Can anyone identify this? Parasites? *photos*

[stumpey]

Hi,

My Platy has suddenly stopped eating and has been floating on his side a bit close to the water surface. If I approach the tank, he'll "wake up" and swim as normal. I'm concerned this might be Camallanus Worms or some other parasite. I'd appreciate any information or advice. Thanks in advance!

 

[Menagerie]

[center:a5e08a6ed1] Welcome to Aquarium Advice, stumpey! [/center:a5e08a6ed1]

Answer these Qs to ensure we have as much information as possible about your ailing fish and its environment:

1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
9A~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?

It looks like eggs coming out of the vent, but that's not correct since they are livebearers. Does the play always look bloated?

 

[stumpey]

1~Platy. Bloated, not eating and floating sideways a bit for the last 12 hours.

2~Ammonia, Nitrates, Nitrites and PH are all within acceptable ranges. I'll have to retest if exacts are needed. The tank has cycled.

3~ 29 gallons - 6 weeks.

4~Fluval 204 filter and Penguin 200 Biowheel

5~4 small neon tetras, 4 small black skirt tetras, 2 clown loaches, 1 platy.

6~I change about 20% of the water 3 times a week and vacuum the gravel with water changes.

7~I have had this fish for 4 months.

8~Nothing new has been added to the tank.

9A~Tetra flakes, freeze dried bloodworms, frozen bloodworms. Nothing new to diet.

The platy has been bloated for a few months now, I just thought it was pregnant. Whatever is coming out of the vent looks a little like eggs or intestines. I suspect it's parasites bloating the fish and poking out of the vent. I'd hate to lose this little guy, he has a lot of personality. Any help is greatly appreciated.

-Pete

 

[An t-iasg]

Sorry to hear about the platy. It could be affected with an internal bacterial infection, a tumor, or parasites. Do any of the other fish look like they are sick? White or maybe clear, stringy waste is often a sign of internal parasites. You could try a number of things - antibiotics, parasite meds, or putting a small amount of epsom salt in a QT tank to try to draw any fluid out. I think if it was my fish, I would QT with some epsom salt - 1/8 teaspoon per gallon - and feed some antiparasite food. Jungle makes some antiparasite food.

I have tried epsom salt before. One time it worked and another time it didn't help the fish. I would try it for a few days, and if you saw no improvement, try some antibiotics instead. I am currently treating a betta in the new Mardel antibiotic with biospheres and it seems to be working well. This med, Maracyn Plus, is in a liquid form, and it says it helps dropsy, which is a bloated condition that your fish could have - but of course, only if it's bacterial in nature.

So the treatments I would try, in order, are the epsom salt for a few days, feed the antiparasitic food, and try some antibiotics. If your fish won't eat the antiparasitic food, break it up in smaller pieces so it is the same size as his regular food. Or, Jungle has a good parasite med that you add to the water called Jungle Parasite Clear. Good luck!

 

[Toirtis]

Looks like a pregnancy gone bad....she may have been having extreme difficulty birthing and prolapsed a bit. Some salt in the water may help, but this sort of thing is often not mendable....often a diet too high in protein can be to blame.

 

[Devilishturtles]

The first picture looks like a tumor to me. The second definiltey looks like a pregnany issue, but hard to tell. Keep good water quality and hope for the best. But like the other said, there is likely nothing you can do to help them now.

Best of luck. Sorry to hear about the fishes.

 

[stumpey]

The matter coming out her vent is gone and she's been moved to a QT tank with some salt and lots of cover. She's still not eating and isn't moving around much. I'll update as soon as something changes. Thanks everyone for the great advice.

-Pete