# Parasites? Fish is unable to swallow food



## Anna W (Aug 15, 2015)

Hello,
I have 55 gal established (1 y) aquarium with 4 angelfish, 1 elephant nose and some julii corys. There is no water problems, doubled sized filtration, water change weekly, no signs of amonia. fish are fed variety of diet and eating well, very active.

about two weeks ago I noticed that one of my adult angelfish is not as active and spits out the food. then I noticed white/clear feces. after lot of research I started treating all fish with seachem metroplex (soaked in medication, combined with focus and garlic-which I use on regular basis). I'm not sure what my fish has - wasting disease, hexamita, spironucleus or something else. There are no obvious signs other that thinning.
because this one angel did not respond at all to medicated food after few days I gave him salt bath - with minimal effect.

About week ago I started daily metroplex baths. (1/2 lvl measure for 3 gal up to 12 hours, heavy aeration)
There was significant improvement - fish is active and attacks food; however, is not able to swallow. holds it in mouth and then spits it out.

2 days ago moved fish to hospital tank, temp 85, API general cure with doxiciline antibiotic.
active, eating but.... food goes up and down the throat and get spit out...

This is the 3rd week and fish is significantly skinner, I'd hate to lose it.

I wonder if any of you have similar experience. What did you treat your fish with and how. Any success?
I know there is other medication available but not many that is absorbed through fish's body.
I continue treating other fish as a precaution


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Maybe wasting disease. Treat with Flubendazole 10%


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## LizStreithorst (Jul 16, 2015)

Classic symptoms of heximita. You need to treat with Metro for a total of 10 days with 50% WC daily. All the he fish should be treated in a BB tank. I buy my metro from Jhemco. I suggest that you treat a 55 with 1/4 teaspoon daily. It degrades in the water so use the full dose every day for the full 10 days.


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## Anna W (Aug 15, 2015)

Thank you guys for replies! 
I researched flubendazole (seems like a great med) but this is prohibited in the usa and couldn't find it anywhere, the only option is similar fenbendazole but this med cannot be and will not be mixed in water, food only.
all fish are being treated with medication mixed with food, except the one that will not eat.

I never knew fishkeeping can be so challenging


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Contact "inkmaker" He is a member of this forum and what he doesn't know about fish parasites and such isn't worth knowing. I bought flubendazole 10% from him. It mixes with water. It cured my pristellas of wasting disease. Only lost one that was to far gone by the time I started treatment and I put it down myself. Sure hope you can cure this angel. I just love them, but have yet to try them again. Soon maybe.


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## LizStreithorst (Jul 16, 2015)

This fish does not have worms. It has hex. Symptoms of worms are a fish eating but not gaining weight. Symptoms of hex are the fish picking up food, spitting it out, and white poo. The only worms that are seen in the stool of a fish are tapeworms which are segmented.


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Same as for wasting disease, but what do I know


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## LizStreithorst (Jul 16, 2015)

She said that the fish improved with Metroplex but she was under dosing and I doubt did the treatment in a BB tank. 

I know about wasting disease in ruminates. It's a spongiform encephalopathy same as "mad cow disease" I think that in fish the term "wasting disease" is a catch all term. If you know otherwise please send me a link to the research.


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

All I know is my pristellas had the same symptoms and it cleared up with the meds inkmaker sent me. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And I never said they had worms.


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## LizStreithorst (Jul 16, 2015)

That is not documentation, son. this is documentation https://books.google.com/books?hl=e...oms and treatment of hexamita in fish&f=false

I suggest that you not give advice on diagnosis and treatment until you are qualified


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## Anna W (Aug 15, 2015)

Thank you both.
Read article (ch.10) and did more research.
Looks like flubendazole treats both hexa and wasting disease.

I think I'll give metronidazole a try.

Today:
I removed elephant nose and placed him in hospital tank (not taking chances to medicate him, let him hang out there for these few days)
My sick angelfish and the rest fish are in the main tank which is being treated with API General Cure 1 pack per 10 gallon, (as it includes both metronidazole and praziquantel) 
Changed water before treatment. Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5, ph w/o change 7.2
I am in the process or raising temp slowly to 93. should I go that high? It's at 85 now.

After treating water with API my other angelfish, perfectly fine up until now, started constantly twitching, like he is trying to shake off something. He is alert, breathing normal.
geee what do I do wrong?


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Anna, imho, 93 sounds a bit high. Like Liz pointed out, I am not an expert, but I think 87 would be high enough.

I hope you have the best luck with your angel. The "shaking off" sounds like what we used to call "shimmy" This is beginning to sound more like columnarus than anything else. I am not sure what to treat it with. Maybe Susan or Bev or one of the others will know what to do. I am surprised they haven't said something

Good luck with your fishy friends.


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## LizStreithorst (Jul 16, 2015)

I wouldn't take it that high either. It does help and the fish should handle 90 without distress as long as you increase the air in the tank. To be honest, I don't increase my temps at all. I keep them all at their normal 82 to 83. But I treat at the rate of 400 mg. Metro per 10 gallons which is higher than the dosage in General Cure. It's normal procedure to treat with metro daily since it breaks down. I don't think that's the case with prazi. I'd order pure metro from Jhemco. Prazi is for tape worms. If you decide to keep up with the General Cure change as much water as you can every day and watch the fish for signs of distress.

BTW, the folks at Jhemco are *very nice* and *very knowledgable* The jar of metro I bought had dosage in teaspoons for treating at the rate of 250 mg per 10 and I wanted to treat at the rate of 400 mg per 10. I admitted my shortcoming to them (that when I try to do calculations my head starts to swim) and they did the math for me. I wrote it on my jar that's how I knew that 1/4 metro would treat a 55 at the dosage I prefer.

Finish the metro treatment and lower the tank temp to what you keep it at normally. I've never seen adverse effects from either metro or Prazi. See if the fish is still twitching a couple of WCs after treatment is over. It sounds like external parasites to me. You can treat with formalin at 2 drops per gallon but give the fish a break before treatments. External parasites are an irritation like fleas on a dog, but the fish can handle them for a while.


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## Anna W (Aug 15, 2015)

Thank you 
I'll take your advise and will let you know of the outcome 

best regards,


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## LizStreithorst (Jul 16, 2015)

You're welcome


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