# Strange poop from rainbowfish



## Hawk1018 (Apr 12, 2012)

here are some blurry pics from my phone....but I will explain how it looks a little. The poop is a brownish/white and seems quite thick and the end is frayed looking...anyway here are the pics....should I be worried?


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

What do you feed him and how often?


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## Hawk1018 (Apr 12, 2012)

usually some flake food twice a day...everyday. Some days I also put in some sinking pellets for bottom fish. I put in an algae wafer a couple times a week and frozen blood worms about twice a week.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

I'm not sure on what diet that fish needs, but I know my green severums had poops like that when I was feeding just bloodworms and such. Green severums are omnivorous, but they prefer to be herbivores. Your fish could be constipated from a high protein diet. have you tried feeding a deshelled cooked pea?


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## Hawk1018 (Apr 12, 2012)

I have not tried that. I have put veggies in there before but no one touches them...not even my shrimp or algae eaters....well the snails like it. I have tried zucchini and broccoli. I am trying to get better pics....one of my smaller rainbows didn't eat today and has been eating less and less aggressive lately. So just cook some peas ..peel em and put them in? Do I have to cut them or anything?


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## Hawk1018 (Apr 12, 2012)

Here are some more pics of different fish...the one I posted earlier no longer has poop attached to him. The pic of the one in the back is the one that is not eating..


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

you can tear them into little bite sized pieces. it's a common remedy for constipation. Even my fronts(Which are mostly carnivorous) will eat deshelled peas readily. Your fish could be getting picky. thats one of the bad parts of feeding stuff like bloodworms, and live food. The fish will get spoiled and won't eat anything else. normally I feed once every other day with NLS pellets and once a week I mix some mysis shrimp and bloodworms. might want to check your water parameters as well. high prtein foods will foul the water quickly.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

also, if it is white, there is a possibility of internal parasites. soak some food in garlic juice, that will also coax them into eating as well(fish love garlic juice)


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## Hawk1018 (Apr 12, 2012)

ok...so I will try the pea thing first then if it doesn't start to clear up I may get some parasite meds. Should I put the entire tank on peas for a couple of days?


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Do not add meds unless you know its parasites. its very hard to say its parasites by the pics.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

On a general note most people don't suggest mediating unless you know what your working with. Try the deshelled peas first, if that doesn't work then soak some pellets or bloodworms in garlic juice(its supposed to help with internal parasites without any side effects)


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## Hawk1018 (Apr 12, 2012)

Ok....boiled some peas in water and garlic powder this am...they went after at first so ate a little. I think i need to boil a little longer.


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## Rufus' Mom (Jan 2, 2012)

My rainbows have poop like that as well. Mine do like zucchini, and I notice it especially after they've had a good gourge of it. I don't think it's a problem. I know it looks strange, but I've been observing it / them for months and I haven't had any illness or deaths.


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## Hawk1018 (Apr 12, 2012)

well thats good to hear....I was mainly worried because one of them does not seem excited about eating and is a lot smaller then the others. I tested my water today and these are my numbers:
Nitrate - 20ppm (this is a little higher then usual)
Ammonia - is between 0ppm and .25 ppm
PH - 6.8

I don't have a nitrite test...

on a side note I have had 3 shrimp die in the last week and a half. one RCS / one amano / and one blackberry ....Is it possible they got injured when I moved the tank some of the stuff sloshed around a bit. All my shrimp fry and fish fry are still alive and they all live in same tank.


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## Hawk1018 (Apr 12, 2012)

well the whole tank has been on a pea diet for two days now. They don't seem to like it very much but take a few bites. how long to I feed just peas? There are no other real signs of illness except for one of them seems to not really hang with the rest and is not as aggressive when eating as it usually is. (now it just kind of wanders around the food and may take a nibble here or there but not like the others that are like little pigs ) None of them are swimming funny or anything. I have yet to catch any of them pooping since the pics were taken so I don't know if the peas are working or not.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

You can stop the pea diet now. if your worried about them not eating, thaw out some bloodworms in garlic juice and let them soak a bit before feeding.


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## Hawk1018 (Apr 12, 2012)

gave them some blood worms soaked in garlic juice....they went nuts. and the one that doesn't seem to have an interest had a little more spunk. Poop was a little darker and seemed not to hang on as long. Only down side is now my tank smells of garlic and has made the entire apartment smell the same. Is it ok if a few small chunks of garlic get in the water? Will the fish eat them?


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

I don't think it would be a bad thing, they might eat it, what I do is buy pre juices garlic juice in a bottle from a healthfoods store if you don't like the smell. Glad that they are improving.


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## Hawk1018 (Apr 12, 2012)

ok...so bad news. I saw some small red worms (i think ) sticking out of one of my rainbows. I think it is Camallanus...trying to find some Levamisole but not having much luck. Also heard Fenbendazole...has anyone tried this before. Does it work and if I do manage to get rid of them how do I keep them gone?


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