Stringy thing hanging from vent

[fddlss]

One of my fish, that is usually shy, has been hidden more than often in the same cave (all the time) and it's not eating. I've noticed this behavior about a week ago or a little longer, but today, I've noticed a stringy looking thing hanging from his vent. It's like a "cotton hair" that ends up in a small white ball. I've seen this in my LFS before, but I'm not sure what it is.

Please help.

Thanks.

More info:

2 x OB Peacocks 3"
2 x Otopharynx Lithobates 1.5" and 2.5"
1 x Nimbochromis Venesuts 5"
1 x Nimbochromis Livingstonii 3.5"
1 x Aulonocara Jacobfreibergi Swallowtail 4"
1 x Aulonocara Nyassae 4"
1 x German Red Peacock 3.5" (This is the sick fish, at least it looks sick, not sure if he really is).

The tank is a 120 gallon (5 Ft.). I keep nitrate under 20 PPM. It jumped to 40 PPM last week but I made a water change and I try to keep it under 20 PPM. Nitrate raised because food was being trapped in one of the internal overflows. I perform 25% water change every weekend.

I will upload a video of him and I'm trying to find a picture of that "white stringy thing", because he doesn't have it anymore. It seemed like he pooped and it's not there anymore. I also was worried for a minute because he had a few white spots, but it wasn't Ich, I believe it was sand. Even if it was Ich the "cottony poop" doesn't have anything to do with Ich. I had an Ich outbreak about 2 months ago and I treated with heat+salt, no deaths.

He wasn't being chased around as other fish that are always in the open; However he was always shy, but you would see him swimming in the open and close to his cave but now I never see him out of the cave and he became shy during food time but he would still eat, this was about a month ago, more or less, but now, a week or two ago, I never see him eating and if he eats he eats left overs, but I don't see him.

I found the following picture on the Web, he had something similar to that, but not as bad, shorter, thiner and with only one "white puffy ball"

Video of my fish:

Here's a video of him hidding. This is basically where he spends 95% of the time and just moves around from time to time but within the same cave. Please kill the sound of the video because it's annoying.

YouTube - ‪Sick Fish - 120 Gallon All-Male Malawi Haps and Peacocks‬‏

 

[HUKIT]

Stringy white pooh, reclusive behavior, and not eating are signs of Bloat. I would start treating with Metrozoidale and Praziquantel like Parasite Clear by Jungle or Clout which is very harsh. You need to determine the cause as to poor diet or stress are the main two factors, what are you feeding them?

Malawi Bloat

 

[fddlss]

I'm feeding them Dianichi Ultima Krill in the morning and Hikari Cichlid Excel + Hikari Micro Wafers at night and once every two weeks I alternate between Omega One Brine Shrimp and Hikari Ocean Plankton.

 

[fddlss]

Ok, so I had to rush and set up a hospital tank. I moved him last night and he wasn't moving much right after I moved him there, but a few hours later and this morning he was swimming all around the tank. He didn't eat though, but I feed them 30 mins after moving him, so he was probably still stressed because of the moving. I will try to feed him tonight and see if he eats. At least he's not staying still at the bottom of the tank anymore. Either he's exploring the tank or he's feeling better. If he doesn't eat tonight I don't know what to think. Also, I've notices that his vent is white, to be honest I'm not sure of his vent was always white or not because I never paid attention to it. Any clues?

Thanks.

 

[HUKIT]

I already have given you my recommendation, when treating for Bloat the entire tank must be treated not just the effected fish.

 

[fddlss]

I already have given you my recommendation, when treating for Bloat the entire tank must be treated not just the effected fish.

Thanks. I just wanted to make sure it is Bloat. I will buy the necessary medications today. What I will do is use Clout to treat the already sick fish in the hospital tank and spray Metronidazole in the food of the fish that are in the main tank, still eating and with no symptoms yet. I prefer to use Clout only in the hospital tank because it will strain the silicone, airline tubing, overflow, etc. and it's also stronger. I think Metronidazole it's good at stopping the spread of Bloat in the main tank.

Do you think this makes sense?

 

[HUKIT]

I think Clout is a very harsh medication and I would personally use it as a hail marry pass at Bloat if other medications failed, I've never lost a fish when using Parasite Clear. The food is good but most of my fish won't eat so it's a moot point to try. I would also turn off and leave the lights out during treatment since it's less stressful and Metrozoidale is less effective when exposed to light.

 

[fddlss]

I have a few quick questions, does any of these two medications affects pH and/or beneficial bacteria?

Should I use carbon to remove medication (Metronidazole) from the main tank after treatment is done and for how long should I leave the carbon in the sump? Should I replace any of the filter's pads/sponges?

For the hospital tank I will sterilize the tank and replace the filter pads that I have in the filter with a carbon filter pad that came with the filter but that I'm not using (for obvious reasons) when treating the fish. The filter is a Penguin Bio-Wheel 150 and the tank is 20 gallons.

 

[HUKIT]

I've heard mixed reviews of Clout effecting the biofilter but Parasite Clear of Metrozoidale of Praziquantel will have no effect on either.

I don't ever use carbon for removing medications, just plain old partial water changes are sufficient. Just make sure when treating to use at least two rounds with a partial water change in between treatments to ensure the disease is gone. If the carbon in your filters is less than 2-3 weeks old I would remove it.

 

[fddlss]

With that said, I prefer not to use carbon, I have some carbon but I don't use it because I don't find it necessary. I will do PWCs in the main tank and sterilize the hospital tank when done.

As far as Clout affecting the bacteria, that's fine because I would not use Clout in the main tank, only in the hospital tank. What about pH for any of these medications? I don't have plants, but in case someone who's reading this and has plants, I've read that none of these medications have a negative effect on plants.

This is what I will do, I will try Parasite Clear for the sick fish in the hospital tank and Metrozoidale in the main tank, I might use it in combination Seachem Focus so that they will eat the food or I might just end up adding it to the tank instead of with the food. I will turn off the lights in both tanks. Clout would be the last option for the fish in the hospital tank.

 

[HUKIT]

I don't feed for 4-5 days during the treatment of Bloat, more food trying to pass the iritated intestines is just adding to their discomfort.

 

[fddlss]

I don't feed for 4-5 days during the treatment of Bloat, more food trying to pass the iritated intestines is just adding to their discomfort.

You are right. But what about the fish that don't have Bloat but have just been exposed to it? Should I not feed them for 5 days just in case they are not showing the symptoms yet? In that case I will add Metrozoidale directly and forget about the food stuff.

 

[HUKIT]

You are right. But what about the fish that don't have Bloat but have just been exposed to it? Should I not feed them for 5 days just in case they are not showing the symptoms yet? In that case I will add Metrozoidale directly and forget about the food stuff.

I never remove any fish showing symptoms so a preventative I'd still skip feeding them, holding females can go up 28 days without eating so 4-5 won't hurt them at all.

 

[fddlss]

Cool. Thanks for your help! I will buy Parasite Clear and Metrozoidale today to start the treatment. I will keep you updated.

 

[HUKIT]

Good luck and let us know how everything goes, and don't forget to figure out why they came down with that in the first place. The couple of times I've experienced Bloat it was due to their diet, since making the switch to NLS exclusively it's a thing of the past.

 

[fddlss]

Unfortunately, Sunday morning my fish died. He was the first fish I got and the first one to die. He died in the hospital tank. I'm not sure the causes, I hate to think it was a Jungle Parasite Clear overdose.

I had him in the hospital tank for about 3 weeks. I started treatment with Clear Parasite and this is what I did:

Monday: PWC - 40%
First dose

Tuesday: 25% PWC

Wednesday: Second dose

Thursday: 25% PWC

Friday: Third and last dose

Saturday: Did nothing

Sunday: I had planned a 70% PWC to put and end to the treatment (at night), but the fish was dead in the morning.

I'm not sure if he died from starvation, medicine overdose, or if he was actually sick although I didn't see any symptoms that would indicate me that he's supposed illness was getting worse, besides not eating.

The directions say to treat UP TO 2 TIMES, and 3 times in case of fish lice, etc. I've read online different testiomonials that stated that this method (the treatment) worked perfectly, but for next time, I will follow the directions strictly. Belive me, I've learned. I just can't erase the image of the fish when I first saw him dead. I thought this would never happen, but I knew that everybody that keeps fish has had a dead fish at least once. But still, I feel really bad.

Positive side of the story: In the future, I will follow medicines' directions and treat the fish faster.

 

[HUKIT]

Metrozoidale is almost impossible to overdose, I've never lost a fish to Bloat when idenified and treated with a weeks time but after that it's a tough road to overcome...sorry to hear about the fish.

 

[fddlss]

Maybe he died from starvation? Since he wasn't eating, because I didn't notice the symptoms getting worse, but who knows. For next time, I will follow directions and treat faster.

 

[HUKIT]

When you start to see the secondary signs of infection like stringhy pooh, reclusive behavior, or swollen vent it's more difficult to save the fish. The first symptom is loss of appetite and spitting food thats when the treatment must be started for the greatest chance of survival, I've treated fish with seconday symptoms also but the rate of survival drops. Your fish died as a result of damage to the kidneys and liver.