Platy : White String Like Poop

[Colin_T]

Cloudy milky water is caused by bacteria (not filter bacteria) feeding on uneaten fish food in the tank. The easiest way to fix it is by reducing the feeding and doing a 75% water change and gravel cleaning the substrate each day. However, if you are treating a tank, you have to do a water change and then treat the tank. Don't treat the tank in the morning and do a water change a few hours later.

If ammonia levels are very high (8ppm) then bigger water changes (80-90%) are useful. In some situations you might need to do a 90% water change each day and then retreat the tank each day after the water change.

 

[Kevin Goldstein]

Cloudy milky water is caused by bacteria (not filter bacteria) feeding on uneaten fish food in the tank. The easiest way to fix it is by reducing the feeding and doing a 75% water change and gravel cleaning the substrate each day. However, if you are treating a tank, you have to do a water change and then treat the tank. Don't treat the tank in the morning and do a water change a few hours later.

If ammonia levels are very high (8ppm) then bigger water changes (80-90%) are useful. In some situations you might need to do a 90% water change each day and then retreat the tank each day after the water change.

I apologize, I think there was some confusion. My 10 gallon that has the parasite treatment and 8 ppm ammonia is perfectly clear. My new 36 gallon that I put the photo of is the one with cloudy water, and no fish live in it. I have not added any bacteria or any food or anything. I did take a small bit of the water I pulled out of the 10 gallon with my siphon and put it into the 36 to try and get a little ammonia building up.

 

[Colin_T]

it will just be bacteria causing the milky cloudy water. If there are no fish in that tank then leave it and it should clear in a few days. If it doesn't you can drain the tank and refill it.

 

[Cichlid4life]

I did a 80% water change first thing this morning and 13 hours later my ammonia is at 1 ppm. I suppose I need to do daily water changes to keep it low?

1ppm is way better than 8ppm.

I see. I will continue the parasite treatment tomorrow night as it says to wait 48 hours and then treat again. I've given it 2 doses but want to be certain seeing as he is still so bloated.

Also the ammonia spike to 8 ppm is definitely from my stupidness removing the entire filter cartridge and therefor killing the beneficial bacteria.

If I could ask you one more silly beginners question, it would be why is my water milky in the tank that I just set up? It's a 36 gallon and I've filled it 2 days ago so it's not even close to cycling yet but I've added accuclear and it remains cloudy. I have a picture right here: https://imgur.com/a/N8qsXo0

Thanks so much for helping me find some expert answers!

first off your tank has sand in it, and i just set up a 16 gallon biocube the other day, and it has sand. The water took two to three days to clear up, and in your case, the same could be true, and the driftwood you added may be releasing tanins in your tank and you might notice a little later on that the water is slightly brown.

I am not a fan of artificial plants and fake tank decorations, but what you did with you bow-front tank looked natural for a few seconds, until i notice the fake plants, and i really like the scape of your tank.

 

[Kevin Goldstein]

it will just be bacteria causing the milky cloudy water. If there are no fish in that tank then leave it and it should clear in a few days. If it doesn't you can drain the tank and refill it.

1ppm is way better than 8ppm.
first off your tank has sand in it, and i just set up a 16 gallon biocube the other day, and it has sand. The water took two to three days to clear up, and in your case, the same could be true, and the driftwood you added may be releasing tanins in your tank and you might notice a little later on that the water is slightly brown.

I am not a fan of artificial plants and fake tank decorations, but what you did with you bow-front tank looked natural for a few seconds, until i notice the fake plants, and i really like the scape of your tank.

I am familiar with the waiting period for this sand substrate as I've used it before, and the tannins have pretty much stopped leaking out even though I only soaked it for about a week. I soaked it in boiling water which was changed twice a day for a week.

Thanks for the comment about the aquascape! I'm a far bigger fan of real plants but am also impatient and don't have the resources to provide for plants that would make the same aquascape.

I noticed yesterday one of the guppies will not eat again, and has been hanging out behind the heater pretty much always unless I come around. He now has a thing white hairlike substance coming out of him. It looks different than the intestines looked with the other fish, and really is hard to see. It genuinely looks like a thin hair, but I attached pictures with the intestine? Circled for your convenience...

I treated the tank with the API General Cure for parasites 3x and it said 2x was the treatment. I went ahead and did large water changes and have been logging the ammonia levels. Everything seemed great until I noticed this change in behavior. I hope that the parasite isnt still somehow around and effecting this fish.... thoughts?

https://imgur.com/a/R5SNkzV

 

[Cichlid4life]

Internal parasite are hard to get rid of, and some are incurable even with today's developed modern technologies.

I looked at both of the photos, but i can barely see parts of the white string that are closer to the fish's body. I do not know what they are, but i have dealt with cherry barbs who have a parasite problem where they had worms coming out of the rear end, then out of the left side of their lower bellies, shortly followed by the intestines coming out as a few rings that came out the left side of the fish but stay connected to the fish, and of course, they all died within 4 hours after the intestines part. The intestines of the cherry barbs were brown and formed rings that were still connected to the fish's body on the inside, and this white string does not match what i saw with my cherry barbs.

 

[Kevin Goldstein]

Internal parasite are hard to get rid of, and some are incurable even with today's developed modern technologies.

I looked at both of the photos, but i can barely see parts of the white string that are closer to the fish's body. I do not know what they are, but i have dealt with cherry barbs who have a parasite problem where they had worms coming out of the rear end, then out of the left side of their lower bellies, shortly followed by the intestines coming out as a few rings that came out the left side of the fish but stay connected to the fish, and of course, they all died within 4 hours after the intestines part. The intestines of the cherry barbs were brown and formed rings that were still connected to the fish's body on the inside, and this white string does not match what i saw with my cherry barbs.

Well now I noticed my fancy guppy swims underneath the more sick regular guppy and helps prop him up. The piece of intestinal lining actually broke off of the guppy and can be seen here cought on the plant.

I have been consulting a fish parasite expert and he was the one who informed me of the intestine lining being like thing white poop. I treated the tank with Tetra Lifeguard last night so as not to continue using a medicine the parasites will become used to.

EDIT: today my fancy guppy is swimming about when I come around but for the most part sits near the bottom in a little nook I created for them with sand. He hung out there before when he would be sleeping but today I noticed his fin has some red spots on it and looks like it's sort of rotted. Doesnt appear to be fin rot though....

 

[Colin_T]

The guppy in the bottom picture appears to have fin rot which is breaking down the tail and causing red lines in it.

Is the water quality good?

Did you overdose the tank with the new medication?

 

[Kevin Goldstein]

The guppy in the bottom picture appears to have fin rot which is breaking down the tail and causing red lines in it.

Is the water quality good?

Did you overdose the tank with the new medication?

I'm still trying to resolve the high ammonia issue by doing frequent water changes. As far as the dosing of medication it said to use one tablet for every 5 gallons and since it's a 10 gallon I used to tablets. I mixed it in a cup of tank water with 1 tbsp of Epsom salt ask for the recommendation of the king of DIY on YouTube for treating fish with this sort of illness. It says to repeat dose after 24 hours so when I go home I'm going to do a major water change again and don't know if I should dose again.

My 36 gallon bow front is still cycling and I added bacteria yesterday but at this point I almost wonder if it's better for me to put my fancy guppy in there as isolation...

 

[Cichlid4life]

Well now I noticed my fancy guppy swims underneath the more sick regular guppy and helps prop him up. The piece of intestinal lining actually broke off of the guppy and can be seen here cought on the plant.

I have been consulting a fish parasite expert and he was the one who informed me of the intestine lining being like thing white poop. I treated the tank with Tetra Lifeguard last night so as not to continue using a medicine the parasites will become used to.

EDIT: today my fancy guppy is swimming about when I come around but for the most part sits near the bottom in a little nook I created for them with sand. He hung out there before when he would be sleeping but today I noticed his fin has some red spots on it and looks like it's sort of rotted. Doesnt appear to be fin rot though....

two things, one it could be finrot, and two it could be septicemia, but the former is worst than the latter, but the red streaks match septicemia.