Possible parasites????
- Thread starter Ibobi
- Start date
Hi and welcome to the forum 
If your local pet shop sells live brineshrimp, you can try feeding him some of those. If he still doesn't eat then he might be dying.
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Fish do a stringy white poop for several reasons.
1) internal bacterial infection causes the fish to stop eating, swell up like a balloon, breath heavily at surface or near a filter outlet, do stringy white poop, and die within 24-48 hours of showing these symptoms. This cannot normally be cured because massive internal organ failure has already occurred.
2) internal protozoan infection cause the fish to lose weight rapidly (over a week or two), fish continues to eat and swim around but not as much as normal, does stringy white poop. If not treated the fish dies a week or so after these symptoms appear. Metronidazole normally works well for this.
There is a medication (API General Cure) that contains Praziquantel and Metronidazole and might be worth trying.
It's interesting that API and the Californian government have listed Metronidazole as a carcinogen. That's a concern considering it was widely used to treat intestinal infections in people.
Anyway, handle with care, don't inhale the medication, and wash hands with soapy water after treating the fish or working in the tank.
3) intestinal worms like tapeworm and threadworms cause the fish to lose weight, continue eating and swimming normally, do a stringy white poop. Fish can do this for months and not be too badly affected. In some cases, fish with bad worm infestation will actually gain weight and get fat and look like a pregnant guppy. This is due to the huge number of worms inside the fish.
You can use Praziquantel to treat tapeworm and gill flukes. And Levamisole to treat thread/ round worms.
You treat the fish once a week for 3-4 weeks. The first treatment will kill any worms in the fish. The second and third treatments kill any baby worms that hatch from eggs inside the fish's digestive tract. You do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean 24-48 hours after treatment. Do at least 2 big water changes between treatments to remove any medication.
Treat every fish tank in the house at the same time.
Do not use the 2 medications together. If you want to treat both medications in a short space of time, treat them with Praziquantel one day. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the next 2 days. Treat with Levamisole after the second water change. Then do water changes for the next couple of days before doing the second round of treatments with the Praziquantel.
If your local pet shop sells live brineshrimp, you can try feeding him some of those. If he still doesn't eat then he might be dying.
------------------------
Fish do a stringy white poop for several reasons.
1) internal bacterial infection causes the fish to stop eating, swell up like a balloon, breath heavily at surface or near a filter outlet, do stringy white poop, and die within 24-48 hours of showing these symptoms. This cannot normally be cured because massive internal organ failure has already occurred.
2) internal protozoan infection cause the fish to lose weight rapidly (over a week or two), fish continues to eat and swim around but not as much as normal, does stringy white poop. If not treated the fish dies a week or so after these symptoms appear. Metronidazole normally works well for this.
There is a medication (API General Cure) that contains Praziquantel and Metronidazole and might be worth trying.
It's interesting that API and the Californian government have listed Metronidazole as a carcinogen. That's a concern considering it was widely used to treat intestinal infections in people.
Anyway, handle with care, don't inhale the medication, and wash hands with soapy water after treating the fish or working in the tank.
3) intestinal worms like tapeworm and threadworms cause the fish to lose weight, continue eating and swimming normally, do a stringy white poop. Fish can do this for months and not be too badly affected. In some cases, fish with bad worm infestation will actually gain weight and get fat and look like a pregnant guppy. This is due to the huge number of worms inside the fish.
You can use Praziquantel to treat tapeworm and gill flukes. And Levamisole to treat thread/ round worms.
You treat the fish once a week for 3-4 weeks. The first treatment will kill any worms in the fish. The second and third treatments kill any baby worms that hatch from eggs inside the fish's digestive tract. You do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean 24-48 hours after treatment. Do at least 2 big water changes between treatments to remove any medication.
Treat every fish tank in the house at the same time.
Do not use the 2 medications together. If you want to treat both medications in a short space of time, treat them with Praziquantel one day. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the next 2 days. Treat with Levamisole after the second water change. Then do water changes for the next couple of days before doing the second round of treatments with the Praziquantel.
The fish is not young and he could have all 3 problems listed above (internal bacterial or protozoan infection and or worms). However, the poor appetite would suggest an internal bacterial or protozoan infection. Bulging eye/s can be bacterial.
If he has become fat/ bloated over night then its bacterial. If he doesn't appear to have gained weight rapidly then it's probably an internal protozoan infection.
You can try doing a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate each day for a week and see if he improves after a couple of water changes. If not then look for a medication called "API General Cure". It contains Praziquantel and Metronidazole and might be worth trying.
Metronidazole will usually wipe out filter bacteria so monitor ammonia and nitrite levels during and after treatment.
Metronidazole has recently been classed as a carcinogen (causes cancer) by the Californian government. Don't inhale or ingest the medication and wash hands with soapy water after using it or working in the tank.
--------------------------
To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.
When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.
There is a calculator/ converter in the "How To Tips" at the top of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.
Remove carbon from the filter before treating or it will absorb the medication and stop it working.
Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks.
Increase surface turbulence/ aeration when using medications because they reduce the dissolved oxygen in the water.
If he has become fat/ bloated over night then its bacterial. If he doesn't appear to have gained weight rapidly then it's probably an internal protozoan infection.
You can try doing a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate each day for a week and see if he improves after a couple of water changes. If not then look for a medication called "API General Cure". It contains Praziquantel and Metronidazole and might be worth trying.
Metronidazole will usually wipe out filter bacteria so monitor ammonia and nitrite levels during and after treatment.
Metronidazole has recently been classed as a carcinogen (causes cancer) by the Californian government. Don't inhale or ingest the medication and wash hands with soapy water after using it or working in the tank.
--------------------------
To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.
When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.
There is a calculator/ converter in the "How To Tips" at the top of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.
Remove carbon from the filter before treating or it will absorb the medication and stop it working.
Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks.
Increase surface turbulence/ aeration when using medications because they reduce the dissolved oxygen in the water.
Fin rot is caused by poor water quality that damages the fish's fins and allows bacteria to get in. I doubt your fish has fin rot unless there is an ammonia or nitrite issue or you haven't been cleaning the tank.
If you have some Kanaplex already, you can try that instead of the Metronidazole. It might help.
If you have some Kanaplex already, you can try that instead of the Metronidazole. It might help.
I have been treating him with kanaplex but he does not seem better. He at least does not float sideways. But he has been floating almost vertically. 99% of the time he is not moving. He barely eats. I also noticed his gills are expanding a lot and his mouth sticks out of the water. He just floats in a corner not moving. His fins are so ragged he loks like a crowntail.
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