Mystery deaths

[xZaiox]

Food made up with metroplex and they have started it. The food made up more than I thought, they will be taking it for a few days.

By the way, just so you know, metroplex can be fed for upto like 3 weeks or so - often fully treating internal parasites can require a bit of patience. That being said, if the medication is going to work, then you'll often see positive changes in appetite, poop colour and behaviour fairly quickly (like within a week).

As an example, I'm currently treating one of my dwarf ram cichlids for internal parasites with metroplex, he's quite a feisty little character and usually spends most of the day harassing the other dwarf rams and sparring with my dwarf gourami. Over the last few weeks or so, he started to become quite skittish and started hiding all the time behind plants, I then noticed he had white stringy poop and he's now not eating properly (chews food but spits it back out). I started treating with metroplex about 3 or 4 days ago, and he already has much more of an appetite, he's no longer hiding and he is now back to attacking my other fish 🙄

If the medication appears to be working, then I personally keep using it for a little bit longer after their poop goes back to normal colour. It's quite a gentle medication, and whilst you obviously don't want to expose your fish to it for more time than is necessary, I find internal parasites can have an annoying tendency to come back if they aren't properly killed off in the first place.

Best of luck with the medication, I hope your fish respond quickly

 

[peaches]

Yes I saw one or two fish not eating or spitting out some of tge ones I lost. They all really go for the repashy though. Poop looking good. They are fine in the 105 litre, I put new substrate down in the 200 and replanted my crypts, it looks awful now but I know from experience it will come together. The roots were incredibly long and keep poking up through substrate. Maybe should have trimmed them?

 

[peaches]

THANKS EVERYONE THIS SEEMS TO HAVE WORKED,
No more deaths, touches wood.

 

[shangman]

Fantastic!!!!!

 

[xZaiox]

THANKS EVERYONE THIS SEEMS TO HAVE WORKED,
No more deaths, touches wood.

Happy to hear this - does the behaviour of your fish seemed to have improved? I.e less hiding or skittish behaviour? Good appetites? Is the poop colour going back to normal?

 

[jaypeecee]

Diana Walstad wrote an article about it here with her experiences - Mycobacteriosis in Aquarium Fish

Hi @shangman

Many thanks for the above link to Diana Walstad's article. Very informative.

JPC

 

[peaches]

Happy to hear this - does the behaviour of your fish seemed to have improved? I.e less hiding or skittish behaviour? Good appetites? Is the poop colour going back to normal?

Well, it's hard to say about behaviour as there is still some hiding. Poop is back to normal. Today will be the last day on metroplex. Half the fish will go back to their usual tank which has been thoroughly cleaned.

 

[xZaiox]

Well, it's hard to say about behaviour as there is still some hiding. Poop is back to normal. Today will be the last day on metroplex. Half the fish will go back to their usual tank which has been thoroughly cleaned.

Hmm, yeah tough to say, they might just be unsettled due to not being in their main tank. Hopefully they stay nice and healthy, but for future reference, I find fish behaviour is an excellent indicator of Hexamita, it's known to cause fish to hide/isolate and become more skittish, eventually refusing food. Many fish with the parasite will go to a certain spot in the tank (often at the bottom, by the substrate, or hidden in plants) and just stay there. Certain schooling/shoaling species like tetras may also drive away the sick fish. It can often be easier to spot these symptoms than the white poop.

If the symptoms come back in the future then I'd probably recommend a longer course of treatment - internal parasites can be stubborn sometimes. Best of luck with their health

 

[peaches]

I think its because its a bare bottom quarantine tank they are used to fully planted. I did put a couple of urns in with anubias.

 

[peaches]

They have been back in their old tank for well over a week now. No illness or death, but two fish, both female, have had white stringy poop. Don't appear ill. I am puzzled.

 

[peaches]

Trying Esha NDX which is levamisole. They have been wormed before, but trying a different wormer.

 

[xZaiox]

They have been back in their old tank for well over a week now. No illness or death, but two fish, both female, have had white stringy poop. Don't appear ill. I am puzzled.

Hi peaches,

You posted on the 6th that the food was made up, and said on the 11th that you were treating for that last day, so I assume that they were treated for 5-6 days? You said that after this time, their poop was back to normal colour. I personally would continue with Metroplex, especially since you noted an improvement (i.e the medication was likely working). As I said before, this medication can be used for up to 3 weeks at a time. It's a gentle medication, and often internal parasites can take a while to kill off. The medication won't have any effect on the parasite eggs, so it has to be dosed long enough that the eggs hatch and get exposed.

 

[peaches]

Yes 5 or 6 days. I can make up some more. Got a trip coming up though, need to give it some more thought.