Strange platy poo…pregnant???

[Firsttimefishkeeper]

Hello everyone!
I purchased my first 3 fish (platys) 3 weeks ago. I strongly suspect at least one of them is pregnant, but I can’t notice that black spot. (I think I have one male and 2 females). Tonight I noticed she had some sparkly looking stringy poo coming out (looked like an air bubble or teeny silver ball…at first I thought she was giving birth). It’s now just hanging from her and she is trying to eat it. What is going on? What should I do?! Do I need a new tank if she’s going to give birth?!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Hi, She does look as though she may be gravid, but I'm afraid that kind of white stringy poop is a really strong indicator that the fish have worms. Very very common for livebearers like platies to arrive from the fish farms carrying a heavy worm burden. Don't isolate her in another tank - if one fish in the tank has worms, they all will have them and the whole tank will need to be treated I'm afraid. Please read this thread closely, especially the part about medications. There are a load of cheap generic medicines that claim to worm fish, but many are ineffective and don't fix the problem, leading to fish deaths weeks or months down the line when the worm burden gets to be too heavy for the fish to survive.

Welcome to the hobby! I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this is also very treatable! Please feel free to ask any follow up questions you may have!

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

 

[Firsttimefishkeeper]

Hi, She does look as though she may be gravid, but I'm afraid that kind of white stringy poop is a really strong indicator that the fish have worms. Very very common for livebearers like platies to arrive from the fish farms carrying a heavy worm burden. Don't isolate her in another tank - if one fish in the tank has worms, they all will have them and the whole tank will need to be treated I'm afraid. Please read this thread closely, especially the part about medications. There are a load of cheap generic medicines that claim to worm fish, but many are ineffective and don't fix the problem, leading to fish deaths weeks or months down the line when the worm burden gets to be too heavy for the fish to survive.

Welcome to the hobby! I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this is also very treatable! Please feel free to ask any follow up questions you may have!

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

Thanks so much for your reply. Wow, I had no idea that worms could be so lethal. That link and information was really useful, after your suggestion it all really makes sense.
Really hope that the treatment works. Thank you again!

 

[Essjay]

As you are in the UK, look for these meds
eSHa ndx kills round worms (levamisole)
eSHa gdex kills flat worms (praziquantel)
NT Labs Anti Fluke and Wormer/Maidenhead Aquatics AquaCare Anti Fluke and Wormer kills both round and flat worms (flubendazole)

If you have any shrimps or snails in the tank, go for the two eSHa meds. If you don't, the NT Labs/AquaCare med is a single med which kills both types of worms, but it does kill inverts.

 

[Firsttimefishkeeper]

As you are in the UK, look for these meds
eSHa ndx kills round worms (levamisole)
eSHa gdex kills flat worms (praziquantel)
NT Labs Anti Fluke and Wormer/Maidenhead Aquatics AquaCare Anti Fluke and Wormer kills both round and flat worms (flubendazole)

If you have any shrimps or snails in the tank, go for the two eSHa meds. If you don't, the NT Labs/AquaCare med is a single med which kills both types of worms, but it does kill inverts.

Thanks so much for this, Really helpful! I got some of the NT labs one, just given first dose about an hour ago. Already I’ve noticed her poo is more black…it can’t have worked so quickly, surely?!