# white stringy poo



## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

so i just read this:

http://www.aquariumforum.com/f5/internal-parasites-31973.html


and its left me with more quetions than answers!

basicaly a molly i brought 2 weeks 1/2 weeks ago has been doing white stringy poos (with a little bit of normal poo every now and then) and after reading on here to wait and see if it continues i did and now my medusa pleco has got white in its poo and one of the danios looks like hes got a very sore bum and is doing white stringy poos too.

they move way to fast to get a picture of them so i didnt try but if needed ill try and get one.

so my question is, what shall i do?! i dont know how readily available meds are over here in the UK, ive never needed to buy anything like that apart from ich treatment. do i start with a paracite thing like the person in the link? or do i try somehting else? i have a betta and a gourami so i dont want to use anything that could harm them.



just want to add the poo is def NOT moving on its own when in the fish or when its come out.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I have seen it on some of my fish, the fish was emaciated, fed like crazy....and that was well over a year ago for one of my Angels. She is now thick and healthy.

I used to worry about seeing white poop a lot but figured out it just happens sometimes and the more you notice it the more you think something is up. Not saying there isn't, but giving my experience. I have numerous fish that I thought would have died from parasites.


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

so you think i shouldnt do anything??


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Parasites usually achieve a balance with their hosts, otherwise, they wouldn't have hosts. Their goal is to get food.
If the host is healthy and is living in a good environment with minimal stress, then it is only external parasites like ich or oodinium, or the odd voracious internal parasite like Camallanus that you have to worry about. 
Our problem is that tanks are small, water gets dirty fast and we often have odd combinations of fish. Aquarium life has a lot of stresses, and in those situations, the parasite gets the upper hand and the host wastes away.
I've had parasite problems in livebearers because:
a) they were wild, and the white internal worms took over with the stress of capture. Such infestations are easily treated with a 'prazi' based commercial med;
b) they were breeding too much, were too crowded and the worms became a problem - same treatment;
c) they were poorly shipped from infested farms, stressed in stores and got here with too much of a gutload for them to defend themselves.

Under normal circumstances, the odd white stringy waste is not an issue. It also is not always parasites - it can be a bacterial imbalance. You watch and see if it goes on for weeks, and if the fish thins. In such a case, I would use prazi.

If you get those symptoms and you begin to see red points protruding from the anus of the fish (sometimes even worms hanging out), you have a serious problem. That's Camallanus, a family of worms that have crossed hosts on the fish farms and in stores, and that usually destroy any host that has not had many many generations to evolve resistance. Since the pet trade has put them into contact with a whole new set of hosts, they are a catastrophic killer. They shrug off praziquantel as an inconvenience. For them, you need veterinary dewormers, and the treatment is a pain in the... well, about what they are for your fish. I have cured Camallanus twice in 20 years, and in every case, half the fish died, and 90% of the survivors never bred again.


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

the tank she came from in the shop was def over crowded but luckly shes too small to mate!!

its been going on for the 2 and a half weeks ive had her, but i shall wait and watch longer.....and watch for thining and red worms?

i think i would actually die if i saw camallanus!! i read about them when i first started researching fish and they turn my stomach! i read there really hard to get rid of, cant believe what they done to your fish!! i find myself with my nose pressed against the glass some days checking each fish just incase i see one.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

change its diet for a few days and see if it changes....


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

what else could i feed them? they get spirnella flake, hikari micro pellets, corgette and a variety of frozen food. i have meal worms for my lizards?


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

This may appear in bad taste, but things go wrong with us in similar manners, and most of the time, they mean nothing. Occasionally, they signal an illness. It's more or less the same with fish. A consistent pattern of stringy waste with emaciation says illness. The illness can be bacterial or parasitic, or both. 

If you suspect it's parasitic, you try to determine the parasite. Then you treat it. If you jump the gun and medicate needlessly, you do put a stress on the fish. Plus you waste money. So patience and observation kick in.

Give the fish a week, and watch them closely. Do not tell friends, family, and others you love that you are rushing home to check the fish poop. But do it anyway. If it persists in looking bad and the fish is losing weight while in a healthy looking and properly running tank, then you look for meds with praziquantel. 
In the extremely rare case that you see red worms protruding from the anus of the fish, get some Panacur or flubendazole and follow instructions online. Or ask - I can tell you how I used it effectively a while back.


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

"Do not tell friends, family, and others you love that you are rushing home to check the fish poop. But do it anyway."

loved that!!!! ok will do, i shall report back with my poo findings


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

quick update, the mo fos wouldnt poo for me! i sat and watched the tank for like an hour!!!! the danio's bum looks normal now but he/she is painfully thin compaird to the others. he/she is still swimming around with them and eating fine tho. and the mollie looks just fine still, not thining but i didnt get to see the poop.


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