fishtv Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 As most of you will know i have been having issues with the tank and alot of fish dying. We noticed that some of them have clear stringy poo (as shown below) and they seem to have lost some of their appetite and are very lethargic. Any help VERY appreciated as losing the fish is starting to get expensive :'( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 sorry to hear that , what are parameters , temp , i would start again :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 that couldnt be some kind of tape worm or similar could it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishtv Posted March 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 Ammonia nil, Nirite Nil, Nitrate 5, Ph 7 ish, Temp 26-27. Wat about this fish I have left? And by start again do u mean strip tank and cycle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 I would if i had that much loss , but thats only my opinion , they could have some yucky parasite , which will just keep coming if it aint eliminated what species of barb is that ? very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GZ_Loach Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 is there any chlorine/chloramine?? town water or farm water isnt good for fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herefishiefishie Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 Could be a few things. Have a look at the options on this link. You should be able to narrow it down. Good Luck. http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/fish_diseases/fecal_disorders.html I guess C. Frenchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishtv Posted March 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 Ive been using farm water but conditioning and there hasn't been a problem up till now? That website seems great but where do you get the treatments? I'm a struggling student so taking a fish to the vet is going to have to be the last resort? That is a checker barb, very cute, one of my fav! If all of those in the tank die barring one or two and I strip the tank and recycle it will the one or two such as my bristlenoses reinfect the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herefishiefishie Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 Praziquantel is in some anti parasite remedies. Just a case of going to a lfs & readying what the main ingredient is on parasite remedy bottles. If you can't find that then Trichlorifon is next best option in my opinion. The other medicine I would try is Metronidazole{Flagyl} this is what discus people use when their fish have stringy poo. These medicines are good against internal & external worms. Frenchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 i would strip the tank and put and good fish in qteen for a month or so and see how they are afterwards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishtv Posted March 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 the pic of the checker barb was taken mid day yesterday and this is her today... Sorry about the terrible photo but her tail is skeletal and near it is very skinny? does this help anyone? I will visit the LFS tomorrow and try to find something to save the remaining few. I haven't had much luck at all with this tank despite doing everything I could..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxglove Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 hi, have you tried feeding peas? It seems to help alot of digestive problems. I had the same problem with some bristlenoses - they all died. I believe I was overfeeding and something must have gone bad in the tank. So maybe cut down the food and try the peas. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishtv Posted March 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 cool I will try that thanks!!!! They are better to be shelled right?? Everyone seems a little better in the last few hours minus this very poor barb!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxglove Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 hi, yes shelled. I put a few in the microwave for a few secs to blanch them, then squeeze to shell, and put in the tank. My ramshorn snails love them, as well as the otos and rummy-nose tetras. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishtv Posted March 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 done! They don't seem keen on them tho, they chased them on the way down but thats about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 HFF is spot on. Prazi will do intestinal worms (tapeworm? is most common i think and the fish will pass white segmented poop) if thats it and Metro will do Hex. Prazi can be hard to obtain and the liquid form which is great is pricey. Metro can be obtained from your vet, they call it Trichozole. Your fish may be coming in with it or something isnt right in your tank and its causing them to get it. As far as i know it isnt contagious (from my personal experience it isnt). Hexamita can be a persistant thing and needs persistant treatment. IMO if they are eating feed them nothing but medicated food (im not sure if there is generally a time limit or not but ive fed for a good week or two with no ill effects), if they arent do a full 10 day treatment via water and then follow up with medicated food. When i treat i find the fish start to pass good droppings (if eating) around the 48-72 hour mark but you need to treat for longer just to be sure. Best of luck and hang in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishtv Posted March 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 Okay so the infected fish (seems to be 3 or 4) wont make my other fish ill? I am sorry for my ignorance but I am new to this hobby... medicated food? Obviously these treatments aren't put into the water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 In my experience the fish wont infect other fish and everything i have read hasnt said its contagious so im assuming its not. Medicated food is just that, food that has medicine in it. For my metro food I mix up the fishes fav food (sometimes home made frozens, sometimes tetra bits) and then dissolve whatever amount of metro i need in a small amount of water and mix in. With the tetra bits i only needed a very small amount to make them soggy. Then i pop it in the freezer and use as required. The fish dont seem to notice the meds in it and eat it as usual. I cant remember what dosage i used though :oops: If they are still eating this is the most effective way to treat them cause the food goes where it is needed- to the intestine. When treating via water it is absorbed through the gills which is less effective but will still produce good results (messier though and probably more stressful) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brishe Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 Sounds like hexamita, my fish were diagnosed through the disease forum under "disease in our tank?" symptoms are stringy white poo, extreme nervousness, weight loss, lethargy and not eating. Dosed our tank with metronidazole and all fish came right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishtv Posted March 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 Ok, thanks so much everyone. I will try all of your suggestions! I am getting frustrated with all these problems and if I cannot fix them soon I may not have the money to finance the continual treatment of my tank and I really don't want that to happen. I love keeping fish and hope that I don't have to sell my set up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishtv Posted March 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 WOW prazi is nearly impossible to get hold of. People look at me like I'm going to dessimate the human population!!!!! Apparently MAF have had a crack down in the last 18 months and wont allow it into the country. GRRRR It can't just be easy can it???? :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 Just like any animal, when you need quality treatment you need to see a vet and get a prescription. For larger fish they can even inject anti-biotics where required. If you know what it is, and can show them pictures/video or preferably bring the fish in, they will prescribe the medication required. Praziquental is also found in dog worming tablets such as Drontal All-Wormer, however I no longer recommend this method due to fish losses by other forum members. Vet cost me $43 last time, and $12 at the chemist for the script (although that wasnt for Praziquentil). If that's too much, you will want to consider clove oil if the fish looks to be suffering/in pain. This is not a normal part of the hobby, so don't be discouraged. Do not buy any more fish until the problem is sorted. When I first started, and I had these problems, I often found it hard to get help, and often that's because we all have our own ways that we learn over time, and they dont always work. So often we give advice that can lead to the death of a fish, so people are reserved about giving advice. If I couldn't afford to see a vet, I'd use Drontal All-Wormer (for worm problems) and lots of aquarium salt (general cure really), maybe throw in a little mag sulphate. I've also got a copper sulphate mix that I keep as a trick up my sleve if there are no other options. These are the options I use, and I dont recommend them because they dont always work, they're just better than nothing. Best person to see is the vet, but remember they probably dont know fish, so you've got to kind of help them along some times. Note sharns advice on the Metro and the different name for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishtv Posted March 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 Thanks again guys, Its just hard watching the fish die. I've contacted our local vet by phone and he is researching options for me and will get back to me soon. How would you use the dog wormer? Just in the water? Once I get rid of it should I strip the tank? do a really good clean of all the substrate etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishtv Posted March 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 update: The sickest fish now has a white mark on her mouth. This is on her top lip almost? Seems to be the final step before I lose them.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 do *not* use drontal- i hear of many more cases of tank loads dying that tanks being cured sadly. It would be fine if it was plain old Prazi but its not, its got a few other nasties in it that fish arent too fond of. I know you are thinking 'anythings better than nothing', and thats totally understandable but its such a huge risk using it (you may be willing to take that risk, im not sure)- you could end up with no fish at all. Sick fish are the worst part of the hobby and i understand your stress but we can only do so much for them with our limited supply of medications. If you can find out *why* this is happening you can prevent it happening again. Are the fish coming in with the problems already or are they developing it later on? Its a process of elimination really and sadly it can take some time. Hang in there bud, if you can get metro from your vet you have a great chance in clearing it up, ive seen fish come back from within an inch of death with that stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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