Hello!
We have a 5 gallon aquarium with 2 platies (they belong to my 4 yr old, but we all enjoy them thoroughly). We set up the tank about 11 months ago, and the fellows have been living happily since then with no problems at all.
A few weeks ago we noticed some algae build up in the sides of the tank, so we went to petsmart and purchased a mystery snail and a moss ball. Before I put them in, I was encouraged to do a thorough cleaning of the tank by the petsmart staff member because I have really been doing very minimal gravel cleanings and partial water changes (once ever 2-3 months). So that's what I did ( I changed 50% of the water and vaccumed the gravel, wiped the insides of the tank, changed the filter, rinsed the fake plants, coral skeleton rock and the "fish house"). Then I put in our new snail and the moss ball.
2 days later, we noticed that one of the platies- peanut butter- had become emaciated and a little lethargic, though he was eating, but not ravenously like ususal. His scales appear normal, his fins are occasionally clamped, but otherwise he just looks super skinny. So super skinny that we could not tell if his back looks archer/curved or if its just because he's so thin. He's been smaller than the other platy for a few months, but he was not thin until very recently. It is frightening how quickly this happened to him. The bigger platy- orange bread- has started to pick on the little guy too.
The discovery was tragic to our 4 yr old. I called petsmart, the LFS, and did some online research. I came up with lots of ideas, but the two we figured most likely being fish TB and the other internal parasites. Since we can't do much about TB, I bought some general cure by API (metronidazole) and treated the tank. I took out the snail, since I don't know if the med is safe for him. The first 48 hours the emaciated fish acted a bit worse- swimming less, eating less. After the second dose, he seems to be improving some, more active and more hungry, even defending his food a bit. We've been feeding tiny bits to the fish every few hours to keep up the little guy's strength- same amount of food, just spread out. Also, both fish began pooing long, trailing red poo yesterday, something they've never done before, its always been grey and its short and falls off quickly with the very occasional trailing grey poo. Then today, they began to poo really long (4+ inches) whitish/translucent thin strands. I interpret this to be parasites.
I also gather that internal parasites are most effectively treated with internal medication instead of water meds since food meds reach the parasites better. I've been trying to track down either the jungle medicated antiparasite food or Gel-Tek Ultra Cure PX for 2 days and I've learned neither are produced anymore. A not so local petstore kindly offered to give me a tiny bit of their praziquantel to feed to my fish, but I called JEHM Co to ask them about the jungle or gel-tek product and the service rep told me I could easily mix my own medicated fish food with praziquantel and fenbendazole in a gelatin base with our platy's favorite food (a tropical fish flake). He said it was simple and many people do that. I don't think he realized I am treating 2 fish in a 5 gallon tank. But I ordered praziquantel and fenbendazole in hopes of treating these fish successfully out of love for my dear little son (and his fish).
Now that the history is briefly explained, my questions:
1) Could our problem really be parasites? Can parasites really emaciate a fish?
2) How do we know if its TB instead? or too?
3) Is TB really very contagious to people, especially children (I have clorox wiped the area around the tank and the outside of it and moved it where the baby can't tap it anymore)?
4) Will praziquantel and fenbendazole treat internal parasites effectively?
5) Can a medicated food really be made with ingredients at home and fed to our fish?
5b) How, exactly, can I make a medicated food as described above?
6) How often do I feed it and for how long and at what intervals to treat the problem?
7) Will these meds hurt our snail?
8) Do snails carry parasites? (my husband wonders if the snail will re-infect the platies once they are treated since he's out of the tank)
9) I have the snail in a 1.5 qt vase with a plastic lid loosely sitting on top. I change the water every other day and I feed him a snippet of algae pellet daily. How long can he live like this?
10) Are there other problems I need to consider- other bacterial infections, stress, etc, that could cause a fish to emaciate that quickly? What are the dynamics between introducing a snail and a moss ball to a happy home for 11 months? Is all this the snail's fault?
Thank you for any and all help! We dearly love our little wet friends and desire a long, pleasant and healthy life for them.
Sincerely, the platy_mom
We have a 5 gallon aquarium with 2 platies (they belong to my 4 yr old, but we all enjoy them thoroughly). We set up the tank about 11 months ago, and the fellows have been living happily since then with no problems at all.
A few weeks ago we noticed some algae build up in the sides of the tank, so we went to petsmart and purchased a mystery snail and a moss ball. Before I put them in, I was encouraged to do a thorough cleaning of the tank by the petsmart staff member because I have really been doing very minimal gravel cleanings and partial water changes (once ever 2-3 months). So that's what I did ( I changed 50% of the water and vaccumed the gravel, wiped the insides of the tank, changed the filter, rinsed the fake plants, coral skeleton rock and the "fish house"). Then I put in our new snail and the moss ball.
2 days later, we noticed that one of the platies- peanut butter- had become emaciated and a little lethargic, though he was eating, but not ravenously like ususal. His scales appear normal, his fins are occasionally clamped, but otherwise he just looks super skinny. So super skinny that we could not tell if his back looks archer/curved or if its just because he's so thin. He's been smaller than the other platy for a few months, but he was not thin until very recently. It is frightening how quickly this happened to him. The bigger platy- orange bread- has started to pick on the little guy too.
The discovery was tragic to our 4 yr old. I called petsmart, the LFS, and did some online research. I came up with lots of ideas, but the two we figured most likely being fish TB and the other internal parasites. Since we can't do much about TB, I bought some general cure by API (metronidazole) and treated the tank. I took out the snail, since I don't know if the med is safe for him. The first 48 hours the emaciated fish acted a bit worse- swimming less, eating less. After the second dose, he seems to be improving some, more active and more hungry, even defending his food a bit. We've been feeding tiny bits to the fish every few hours to keep up the little guy's strength- same amount of food, just spread out. Also, both fish began pooing long, trailing red poo yesterday, something they've never done before, its always been grey and its short and falls off quickly with the very occasional trailing grey poo. Then today, they began to poo really long (4+ inches) whitish/translucent thin strands. I interpret this to be parasites.
I also gather that internal parasites are most effectively treated with internal medication instead of water meds since food meds reach the parasites better. I've been trying to track down either the jungle medicated antiparasite food or Gel-Tek Ultra Cure PX for 2 days and I've learned neither are produced anymore. A not so local petstore kindly offered to give me a tiny bit of their praziquantel to feed to my fish, but I called JEHM Co to ask them about the jungle or gel-tek product and the service rep told me I could easily mix my own medicated fish food with praziquantel and fenbendazole in a gelatin base with our platy's favorite food (a tropical fish flake). He said it was simple and many people do that. I don't think he realized I am treating 2 fish in a 5 gallon tank. But I ordered praziquantel and fenbendazole in hopes of treating these fish successfully out of love for my dear little son (and his fish).
Now that the history is briefly explained, my questions:
1) Could our problem really be parasites? Can parasites really emaciate a fish?
2) How do we know if its TB instead? or too?
3) Is TB really very contagious to people, especially children (I have clorox wiped the area around the tank and the outside of it and moved it where the baby can't tap it anymore)?
4) Will praziquantel and fenbendazole treat internal parasites effectively?
5) Can a medicated food really be made with ingredients at home and fed to our fish?
5b) How, exactly, can I make a medicated food as described above?
6) How often do I feed it and for how long and at what intervals to treat the problem?
7) Will these meds hurt our snail?
8) Do snails carry parasites? (my husband wonders if the snail will re-infect the platies once they are treated since he's out of the tank)
9) I have the snail in a 1.5 qt vase with a plastic lid loosely sitting on top. I change the water every other day and I feed him a snippet of algae pellet daily. How long can he live like this?
10) Are there other problems I need to consider- other bacterial infections, stress, etc, that could cause a fish to emaciate that quickly? What are the dynamics between introducing a snail and a moss ball to a happy home for 11 months? Is all this the snail's fault?
Thank you for any and all help! We dearly love our little wet friends and desire a long, pleasant and healthy life for them.
Sincerely, the platy_mom
Sometimes my cartridges go a few months. 
