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Divinityinlove

Fish Crazy
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Been keeping an eye for a few days and I'm unsure if I should treat for dropsy with medication or.... Euthanize? Never seen swelling like this but she was eating and swimming fine until just this afternoon, now she is facing down.....

The photo of the orange tailed guppy in plain background is just to show contrast because she is always swelling and unswelling probably from eating fast or when i feed flaked foods instead of frozen, but you can see massive difference between belly swelling and the face down yellow tail guppy who is swollen to the sides and ALSO disfigured in shape.

All parameters in photos.

90 Litre tank.

Water temp usually 26-27° right now I've got heating on as cats got wet in rain so its on 28° But will go down again to 27° shortly.

Please suggest.

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How long did the fish take to swell up and get fat like that?
Is the fish still eating?
What does the fish's poop look like?

If the fish swelled up overnight and stopped eating, it has an internal bacterial infection and will probably die in the next 24-48 hours.

If the fish got fat over a couple of weeks and is still eating well, it might have a bad case of worms.
 
How long did the fish take to swell up and get fat like that?
Is the fish still eating?
What does the fish's poop look like?

If the fish swelled up overnight and stopped eating, it has an internal bacterial infection and will probably die in the next 24-48 hours.

If the fish got fat over a couple of weeks and is still eating well, it might have a bad case of worms.
She's been swelling for a while now. Thought she was pregnant. Suggestions for worm treatment?
 
see section 3 of the following link for treating fish that have intestinal worms
 
Seems like a swim bladder problem if I look at her swimming position. In such a case, a fish can swell in no time.
 
Seems like a swim bladder problem if I look at her swimming position. In such a case, a fish can swell in no time.
Well a few of my fisg definitely have white poop. I've never seen this before. Now I feel I should treat the whole tank for worms. Unfortunately I dosed interpret anti internal bacteria yesterday and my shrimp died.
 
Well a few of my fisg definitely have white poop. I've never seen this before. Now I feel I should treat the whole tank for worms. Unfortunately I dosed interpret anti internal bacteria yesterday and my shrimp died.
The white poop does indicate internal worms, indeed...
 
Thanks everybody. Almost all the fish have stringy white poop so I've researched the suggestions and I have bought API general cure for Metronidazole and Praziquantel, and I've bought eSHa-ndx for Levamisole. I now have learned I should always have these in my cabinet for urgencies and new fish treatment. Unfortunately they can take another 8 days to arrive if I'm not lucky with shipping as one is coming from USA to UK, and the other just said 8 days unsure why.

I didn't want to go for Flubendazole because I kept reading that it definitely kills shrimp and snails, and I already managed to lose my amano shrimp even after reading reviews from others who said their amanos were fine with Interpret Anti Internal Bacteria Plus. I dosed 9ml to 90litres as recommended. :/ Next morning, 1 dead shrimp, poor thing. Can't even find the other one :( just dosed Seachem Stability into the filter.

My parameters are always stable, I always check for nitrates, good temp, and toned down lighting with duckweed at the expense of plants, lots of hiding places, I don't understand why little things always happen in my tank which are accredited to "poor water quality" in articles online, the only improvement I am aiming to make is getting a water distiller or an RO system which is practical for me, ( I can afford and use in a rented home where I cannot attach to the sink.) This is to soften the water, but I need to do more research on best mineral levels and hardness levels for my fish.

I actually wanted to go for Fritz Expel-p, and Fritz paracleanse. They seem to be the safest for shrimp, snails and other sensitives whilst being effective, with conviction on their information and cover all these ingredients. Just was a bit more expensive for my lack of funds right now to ship from ebay and amazon from US sellers. I have so many interpret medicines from last year before I expanded into shrimp and snails, but didn't have the right one on hand. The ones I've chosen also state safe for shrimp and snails though hence I opted for them over other UK brands.

Any feedback which supports any of these areas mentioned, welcome.

Thanks again.
 
Seems like a swim bladder problem if I look at her swimming position. In such a case, a fish can swell in no time.
i'll have to medicate for swim bladder after the worms as clearly there is a worm issue. However, another guppy swims on its side occasionally, then returns to normal shortly after.. so it's worth treatment for swim bladder, not at the same time. Plus I have interpret swim bladder, so I might look into other swim bladder medicine which could be safer. I plan to replace my amano shrimp
 
Thanks everybody. Almost all the fish have stringy white poop so I've researched the suggestions and I have bought API general cure for Metronidazole and Praziquantel, and I've bought eSHa-ndx for Levamisole. I now have learned I should always have these in my cabinet for urgencies and new fish treatment. Unfortunately they can take another 8 days to arrive if I'm not lucky with shipping as one is coming from USA to UK, and the other just said 8 days unsure why.

Hi! I've used the eSHa-ndx and the eSHa gdex to treat worms, and I also keep shrimp, so I can attest that in my case, the eSHa meds did turn out to be shrimp safe!
I don't recommend buying meds to keep in the cupboard "just in case" though. I know you want to feel prepared for anything, but medicines do expire, and it would prove to be an expensive waste of money. There's also an understandable tendency to immediately reach for meds and try them out when you see a potential problem, without being sure of a diagnosis, and this can do a lot more harm than good, so having to wait for an order or go to a store first can be a good thing. Means that while you're waiting, you can research the problem more thoroughly, and make sure you're dosing the right thing.
My parameters are always stable, I always check for nitrates, good temp, and toned down lighting with duckweed at the expense of plants, lots of hiding places, I don't understand why little things always happen in my tank which are accredited to "poor water quality" in articles online, the only improvement I am aiming to make is getting a water distiller or an RO system which is practical for me, ( I can afford and use in a rented home where I cannot attach to the sink.) This is to soften the water, but I need to do more research on best mineral levels and hardness levels for my fish.

Worms are a nightmare. A treatable nightmare, but still a nightmare to go through when your fish are suffering and you're experiencing losses. Have been there! Can even link you my thread from when I was, if you like. There's useful info from others in it, along with my panicked stressing over it. I felt the same way. Was religious about water changes, quality diet, water testing, live plants and extra filtration etc - so when fish were getting sick and dying despite all that, I felt like a failure, and like giving up the hobby. It's not your fault. Many livebearers arrive to the store carrying a heavy worm burden, and they can seem fine for a long time, months even, until they're not.

The swim bladder - don't use a swim bladder medication (which med is it?) since all kinds of things can affect the swim bladder, including worms. It's likely that whatever is causing the swelling - whether that's the worms themselves, a secondary bacterial infection as a result of the worms, or something else entirely - is causing pressure on the swim bladder (which is an internal organ filled with gas) and hence causing the off-balance angle and swimming. Treating the worms may fix that.

Take some breaths, read up about the best way to go through medicating them etc, and try not to give yourself a hard time. This hobby has a steep and brutal learning curve, but you're obviously willing to do what you can to help them, and we will help where we can.
 
Separate issue,

But I have both seachem monitors hanging in my tank. I’ve found the ammonia one to be pretty good but the ph one is awful. Told my my ph was 6.2, changed it out and went to 7 (this is within a month). My ph is 8..
 
It's preferable not to add Metronidazole to an aquarium. It is an antibiotic for people but kills internal protozoan parasites in fish.

If you can get Praziquantel on its own, that is better than Praziquantel and Metronidazole.

--------------------
It's fine to deworm any and all new fish before they go into the main display tank. Just keep the medications cool, dry and out of light.

*NB* Keep all medications and test kits away from children and animals.


--------------------
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.

If you have big rocks or driftwood in the tank, remove these before measuring the height of the water level so you get a more accurate water volume.

You can use a permanent marker to draw a line on the tank at the water level and put down how many litres are in the tank at that level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "FishForum.net Calculator" under "Useful Links" at the bottom of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Remove carbon from the filter before treating with chemicals or it will adsorb the medication and stop it working. You do not need to remove the carbon if you use salt.
 
It's preferable not to add Metronidazole to an aquarium. It is an antibiotic for people but kills internal protozoan parasites in fish.

If you can get Praziquantel on its own, that is better than Praziquantel and Metronidazole.

--------------------
It's fine to deworm any and all new fish before they go into the main display tank. Just keep the medications cool, dry and out of light.

*NB* Keep all medications and test kits away from children and animals.


--------------------
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.

If you have big rocks or driftwood in the tank, remove these before measuring the height of the water level so you get a more accurate water volume.

You can use a permanent marker to draw a line on the tank at the water level and put down how many litres are in the tank at that level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "FishForum.net Calculator" under "Useful Links" at the bottom of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Remove carbon from the filter before treating with chemicals or it will adsorb the medication and stop it working. You do not need to remove the carbon if you use salt.
I've already ordered based on the article I think you sent which mentioned metronidazole lol maybe for future I can get praziquantel on its own but for now, I'm out of money and time since I need to treat as soon as they arrive. Two fish died. The swollen one in the photo, and another one who is on and off swollen just died. At least my second amano shrimp was found alive today! But is stressed as hell from the interpret anti internal bacteria plus as are ALL of my fish.

Which brings me to the final question!

How long should I wait after the last dose of medication to do a water change and return carbon?
 
Leave the med in for as long as the instruction say, then do a large water change and run a new batch of carbon for 24 hours.

It is possible you'll never receive the med with metronidazole as it's prescription only in the UK, though it would take a particularly observant customs official to confiscate it. But something to bear in mind for the future when buying meds from another country.
 
Leave the med in for as long as the instruction say, then do a large water change and run a new batch of carbon for 24 hours.

It is possible you'll never receive the med with metronidazole as it's prescription only in the UK, though it would take a particularly observant customs official to confiscate it. But something to bear in mind for the future when buying meds from another country.
So should I just get praziquantel and levimasole? Will they get rid of everything? I mean what can I use to get rid of all worms that is shrimp and snail and plant safe? The article sent here mentioned many substances so I chose from there, I thought it was UK based.
 

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