So... I sought opinions from a number of different websites, as well as calling around to some knowledgable fish stores. It was suggested to me that the fish does not have flukes, but rather lymphocystis (sp?). I researched it a bit, and it does seem like that might be what it is, although most of the photos on the net are of extreme cases. If that's the case, it's good news as it is not fatal (although the secondary problems can be). There is no treatment for it, but it can take months to resolve. I'm still not 100% sure, but I think I'm just going to sit on this for a while longer and see what happens. He's got an appetite (just not for my cooking
) and he's active. It might be a mistake to create more stress in his life (what I read about lymphocystis warns NOT to induce more stress).
Has anyone else exerienced this before?