parasites? treatment with plants

[StrawberryBlonde7]

I have aplanted tank i wanted to treat with parasite guard . Do i take the plants out? If i do, when i reintroduce them wont it reinfect the tank? I put it in another tank i have going for like 1 minute before it took it all out worried it would infect that tank ... what do i do with them in the meantime? A bucket?

 

[Laser]

Parasite guard won't hurt your plants, but it might hurt your fish. Diflubenzuron, found in parasite guard, is an insecticide. I treated a cory with it and it died, but I should have known better than to treat a sensitive fish like a cory with it. I'm not saying don't use it, but I would take into consideration the strength of your fish. Also, what are you treating for?

 

[StrawberryBlonde7]

Hexamita

Oh crap. If Cory's are so sensitive I'm in big trouble with discus. I was relying on the metronidazole . Hmmm wonder if I should empty some of it out

 

[StrawberryBlonde7]

Thinking this med was a abad idea . Now none are eating they are all breathing heavy. But i do see that one of the sick fish is expeling more white poop. Not sure if i should change the water out or let the med do its job. Or if i dilute it the bug will become immune to certain meds. Its swinging the ph up too .Help

 

[tamtam]

I've been trying ot figure out what med to use for a worm issue with my angel fish and came across this thread on SimplyDiscus. Funny I came across it yesterday and then saw your post today.

Tetra Parasite Guard

Seems like it's used pretty often with some success and no mention of harm. Though it's a combination of meds which bother some.

I think the issue with cories, though may be wrong, is that their scales/skin is different than many fish and they are more sensitive to medications in the water. Hopefully someone can give a more positive answer on that.

 

[StrawberryBlonde7]

I have 4 panda cories too. I didnt want to take the 2 fish out because as a nurse my think

 

[StrawberryBlonde7]

Lol oops. Anyways my nurse thinking is if one has bugs and is pooping them out and the other fish are eating or swimming in it they have bugs too

 

[tamtam]

Lol oops. Anyways my nurse thinking is if one has bugs and is pooping them out and the other fish are eating or swimming in it they have bugs too

that's sort of mine as well. I was getting ready to set up a QT tank but figured if it's gotten to the point I've spotted worms than there stands a good chance its spread further.

 

[Laser]

If the fish appear to be doing worse I would do some water changes and try to get that parasite guard out of the water. I would just treat with Metronidazole. Seachem recommends it for hexamita and you can also mix some with their food to help the process.

 

[BBradbury]

Parasites

I have aplanted tank i wanted to treat with parasite guard . Do i take the plants out? If i do, when i reintroduce them wont it reinfect the tank? I put it in another tank i have going for like 1 minute before it took it all out worried it would infect that tank ... what do i do with them in the meantime? A bucket?

Hello Straw...

Parasites live in all our tanks. They just live in a dormant state until you make a mistake in tank management, like when you miss a couple of routine water changes. The waste in the water builds to a point it stresses the fish and that stress causes a weakness in the fishes' slime coat. The parasite attaches to the fish where there's a small break in the coat and you have a sick fish.

You don't need to put chemicals in the water. It can stress the fish even further, can damage the good bacteria that removes some of the fish waste and can damage your tank plants.

You just need to take better care of the tank. Remove and replace half the water every week. Maintain the filters, don't over feed your fish and plants. These will keep the tank healthy.

B

 

[StrawberryBlonde7]

This is a new tank, i cycled it. Then added the discus 2.5 weeks ago, two were eating and 2 not. The two not eating were having white poop and have all the symptoms. Prior to the medication being added last night I did half tank water changes every other day.

 

[BBradbury]

New Tank

This is a new tank, i cycled it. Then added the discus 2.5 weeks ago, two were eating and 2 not. The two not eating were having white poop and have all the symptoms. Prior to the medication being added last night I did half tank water changes every other day.

Hello again Straw...

New tanks, those cycled and running less than a year, have water chemistry problems. Especially the tanks 30 gallons and smaller. Not quite enough water to dilute errors in tank management. Anyway, the problems are caused by the water, fish and plants trying to get used to one another in a new environment. This is normal.

The best thing you can do, is do a good job of managing the tank. Large, frequent water changes, good filter cleaning and routine replacement of the media, and taking good care of the plants. This includes proper lighting, again clean water and the right nutrients.

Keep pluggin' away.

B

 

[Laser]

It sounds like you're doing a good job Strawberry. How are your fish doing?

 

[StrawberryBlonde7]

Well they are hanging in there. I noticed 3\4 were getting rid of white poop so I decided to leave the med in , I think it would have just been a matter or time that they acted sick. I did however adjust the ph back to a range they like. None ate yesterday but i read that was common with med treatments.i raised the temp to 88. The panda cories and neons still look great and happy. I plan on turing on the lights slow this am and try feeding and see what happens. Tonight i will do a 25 % water change like the med box says and probably finish the treatment. I would hate for the bugs to become resistant. They do seem to not be staying in the same corner as much. Time will tell i guess, its just so hard to watch. Thes3e r my first discus, I also have a 55 saltwater\with some soft corals.

 

[StrawberryBlonde7]

I did the second dose last night now all 4/4 have had the white string poop so hopefully it is getting out of their system.

 

[StrawberryBlonde7]

The treatment is over, I changed 25% of the water and stuck the filter back in last night. The two that were origionally eating are eating again.