on internal parasites... I didn't see a mention of Gel-tek.)
Gel-tek question
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
-
goby1kenobi
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 109
- Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:48 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: one GSP: Random
- Location (country): Chicagoland
Gel-tek question
tank: saltwater 55g, one 5" GSP named Random (mka Puff)
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32987
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Gel-tek question
3 days treatment should be enough.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
Myaj
- Tech Team
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 12:27 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Bubba, turgidus
Paris, lined burrfish - Location: SE Wisconsin
- Contact:
Re: Gel-tek question
I would follow the directions, everyone that's used it so far has been very pleased with how well it works.
I need to order some myself!
I should update the article.. I wrote it before GelTek was available...
I need to order some myself!
I should update the article.. I wrote it before GelTek was available...
-
yunachin
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1753
- Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:33 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: 1x A. Meleagris (Golden)
2x Tetraodon nigroviridis
1x Tetraodon lineatus
1x A. hispidus
2x Takifugu Ocellatus
9x Tetraodon biocellatus
1x Canthigaster solandri
1x Diodon Holocanthus
2x A. nigropunctatus
1x Tetraodon miurus
1x Irrubesco - Location (country): USA
- Location: SC
-
goby1kenobi
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 109
- Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:48 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: one GSP: Random
- Location (country): Chicagoland
Re: Gel-tek question
The stuff works wonderfully with FD krill and FD bloodworm. Random got to the FD bloodworm + GelTek on day 1, but after that, he was more interested in what I was doing than in chasing the bloodworms down. After that, it was 5 drops GelTek per krill piece. Worked beautifully. This puff just about inhales the FD krill.
tank: saltwater 55g, one 5" GSP named Random (mka Puff)
-
Nick
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 3231
- Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:47 pm
- My Puffers: Mine:
GSPs - Shakespeare and Jillybean
F8 - Velvet
My fiance:
DP - Emma Goldman
Narrow Lined Puffer - Ulrike - Location (country): Northeastern USA
- Location: Middletown, CT
- Contact:
Re: Gel-tek question
The only issue I can see with it is recontamination - if you treat only food, no water, there is a greater chance of recontamination, especially with the protozoan IPs or true tapeworms that cast off eggs.
No matter how magnificent your successes or devastating your failures, the worlds' approximately 5 billion impoverished people could not possibly care less.
-
Pandora114
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
- My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi - Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
- Contact:
Re: Gel-tek question
Acctually Nick, Tapeworm proglottids have evolved to endure external treatment as well. They are little time capsules. You can dunk them directly into antiparasitic medication and then feed it to the proper intermediary host and it will hatch and infect.
They are similar to flea cocoons. You can flea bomb your house, move out for 10 years, then come back, and BOOM you will have the worst flea infestation ever. Why? The right conditions were met, humidity CO2 and vibration. Pesticide didn't touch them. Tapeworm proglottids are the same.
Only way to deal with a tapeworm infestation in tank is by constantly re-worming the fish every 3 months or so for an adult fish, juviniles based on age, every month to two months until mature.
Pretty much follow the same reccomendations for your fish as you would for a cat or dog laid out by the American Vet Association (which is readily found on their website) that's my (and my Animal Care aide, who is a Vet technician) teacher's suggestion. Best to be safe than sorry IMO.
*puts some paraguard on her shopping list..at least her LFS has that*
They are similar to flea cocoons. You can flea bomb your house, move out for 10 years, then come back, and BOOM you will have the worst flea infestation ever. Why? The right conditions were met, humidity CO2 and vibration. Pesticide didn't touch them. Tapeworm proglottids are the same.
Only way to deal with a tapeworm infestation in tank is by constantly re-worming the fish every 3 months or so for an adult fish, juviniles based on age, every month to two months until mature.
Pretty much follow the same reccomendations for your fish as you would for a cat or dog laid out by the American Vet Association (which is readily found on their website) that's my (and my Animal Care aide, who is a Vet technician) teacher's suggestion. Best to be safe than sorry IMO.
*puts some paraguard on her shopping list..at least her LFS has that*
-
pinkfloydpuffer
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 315
- Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 5:24 pm
- My Puffers: C. travancoricus: Kensington
- Location (country): USA
- Location: Utah
Re: Gel-tek question
My Pistachio finished his treatment on Sunday, and I think GelTek actually worked on him! Parasite Clear didn't. So I'm happy. His stomach goes flat when he's hungry, not slightly caved in. 
80 gal brackish-3 Green spotted puffers
20 gal planted freshwater- dwarf puffers, south american puffer, ghost shrimps
10 gal planted freshwater-female crowntail bettas, L-187b Thomasi pleco, trilineatus cories
10 gal freshwater divided-crowntail betta, male and female halfmoon dragon bettas
5 gal freshwater-red cherry shrimps