I’ve had a problem with die off all of a sudden in my guppy fry tank. I haven’t been able to locate the cause. Right now it has 2 pregnant females and probably 20 fry. There was another adult female but she died soon after dropping her fry. She was a bright yellow guppy and after giving birth, she turned almost white, started getting really thin and seemed to always have white poop trailing from her. She acted really strange, swimming diagonal, lying on the bottom or floating on the top of the tank but, acted fine when I fed them. I’m treating the tank with Fritz ParaCleanse right now and I also bought a bottle of Fritz Maracyn Oxy. I was going to treat them with the Maracyn after I finish the ParaCleanse treatment but now I seem to have fry I acting like the female I mentioned. Can I treat with the Maracyn and ParaCleanse at the same time? I don’t want to lose any more fish in this tank. Before anyone asks, the tank is fully cycled and all parameters are in the normal range. I have several live plants and they are thriving. My snail and loach are fine too. I do bi weekly water changes and actually have extra filtration in the tank because of the amount of fish. I just don’t want to lose any more fish and I want them sick when I add them to my bigger tank.
Fritz ParaCleanse and Fritz Maracyn Oxy
- Thread starter ccross
- Start date
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Colin_T
Aquarium Advice Addict
Pictures and video of the fish so we can check them for diseases?
Never mix medications because you can poison the fish.
If female livebearers die shortly after giving birth, they can have internal damage from the birthing process. This is common in first time mothers and is generally caused by inbreeding.
One of the best treatments for livebearers is salt. It treats a wide range of conditions and is safe for fry and gravid (pregnant) female livebearers.
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SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), swimming pool salt, or any non iodised salt (sodium chloride) to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.
If you only have livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), goldfish or rainbowfish in the tank you can double that dose rate, so you would add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres and if there is no improvement after 48 hours, then increase it so there is a total of 4 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.
Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.
The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria but the higher dose rate (4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will affect some plants and some snails. The lower dose rate (1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will not affect fish, plants, shrimp or snails.
After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.
If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.
When you first add salt, add the salt to a small bucket of tank water and dissolve the salt. Then slowly pour the salt water into the tank near the filter outlet. Add the salt over a couple of minutes.
Never mix medications because you can poison the fish.
If female livebearers die shortly after giving birth, they can have internal damage from the birthing process. This is common in first time mothers and is generally caused by inbreeding.
One of the best treatments for livebearers is salt. It treats a wide range of conditions and is safe for fry and gravid (pregnant) female livebearers.
------------------
SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), swimming pool salt, or any non iodised salt (sodium chloride) to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.
If you only have livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), goldfish or rainbowfish in the tank you can double that dose rate, so you would add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres and if there is no improvement after 48 hours, then increase it so there is a total of 4 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.
Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.
The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria but the higher dose rate (4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will affect some plants and some snails. The lower dose rate (1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will not affect fish, plants, shrimp or snails.
After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.
If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.
When you first add salt, add the salt to a small bucket of tank water and dissolve the salt. Then slowly pour the salt water into the tank near the filter outlet. Add the salt over a couple of minutes.
There’s no way I can get a photo or video as the fish have already passed. I tried my best to describe what was happening. I have 3 tanks right now and this is the only one I’m having issues with. The only difference between the 3 is that this one has gravel substrate that was from a friends tank. I rinsed it well before I added it though. The only other thing I can think of is the filtration. I have a HOB and a sponge filter. The HOB has been running with the same cartridge since the end of July and the sponge filters have been running without being cleaned since the end of September. Could that be killing my fish? The snail and loach hang out on the sponges for hours at a time and it hasn’t affected them.
Colin_T
Aquarium Advice Addict
Dirty filters can kill fish but in a lightly stocked tank with filters that are only a couple of months old, it is unlikely to be the cause. However, you can clean the filters and they should be done at least once a month after they have established. Squeeze the filter pad and sponges out in a bucket of tank water and re-use the sponges and filter pad. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the lawn.
If fish do stringy white poop, it is either an internal bacterial or protozoan infection, or intestinal worms.
An internal bacterial infection causes the fish to swell/ bloat up overnight, stop eating, do a stringy white poop and die within 24-48 hours of showing these symptoms.
An internal protozoan infection causes fish to lose weight over a couple of weeks, they eat a bit but not as much as normal, do a stringy white poop, and die within a week or two of showing these symptoms.
Intestinal worms normally cause fish to lose weight slowly over months, however sometimes the fish get really fat due to a large number of worms in their body. The fish eat well and do a stringy white poop some or all of the time. Intestinal worms might not kill a fish and many fish can live with worms for months or even years.
If fish do stringy white poop, it is either an internal bacterial or protozoan infection, or intestinal worms.
An internal bacterial infection causes the fish to swell/ bloat up overnight, stop eating, do a stringy white poop and die within 24-48 hours of showing these symptoms.
An internal protozoan infection causes fish to lose weight over a couple of weeks, they eat a bit but not as much as normal, do a stringy white poop, and die within a week or two of showing these symptoms.
Intestinal worms normally cause fish to lose weight slowly over months, however sometimes the fish get really fat due to a large number of worms in their body. The fish eat well and do a stringy white poop some or all of the time. Intestinal worms might not kill a fish and many fish can live with worms for months or even years.
Colin_T
Aquarium Advice Addict
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 cured because massive internal organ failure has already occurred.
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2) Internal Protozoan Infections cause the fish to lose weight rapidly (over a week or two), fish continues to eat and swim around but not as much as normal, does stringy white poop. If not treated the fish dies a week or so after these symptoms appear. Metronidazole normally works well for this.
There is a medication (API General Cure) that contains Praziquantel and Metronidazole.
It's interesting that API and the Californian government have listed Metronidazole as a carcinogen. That's a concern considering it was widely used to treat intestinal infections in people.
Anyway, if you use this or any medication, handle with care, don't ingest or inhale the medication, and wash hands with soapy water after treating the fish or working in the tank.
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3) Intestinal Worms like tapeworm and threadworms cause the fish to lose weight, continue eating and swimming normally, and do a stringy white poop. Fish can do this for months and not be too badly affected. In some cases, fish with a bad worm infestation will actually gain weight and get fat and look like a pregnant guppy. This is due to the huge number of worms inside the fish.
Livebearers like guppies, mollies, swordtails & platies are regularly infected with gill flukes and intestinal worms. If the fish are still eating well, then worms is the most likely cause.
You can use Praziquantel to treat tapeworm and gill flukes. And use Levamisole to treat thread/ round worms. If you can't find these medications, look for Flubendazole, which treats both lots of worms.
In the UK look for:
eSHa gdex contains praziquantel that treats tapeworm and gill flukes.
eSHa-ndx contains levamisole and treats thread/ round worms.
NT Labs Anti-fluke and Wormer contains flubendazole.
Kusuri wormer plus (contains flubendazole) - sold mainly for discus, comes as a powder which is quite hard to dose in smaller tanks
Sera nematol (contains emamectin)
Remove carbon from filters before treatment and increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise oxygen levels in the water.
You treat the fish once a week for 4 weeks. The first treatment will kill any worms in the fish. The second, third and forth treatments kill any baby worms that hatch from eggs inside the fish's digestive tract.
Treat every fish tank in the house at the same time to prevent cross contamination.
You do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean 24-48 hours after treatment. Clean the filter 24 hours after treatment too.
Do not use the 2 medications together. If you want to treat both medications in a short space of time, use Praziquantel on day one. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate on day 2 & 3. Treat the tank with Levamisole on day 4 and do a 75% water change and gravel clean on day 5, 6 & 7 and then start with Praziquantel again on day 8.
The water changes will remove most of the medication so you don't overdose the fish the next time you treat them. The gravel cleaning will suck out any worms and eggs that have been expelled by the fish. Repeating the treatment for 3-4 doses at weekly intervals will kill any worms that hatch from eggs. At the end of the treatment you will have healthier fish.
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 cured because massive internal organ failure has already occurred.
-----
2) Internal Protozoan Infections cause the fish to lose weight rapidly (over a week or two), fish continues to eat and swim around but not as much as normal, does stringy white poop. If not treated the fish dies a week or so after these symptoms appear. Metronidazole normally works well for this.
There is a medication (API General Cure) that contains Praziquantel and Metronidazole.
It's interesting that API and the Californian government have listed Metronidazole as a carcinogen. That's a concern considering it was widely used to treat intestinal infections in people.
Anyway, if you use this or any medication, handle with care, don't ingest or inhale the medication, and wash hands with soapy water after treating the fish or working in the tank.
-----
3) Intestinal Worms like tapeworm and threadworms cause the fish to lose weight, continue eating and swimming normally, and do a stringy white poop. Fish can do this for months and not be too badly affected. In some cases, fish with a bad worm infestation will actually gain weight and get fat and look like a pregnant guppy. This is due to the huge number of worms inside the fish.
Livebearers like guppies, mollies, swordtails & platies are regularly infected with gill flukes and intestinal worms. If the fish are still eating well, then worms is the most likely cause.
You can use Praziquantel to treat tapeworm and gill flukes. And use Levamisole to treat thread/ round worms. If you can't find these medications, look for Flubendazole, which treats both lots of worms.
In the UK look for:
eSHa gdex contains praziquantel that treats tapeworm and gill flukes.
eSHa-ndx contains levamisole and treats thread/ round worms.
NT Labs Anti-fluke and Wormer contains flubendazole.
Kusuri wormer plus (contains flubendazole) - sold mainly for discus, comes as a powder which is quite hard to dose in smaller tanks
Sera nematol (contains emamectin)
Remove carbon from filters before treatment and increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise oxygen levels in the water.
You treat the fish once a week for 4 weeks. The first treatment will kill any worms in the fish. The second, third and forth treatments kill any baby worms that hatch from eggs inside the fish's digestive tract.
Treat every fish tank in the house at the same time to prevent cross contamination.
You do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean 24-48 hours after treatment. Clean the filter 24 hours after treatment too.
Do not use the 2 medications together. If you want to treat both medications in a short space of time, use Praziquantel on day one. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate on day 2 & 3. Treat the tank with Levamisole on day 4 and do a 75% water change and gravel clean on day 5, 6 & 7 and then start with Praziquantel again on day 8.
The water changes will remove most of the medication so you don't overdose the fish the next time you treat them. The gravel cleaning will suck out any worms and eggs that have been expelled by the fish. Repeating the treatment for 3-4 doses at weekly intervals will kill any worms that hatch from eggs. At the end of the treatment you will have healthier fish.
I’m already treating them for parasitic issues as I stated in my original post. I’m using Fritz ParaCleanse. I do the second dose of it today and then I’m supposed to do a 25% water change on Sunday. I will see how they are after that. If the ParaCleanse didn’t do the trick, I have the Maracyn to treat them with for bacterial infections. The white poop and wasting is what led me to believe it was parasitic. I trust the Fritz brand products over the API. Just a personal choice. Fritz has always worked for me.
Colin_T
Aquarium Advice Addict
the paracleanse only has praziquantel and metronidazole in. Praziquantel treats tapeworm. Most worm infections in fish are from round worm not tapeworm
metronidazole treats internal protozoan infections.
metronidazole treats internal protozoan infections.
Well I can’t use anything else until I finish this course of anti-parasitic. I’m also getting low on funds given the time of year so I hope what I’m using already works.
af2018
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
It’s gotten out of hand how expensive all that stuff is! I’m about to upgrade myself with an ro system bc I’ve literally been boiling water everyday and filling jugs for my fish. I refuse to buy all those products but I’ve had to buy the metrocleanse and other products for sick and injured fish and it puts a dent in my bank account quick. I totally feel you on this!
