# Parasites and other intestinal probs



## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Okay, I am pretty sure a couple of my fish have them, particularily a platy who's lost a fair amount of weight. 

Two of my zebra danio have big round bellies, I was thinking eggs/parasites/constipated.

I am going out the vet tomorrow to see if I can get some panacur to deal with the hydra and planaria I know inhabit the tanks.

So, with intestinal paracites, aside of the panacur which I have researced ahd found to not be problematic with shrimp, what else can I do to help the platy who's lost weight. her poos are white, stringy or even "hollow". 

So with shrimp, what possible treatments are available, are there foods that can be eaten by the unhappy fish? I don't think she's eating much anyway.

My water paramaters appear to be quite healthy, no ammonia, no nitrites and low nitrate.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Try prazipro. Very effective. When I got my L260 plecos, they has some parasites (stringy white poo), but the prazi made short work of it. Shrimp safe and filter safe too.

Somewhat expensive from the lfs, but probably worth it.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> Try prazipro. Very effective. When I got my L260 plecos, they has some parasites (stringy white poo), but the prazi made short work of it. Shrimp safe and filter safe too.
> 
> Somewhat expensive from the lfs, but probably worth it.


How much is it?


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

I think a 4 oz bottle was $18. petsandponds has it for cheaper.


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## KevD (Mar 2, 2008)

MOPS carries the 118ml (4oz) bottle for $11.05 and they also have a 473ml (16 oz.) bottle for $37.36.

http://www.mops.ca/skus/me/MEHI-73254.asp - 118ml

http://www.mops.ca/skus/me/MEHI-73256.asp - 473 ml

Yes, I do some work for MOPS but have no part in the actual business side of things.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Any special instructions on how to use this? Do you just dose your tank daily for a week or something like that?

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## MacFish (Jun 15, 2006)

I've also had good luck with HEX-OUT for treating internal parasites. Blue Dempsey's are very prone to this and most do not recover unless they are caught early. I've brought 2 back from the brink of death using this.

You can treat as stated on the box or if your fish are still eating, you can soak some blood worms in it and feed them.

I know nothing about shrimp so I can't say if this is a good idea for them.


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

Here is some information on dosing: http://www.uskoi.com/prazipro.htm


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Really easy to dose, 1 tsp to the 20g, turn UV off. Won't harm shrimp. Has worked for me in one shot everytime, and I sometimes do a treatment after a few weeks of live foods, just in case (ie mosquito larvae).


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I'll see if i can find it locally. Sounds worth it. Take carbon out or leave?


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

As with all meds, take carbon out.


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

ameek, is this something you do as a preventative measure? or as a way of dealing with an outbreak.
would you use this on heated tanks, or cooler goldfish tanks? or both?
is this available at Big Als?


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

yes to everything.

I do it infrequently (once every few months now) a day or two before a water change, as I want to make sure there are no parasites going around. I feed live foods occaisionally (earthworms, mosquito larvae, etc), so it's just a good preventative measure.

It can also be used to treat, when you see signs of parasites (generally white stringy poo with regular poo interspersed).

I do believe it can be used in any system FW or SW, except for something it's incompatible with in SW (some marine worm it might kill).

It can be bought from Big als or any other online stores (mops, petsandponds). I bought the big bottle, figuring it will last me a while.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

I agreed with ameekple. That's a nice habit to pick up Eric.
More notably, if you own plecos, discuses, other catfish and even loaches. You should treat them once in a while and if it's a new fish that falls in to the above catagory you should treat them during quaranteen. As for the other decorative fishes, you can treat them if you suspect a problem.

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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> yes to everything.
> It can also be used to treat, when you see signs of parasites (generally white stringy poo with regular poo interspersed).


Does the white stringy interspersed poop indicate that 100% that the fish has parasites? Or is it just a symptom that can mean other things as well? I don't mean to put you on the spot but inquiring poop minds need to know


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Speaking of which...

I had picked up a used 10 gallon tank and am cycling it with just water from 3 of my existing tanks, I figured why waste it dumping it down the drain after a water change.

Interesting things have developed in the tank after 2 weeks.

I noticed earlier in the week these 'gelatinous' masses stuck on the inside of the glass waving in the current. At first I thought they were snail eggs but on closer examination I determined they weren't.



















Weird looking.

Then last night I saw tiny white dots swimming and jumping around:










The nearest I can come to an id is Ergasilus.

I had noticed these before in my fry tank last February but they seemed to disappear when my C napoensis got bigger.

Anyone have any comments or suggestions on the above pictures?

It'll be easy to get rid of both of these by just dumping the water and doing a quick chlorine rinse although they may be in the HOB filter and I don't really want to have to start the cycle from scratch.

The other concern is that they probably came from 1 or more of my other tanks. This is really that part that concerns me, especially since the loss of 2 of my C. artropersonatus.

Thanks.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

the stuff at the top kinda reminds me of hydra... but I don't think they are.

http://www.plecofanatics.com/articles/showentry.php?e=321

got some good pics and drawings, but my problems the planaria and hydra. I think I have some of the waterfleas.


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

The last picture you showed looks like a Copepod to me, Cory_Dad. The sacs at the bottom of the copepod are egg sacs. This is good fry food.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=copepod&spell=1


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Definately, now I look. Oooh I hope I gots some of those delicious looking goodies


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Calmer said:


> The last picture you showed looks like a Copepod to me, Cory_Dad. The sacs at the bottom of the copepod are egg sacs. This is good fry food.
> 
> http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=copepod&spell=1


Yes, I too am thinking it's a cyclops but it does look different from all the pictures & drawings I've seen:

http://www.microscope-microscope.org/applications/pond-critters/animals/cyclops.jpg

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/imagsmall/copepod.jpg

This one looks the closest

http://www.micrographia.com/specbiol/crustac/copepo/cope0100/cyclo_00.jpg

http://www.micrographia.com/specbiol/crustac/copepo/cope0100/cy371bor.gif

See what I mean? They're interesting to watch as the flit around in the tank. You comment about them being good fish food makes sense based on they're disappearance when the fry got larger.

I've done some research on them (Google is my friend) and I'm fairly convinced the are benign, at least in adult tanks. But I'm going to try to keep them out of my hatching tank based on:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Cyclops,-...angerous-to-Fish-Fry-in-an-Aquarium&id=366624

Thanks for your feed back, it was great.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Looks like a copepod to me too 

@Calmer, the stringy poo has to me been always indicative of parasites; that being said, it can also be caused by poor diet, which can be alleviated by providing some vegetable matter to the animals. Usually when plecos get like this, you try peas to see if you can clear out anything in the bowels, and if not, go for the prazi.


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

Okay thanks ameekplec. I will probably get some prazipro and try dosing the fish just in case. The fish that come to mind that have that stringy feces at times are guppies and swords.
Your welcome Cory_Dad. I agree that if you have fry it isn't worth the gamble. I found copepods only once in my shrimp only tank and the way they move it does look like an infestation.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I think they're passing parasites now. Do they look kinda silvery and white. All of them pooped this after I medicated the tank.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

It depends on the parasite, but there's a good chance that if they're all passing the same poo, then it could be a parasite within the stool.

Monitor after treatment and see if the poo returns to normal.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I am monitoring. I'm taking a flash light to the tank in a few minutes. Fishy day doesn't happen until about 10am


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

*other meds*

to return the thread to talk about threads,
can anyone suggest a med for bac infection. ? i think i have some bac growth on one of the fins of my goldfish. looks like a small black/brown patch. maybe a few millimeters long.
what is this gram positive and gram negative business anyway?
thanks a bunch


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

That bottom picture is definitely cyclops, an excellent fish food.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I got a cyclops colony in my vase on my desk. My platy just had babies, so I put one in there and she's been cleaning up. she's too small to eat my shrimp babies.


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

ksimdjembe said:


> what is this gram positive and gram negative business anyway?
> thanks a bunch


It all depends on the colour of a bacteria's cell wall when a stain is applied. Gram positive shows a purple colour and gram negative shows a pink colour.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gram_staining


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

ksimdjembe said:


> can anyone suggest a med for bac infection. ? i think i have some bac growth on one of the fins of my goldfish. looks like a small black/brown patch. maybe a few millimeters long.


Maybe it would be best to post a new thread to get everyone's attention on this. This website may help in the mean time: http://www.goldfishinfo.com/identify.htm


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Okay I got some sort of fluffy transparent white-like jelly stuff on my shrimp tank. what is that?

kinda looks like bubbles. not snail eggs.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Pic of new tank Menace.










What the frell is this?


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