Cichlid not eating.

[TheCrazyFishLady]

So, like three weeks after my fish not eating, he finally has a visible symptom. The white stringy poo. So, parasites it is then.

Just a couple of quick questions. Since it is so far into his sickness, what sort of damage has he most likely gone through?

What would you suggest to treat him with? I would prefer to go the most light way possible, but of course I am willing to do whatever it takes. I will look through all my medicines to see what I have on hand after classes.

He is still active and happy. Is this a good sign?

This is my first time dealing with parasites, so I'm a little anxious.

 

[jlk]

The most common treatment for internal parasites is metronizadole (treats internal parasitic & bacterial infections). Im guessing he is still not eating? If he is eating, then i would use metro medicated food (such as metromeds). If he is not or only eating a little, then metronizadole treatment for the water. Theraputic aq salt is also helpful. As far as the degree of internal damage, it is quite difficult to know the extent & severity. Hopefully, he will recover without any issues! Good luck!!

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

i reccomend a salt bath, maybe removing the fish into a qt tank and salting it up, while also dousing the main tank with salt since parasites would remain in there too - if only the ones left in the faesces. raising the temp helps too.

there are obviously chemical treatments, good ones in the store, but try to identify the parasite first before buying chems so that you can be more specific and direct. personally a chemical would be the first thing id get, bump up the temp and qt the ill fish. chemicals should not be used in a tank with filter carbon, as the carbon absorbs all the chemicals making them ineffective. but they have been specifically designed to help save the fish - and at the stage your fish is at, i think that may be the best option, so it recovers better and faster.

though.... after all this, are you sure its parasites? the white stringy poo can be a symptom of starvation, possibly due to another disease or some reason for it not to feed. like bullying.

please google parasites and their symptoms to be sure - and good luck

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

That did cross my mind. He is still not eating, but I put 2-3 pellets in everyday in hopes he scavenges them.

He is in a tank by himself and I normally do not run carbon. So, I don't need to quarantine him.

I will look up different parasites.

I have looked pretty heavily into random self-imposed starvation of cichlids. I have heard from friends and my boyfriend and read claims on forums that this can happen to a well-fed and looked after cichlid out of the blue. My friend had a snook that went two months without eating for no reason whatsoever.

I'm just very lost with this fish, hence why I would want to go a route that isn't too heavy so that incase it is nothing, I am not damaging him too bad.

 

[jetajockey]

Have you tried giving feeders? If feeders work, give them some metro medicated food and then feed them to him. If feeders don't work then he may be too far gone. I know most people don't like giving feeders but they can get a fish to eat when everything else fails.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

I don't mind feeders. And yes, I have tried. He currently has six pet guppies/endlers.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

So, should I call a vet?

 

[jetajockey]

You could, just to get another opinion. Are the feeders small? If he's not eating those then it sounds bad to me.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Well, I came back from being in class and out on the town and all of the guppies are gone. I think the fish god has finally looked down upon me. haha

One thing that got brought up is that he could have just gotten tired of pellets and crisps. So... where do I go from from here? Get more guppies?

 

[jetajockey]

I'd give some feeders the metro food so that they have it in them and start giving him one every couple of days with pellets offered in between.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Alright. This weekend, I'm taking one of my bettas to my parents and turning that 10g into a guppy breeder. Hopefully I will soon have a food supply for him that he will actually eat. This guy is my baby, so I'm willing to do whatever to make him happy.