American flagfish clamped fins, lethargic, fatal

[Hedgely]

Hi everyone,

Can anyone help me out with my American flagfish Jordanella floridae? About 1.5 weeks ago, he started showing clamped fins and was sitting at the bottom, while eating fine. I did some big water changes and dosed salt for the following three days, but condition didn't improve.
Since I didn't see rubbing or heavy breathing, I suspected worms and started treating with API general cure. Now we are on day 5 of the treatment, he is not getting better and developed stringy white poop. Still eating fine and coming up when I approach the tank, but on the bottom with clamped fins otherwise.

Should I keep going with the API general cure for total 10 days, or switch to another medication?

Aquarium parameters
Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20
PH 6.5, KH 20, GH 150
20G Planted tank
Tank members: 2 Jordanella floridae, 3 otocinclus, 4 sparkling gourami, 6 pseudomugil gertrudae, 2 nerite snails.

Pictures of the fish attached. Here you can see the pair, the male has stringy white poop. All other tank members show no symptoms.

Thanks so much!!
Hedgely

 

[Colin_T]

API General Cure contains praziquantel and metronidazole. Praziquantel is used to treat tapeworm and does nothing to thread/ round worms.
Metronidazole is an anti-biotic that should only be used for known bacterial infections that respond to metronidazole.

The fish probably has thread worms and requires levamisole or flubendazole. For more info on treating fish with intestinal worms, read section 3 of the following link. The link can also be found pinned at the top of the emergency section of the forum where you made this post.

What to do if your fish has Stringy White Poop.

Fish do a stringy white poop for several reasons. 1) Internal Bacterial Infections causes the fish to stop eating, swell up like a balloon, breath heavily at the surface or near a filter outlet, do stringy white poop, and die within 24-48 hours of showing these symptoms. This cannot normally be...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Hedgely]

API General Cure contains praziquantel and metronidazole. Praziquantel is used to treat tapeworm and does nothing to thread/ round worms.
Metronidazole is an anti-biotic that should only be used for known bacterial infections that respond to metronidazole.

The fish probably has thread worms and requires levamisole or flubendazole. For more info on treating fish with intestinal worms, read section 3 of the following link. The link can also be found pinned at the top of the emergency section of the forum where you made this post.

What to do if your fish has Stringy White Poop.

Fish do a stringy white poop for several reasons. 1) Internal Bacterial Infections causes the fish to stop eating, swell up like a balloon, breath heavily at the surface or near a filter outlet, do stringy white poop, and die within 24-48 hours of showing these symptoms. This cannot normally be...

www.fishforums.net

Hi Colin,

Thanks for your reply. I actually read this thread before, but to the untrained eye the descriptions for protozoan and intestinal worms sound similar - losing weight, swimming and eating, stringy white poop. That's why I posted to get some clarification.

Thank you for your input, I started dosing with flubendazole today. However it might be too late, I saw signs of a secondary bacterial infection. Will still treat the tank though.

 

[Colin_T]

fish with intestinal worms eat normally.
fish with an internal protozoan infection don't eat as much as normal

 

[Hedgely]

fish with intestinal worms eat normally.
fish with an internal protozoan infection don't eat as much as normal

Got it, thank you so much!

 

[Hedgely]

Hi everyone,

I ended up treating with flubendazole but unfortunately lost the fish in the days after.

I am worried now that the female starts exhibiting the same symptoms: clamped fins, moves less. Since the problem did not seem to improve with General Cure or Flubendazole, it might not be parasites? Male did show the stringy white poop one week after the initial symptoms, so it could have been secondary?

Do you have any other ideas? Maybe @Colin_T? I don't want to lose more.

Here's pictures of the female.

 

[Colin_T]

poor water quality, dirty tank, dirty filter, or an external protozoan infection. also maybe cold water, although they tolerate cold well, but if there was a sudden drop in temperature it might stress them.

 

[Hedgely]

poor water quality, dirty tank, dirty filter, or an external protozoan infection. also maybe cold water, although they tolerate cold well, but if there was a sudden drop in temperature it might stress them.

You're the best, thank you so much for replying.

Just tested parameters again: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate, pH 6.5, KH 20, GH 150
I usually switch out the filter for a new one every 4 weeks or so (I have biowheel and an extra cartridge with media to retain BB). I have mild algae growing in the tank but otherwise clean.

What treatment would you suggest against external protozoans? I have a planted tank and salt is at 1 teaspoon per 5g.

Edit: Should metro not help against protozoans, or not against all of those? It wad not effective for the male.

Again, can't thank you enough.

 

[Colin_T]

Don't replace the filter pads. Just wash them in a bucket of tank water and re-use them. If you want to replace them, put a sponge in its place.

Salt should treat most external protozoan infections (it doesn't work on white spot or velvet). Use 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres of water. Keep salt in there for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks. If there's no improvement after a few days of salt you might need something with Malachite Green or Copper but try and avoid them because they are pretty toxic. Besides the clamped fins they aren't showing any real signs of protozoan infections.

 

[itiwhetu]

These fish need lots of security around them, they need a heap of plant and rocks and drift wood to make them feel at home. They stress very easily, try and give them more security.