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New tankmate has possible intestinal parasites.


EPMH59

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I added a Banggai Cardinal last Sunday, and it has yet to eat. Today I noticed it had white stringy poop hanging off of it that wouldn’t detach. Immediate research showed me that it was possibly intestinal parasites, but yet this article stated that it can also happen simply when a fish hasn’t eaten:


https://www.google.com/amp/s/cafishvet.com/2020/01/25/white-stringy-poop-in-fish/amp/

 

So I’m not sure which it may be, but in any case, I immediately removed the Cardinal and put it in a makeshift QT “tank” by putting it in a 5 gallon mixing bucket with a heater and powerhead. 

 

None of the other fish appear sick and have been eating just fine, but I’m not sure how contagious these are, and I feel like I should treat them regardless. So I have a couple questions.

 

I’ve read that API General Cure is a good treatment for this. However is it reef safe? I have 20 snails, 3 different shrimp, an Emerald Crab, and multiple corals, both soft and LPS. If it’s not reef safe, is there a reef safe alternative?

 

Also, in the case that the other fish are not affected, would giving them these medications anyways cause any potential problems?

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The author of that article primarily deals with freshwater (captive-bred) fish. So, encountering a fish with internal parasites would be rare unless it had been housed with wild-caught specimens. Unfortunately, wild-caught fish is still the norm in the saltwater aquarium hobby, and even most captive-bred specimens are typically housed with wild-caught in a wholesale setting.

 

However, it's still best to get a total picture of the situation before diagnosing a fish with internal parasites & worms. In addition to white stringy feces, you should be seeing some of these other symptoms: Pinched stomach, fish has faded coloration, fish eats voraciously but still seems to be losing weight.

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Funny this came up the exact same day I encountered the same issue. New fish (in this case a Bi Color Blenny) long stringy white poop. It was literally a string 3-4 inches long although the poop itself didn't appear to contain much sustenance... it was almost hair like.

 

I also discovered the same article linked above that it could be an indication of not eating (which my Blenny didn't do for a couple days), although the author primarily deals with freshwater fish, could not eating still be a cause of white stringy poop? 

 

I haven't seen any other indication of illness and the Blenny has started eating now. At what point would one consider medicating, I don't want to rush into it, but also don't want to wait too long if it is an illness. 

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22 hours ago, Chutsk10 said:

Funny this came up the exact same day I encountered the same issue. New fish (in this case a Bi Color Blenny) long stringy white poop. It was literally a string 3-4 inches long although the poop itself didn't appear to contain much sustenance... it was almost hair like.

 

I also discovered the same article linked above that it could be an indication of not eating (which my Blenny didn't do for a couple days), although the author primarily deals with freshwater fish, could not eating still be a cause of white stringy poop? 

 

I haven't seen any other indication of illness and the Blenny has started eating now. At what point would one consider medicating, I don't want to rush into it, but also don't want to wait too long if it is an illness. 

This is what I usually suggest: Give it a week. If the white stringy feces is due to intestinal irritation most likely it will turn back to brown or green in a weeks time. However, if you are consistently seeing white stringy poop during that week I would probably good soak General Cure as outlined here: https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/topic/406133-internal-issues-fish-disease-information/

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