Treating for parasites

[angloe1]

My fish have the long stringy 'parasite poop'. Do I need to treat them with food and a tank treatment or just one or the other? Will the tank fizzies do the trick on their own?

 

[Homedog98]

I'd go with some Epsom salt... One tablespoon for every 5 gallons. It'll clear them out.

 

[roydooms]

Do you have a hospital tank? IMHO, I would just treat the infected fish in a different tank than treat the whole tank. If it's ich, it's a different story. Since it's not ich, I'll treat the fish separately. Research metrodinazole. This is what I use with my discus when I suspect parasites(white poop). IME, it works really great.

 

[jetajockey]

metronidazole works well. There are some foods that have it in them, or the jungle parasite clear tabs work as well.

 

[angloe1]

metronidazole works well. There are some foods that have it in them, or the jungle parasite clear tabs work as well.

That's what I have. (jungle parasite clear) So I can use them on their own? I don't need to use parasite food in addition?

 

[roydooms]

metronidazole works well. There are some foods that have it in them, or the jungle parasite clear tabs work as well.

+1 You can also soak the food with metrodinazole in garlic so that it will really attract the fish and they will eat it like there is no tomorrow.

 

[angloe1]

Do you have a hospital tank? IMHO, I would just treat the infected fish in a different tank than treat the whole tank. If it's ich, it's a different story. Since it's not ich, I'll treat the fish separately. Research metrodinazole. This is what I use with my discus when I suspect parasites(white poop). IME, it works really great.

If a few of my fish have it, wouldn't it make sense that they all would have them? Aren't they contagious?

 

[Tasha]

If a few of my fish have it, wouldn't it make sense that they all would have them? Aren't they contagious?

Personally I would treat the whole tank, you dont know what parasite they have or their lifecycle, this way you save yourself some time....

Hopefully someone says weather you use both the tabs AND the food, I would think both. Food will kill the parasites IN the fish, but if there is any larva or eggs in the tank outside of the fish they too need to be treated... JMO

 

[roydooms]

If a few of my fish have it, wouldn't it make sense that they all would have them? Aren't they contagious?

If that's the case then I'll treat the whole tank.

 

[angloe1]

If that's the case then I'll treat the whole tank.

But do you need parasite food and a water treatment or just the water treatment? Or just the food? Will treating the water also treat the fish?

 

[Tasha]

But do you need parasite food and a water treatment or just the water treatment? Or just the food? Will treating the water also treat the fish?

he he, never thaught of it THAT way.... ???? anyone know?

 

[jsoong]

What fish are involved?? What are you treating?

For external parasites (ich, velvet, etc), treating the water is adequate.

For internal parasites (if you are seeing white stringy poop etc.), then an anti-parasite food is much preferred. Treating the water might kill the eggs or larvae of the parasite, but generally won't touch the parasite in the fish. <Esp. for big fish like goldfish ... you don't get a lot of drug inside them if you just add it in the water.>

I would use Jungle's anti-parasite food (Metronidazole & Praziquintal). But as others had mentioned earlier, you can also make your own anti-parasite food with the metronidazole you have.

 

[roydooms]

But do you need parasite food and a water treatment or just the water treatment? Or just the food? Will treating the water also treat the fish?

I don't have any experience with food with metrodinazole. For the metrodinazole tabs, youll dissolve it in the water. If its in the water column then the fish will absorb the medicine and will treat the parasite as well as the eggs in the tank.

 

[angloe1]

What fish are involved?? What are you treating?

For external parasites (ich, velvet, etc), treating the water is adequate.

For internal parasites (if you are seeing white stringy poop etc.), then an anti-parasite food is much preferred. Treating the water might kill the eggs or larvae of the parasite, but generally won't touch the parasite in the fish. <Esp. for big fish like goldfish ... you don't get a lot of drug inside them if you just add it in the water.>

I would use Jungle's anti-parasite food (Metronidazole & Praziquintal). But as others had mentioned earlier, you can also make your own anti-parasite food with the metronidazole you have.

Fish to be treated are platies, guppies, cories, tetras
I've seen many of them with the stringy white poop. So I should be doing both then? I'm so confused!!

 

[roydooms]

What fish are involved?? What are you treating?

For external parasites (ich, velvet, etc), treating the water is adequate.

For internal parasites (if you are seeing white stringy poop etc.), then an anti-parasite food is much preferred. Treating the water might kill the eggs or larvae of the parasite, but generally won't touch the parasite in the fish. <Esp. for big fish like goldfish ... you don't get a lot of drug inside them if you just add it in the water.>

I would use Jungle's anti-parasite food (Metronidazole & Praziquintal). But as others had mentioned earlier, you can also make your own anti-parasite food with the metronidazole you have.

It is advisable to use both then? IME, using just the dissolve metrodinazole treats parasites but then again that's JME. It may work for me but not for you. All the breeders where I buy my fish recommends metrodinazole. I don't buy fish from the big chain stores. Take this advise with a grain of salt though.

 

[angloe1]

Confusing!! I just want healthy fishies!!

 

[roydooms]

I just remembered that I started a thread asking how metrodinazole works and somebody gave me a great answer. Here's the link...

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/metrodinazole-144869.html

 

[angloe1]

I just remembered that I started a thread asking how metrodinazole works and somebody gave me a great answer. Here's the link...

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/metrodinazole-144869.html

Great info...thanks so much!!

 

[roydooms]

You're welcome

 

[jetajockey]

I would think using one or the other would be good enough. I prefer doing the food method because the dosage is much smaller since it's being ingested, and its an internal parasite, not an external one. Tank dosing certain meds can have negative effects on the biofilter.

I look at treating the tank in this situation as a shotgun approach, but either way works.

Jungles anti parasite and anti bacterial food sucks btw, fish really don't like it, it's more fruitful to take a DIY approach by soaking food in metro, or getting a better quality food that has it in it already.