# Need Help ASAP



## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Okay, I have a problem in my 55gal and my 10gal. And I need some help.

I think I might have a parasite. In my 55 my Sailfin Molly is pineconing and some of the others have the white stringy poop thing going on. A few days ago I lost one of my female Guppys. I know this is not conclusive evidence that it is a parasite instead of just their diet but they get a variety of food on a regular basis so I can't see that being the problem. Also, seems too coincidental when you factor in the pineconing and the death. In my 10gal I have seen at least 1 fish with the same type of poop and I'm just generally concerned that they don't seem to be growing as well as they should and some seem a little oddly shaped. Like their bellies are too big. So, that's why I suspect a parasite. 

I know I should be giving you water parameters too but please let me go with this one-it's 10:30pm here and I gotta get to bed soon. 

I think I have the culprit fish pegged, since I have not introduced any new fish to these tanks in months: I got a dalmatian molly fry from my sister and he is in the 10gal fry tank. My 2 female Guppys were in there too while they were pregnant and were moved back to the 55 community not too long ago. 

So, I'm wondering is this bacteria or parasitic or fungal or what. And, more importantly, how do I treat it? I would prefer something that does not involve using meds (like using salt and warmer water or something like that) but I guess I'll have to suck it up and go with the meds if I have to. I also have another problem: my 10gal is a heavily planted baslbob tank and I'm not sure what I can expect my plants to do if I treat that tank or even if I use a more natural remedy what will happen to them. 

Here are the list for the tanks:
55 gal:
2 angels 
2 glass catfish
2 sailfin mollys
4 platys
3 swordtails
1 red eye tetra
1 phantom tetra
1 guppy

10 gal (all fry):
platy
swordtail
molly
guppy
Sorry, but there is no way I can count their numbers

Wisteria
Anuabis
Java Moss
Anacharis

I live over an hour from the closest pet store but I have to go to the city tomorrow anyway and want to pick up something then while I'm in. Please give me some help before I go!!!!


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

If you suspect parasites,soak some food in garlic juice and feed this.garlic is a natural antiparasitic,and i like natural better than anything myself!Ive used this quite well with new arrivals with great results.I feed this for a week straight just to be sure.The fish love it and should eat it quite fiercly.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Where do you find garlic juice? Grocery store? Sounds like good mouthwash, LOL.

More than likely you have hit the parasitic crossroads. I would try the garlic method and see if that works for you...I'd definitely be intersted. I have the problem myself and have 3 fish that I have had for over 6 months that are close to death - all 3 are mickey mouse Platies in a tank full of Guppy/Platy fry and a number of adults. About 80 fish in all. I treat the problem with Parasite Clear from Jungle Labs. It has been effective if I catch it early, but the emaciated fish usually doesn't stand much of a chance if it has gotten that far. They get the same skin issues you mention as well

I did read an article where Angel and Discus owners effectively controlled it by increasing the temp from 92-100 degrees'd want to try personally and it didn't mention for how long.


----------



## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Any ideas where to get garlic juice?? I called the grocery store and the guy put me on hold to go check and then came back and asked 'do you mean like honey and garlic sauce?' I'm not sure if it was Beavis or Butthead but I'm guessing it was one of them.

If push comes to shove then I can pick up some cloves and blend them but I'm not sure if I will get any juice from that or not since it's pretty dry so I'm not sure if it will turn to juice.


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Amie

wish I could help you but simply can't.

I did have a white fungus on mollys but that was in a non planted tank. It cleared up with some aquarium salt. So now I use mollys in marine tank only.

For garlic I think you can crush up a clove with fish food then feed. but not sure.

I do lose female live bearers from time to time but the babies keep things going.

keep me posted.


----------



## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

Maybe those jars of minced garlic that have some juice in the jar too? I'm not really sure, but am curious. Good luck.

If worse comes to worse, they do make medicated food that is supposed to treat parasites. That would be less invasive than some medication carpet bombing in the tank.


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Sorry,yes the jars of minced garlic has the juice in them.just pour the juice into a small bowl and add the food.Mix it a bit let the food soak the juice up and then feed.Or you could mince your own garlic.the garlic itself is ok for them too.They absolutly love the stuff.


----------



## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Awesome! Thanks. Now, about the heat-should I turn that up as well? I think what I might do with the food is pick up some freeze dried tubifex worms. They really like them and they come in little cubes so I think I can soak that much better then the flake food or the loose freeze dried blood worms and not have it totally soak apart on me.


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I think most of your fish could handle an increase in temps if you wish.Id go up to 82.What temp are they at?


----------



## CODA92 (Dec 23, 2010)

Id say to test the water just in case, im not sure about parasites but if theres a chance of it bieng fungal try melafix, i wound up using this once and it cleared up my stingray pretty well and safe


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

So how's it going?

Let me give you some beaslbob thoughts.

Perhaps the female guppy was just old.

perhaps the molly just needed a little salt.

my concern is that those things will happen. And actually there is not a whole lot you can do. Fish do have limited life expenctancies. 

My concern is that reaching for the meds, doing massive water changes, raising temperature and so on can create more problems then they fix.

Sure I lose a fish every now and then. But I basically do nothing. And then tank has fish that lasts for years.

to me what is important is to provide the best possible environment so the fish's immune system is a strong as possible. And to prevent changes in that environment.

I hope your tank (if not the particular fish) is at the point or will be.



my .02


----------



## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

I did check the water
0 ammoni 
0 nitrites 
but not sure on the number of nitrates. Guess the Nutrafin is so hard to read and that's why everyone recommends the API. But, it was high. So I'm wondering if that might be the culprit-high nitrates.

beasl, your right the guppy might have been old but what concerns me about the molly is the pineconing before dying. I have never had a fish do that before. Trust me, meds are a total last resort. 

At this point I'm not sure if I'm convinced anymore that it is a parasite since the high nitrites might have caused stress which can sometimes cause white poop. But, I am going to go ahead and get the minced garlic juice to add to the food. I figure that couldn't hurt. I am going to leave the temp alone for now and see how things go. One thing I noticed when doing the big water change to lower the nitrates-I need to get some tank cleaners in there.


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Amie said:


> I did check the water
> 0 ammoni
> 0 nitrites
> but not sure on the number of nitrates. Guess the Nutrafin is so hard to read and that's why everyone recommends the API. But, it was high. So I'm wondering if that might be the culprit-high nitrates.
> ...


Is this the beaslbob tanks?

high nitrates should not cause those problems.

But if planted it is a sign the tank is still cycling

Cleaner crews indicate an algae problem. I guess.

If ph is low then it is a further sign on insufficient plant action--- high carbon dixoide.

Hopefully it will all settle down in a week or two with pH rising and nitrates dropping down.

my .02


----------



## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

No I didn't check the planted tank. I'm only speculating that those guys have something because they seem smaller to me then I would think they would be at this point. 

I was thinking of getting the cleaners to remove the poop and stuff that had built up from the fish but duh!!!! They don't actually eat that anyway. I just need a bigger layer of gravel to hide it in LOL. 

You don't think the high nitrates can lead to stress?? What does it generally lead to?? I remember hearing high nitrates as a bad thing but don't think I ever heard exactly what will happen when they are high.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Amie, any update on your fish?

I have two fish that have been emaciated pretty badly now for about 2 months or so. Some how they have hung on to life. They eat fine. I noticed today that one of the two looks as if she is starting to get a little bit of weight back on. She has been treated at 3 times now with parasite meds (fizz tabs). 

I'm going to start treating this issue differently than I have in the past. Usually I treated the whole tank and usually the fish I was targeting got better for a little while and just ended up dying, sometimes 6-8 weeks later. I'm going to start treating multiple times as if it were doses or a normal med until I see a change in the fish. Maybe that is the way it was intended, but the instructions on the box I have don't really provide much guidance on subsequent treatment other than you can do it 48hrs later with a 25% water change. It's good that the ones I bought come in a pack of 100 (one tab per 10gal).

On a different but related subject, I've noticed incredible differences in fish that get treated prior to being added to the two tanks that have the fish with the parasite issues. It would be nice to get to a point where if you notice a fish and it is already emaciated that there could be hope for it. I'm hoping that I am seeing that with the new regimen I'm now doing. This is all with the product parasite clear from Jungle Labs.

Personally, I'd recommend getting some.


----------



## roacan (Dec 25, 2010)

There are cold pressed garlic juice spray.
In the states, search for garlic valley farms.
In Canada, Canada Garlic.

It's good for you, your dog, and I just learned today, good for your fish too.:fish5:


----------



## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

I did piece up a jar of chopped garlic. Did not seem to have a lot of juice in it so I ran it through a pair of pantyhose and squeezed all the juice out that I could. The only flake food that I had here that was big enough to try to dip in the juice was goldfish food (did not get a chance to get the tubefix worms). So, I have been using that every second day or so. Not sure how it's going to far. The fish are eating it but I'm not seeing a much higher level or poop and I'm also not seeing anymore dead fish so not really sure yet if it's doing anything or not. But on the plus side we no longer have any vampires in the house LMAO.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

What are the tubefix worms?


----------



## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

So, for an update. I lost the Sailfin Molly. With pineconing I figure that was inevitable. The white poop has disappeared and all the fish seem fine and no worse for wear. I fed them flakes soaked in garlic juice everyday for almost a week and then every few days after that. I kept the rest of the juice and will probably feed it to them every now and then anyway. Figure it can't hurt. 

Thanks for all your help everyone.

as for the worms. They are Tubifex Worms. Nutrafin makes it. Freeze dried. Here is some info on them: Tubifex tubifex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

The pineconing is usually a sign of dropsy and unless treated early enough you wouldn't have been able to cure it anyway.

Garlic is great for fish but make sure you read any jars that is minced garlic in juice as most of the time that juice is vegetable oil. I buy flake food with garlic already added and all my fish love it.


----------



## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

What difference will it make if it's in vegetable oil? Will that hurt the fish or is it just a lower amount of garlic in the food then??

Also, what type of food is it that comes with garlic already added? My pet stores here carry fish and their supplies in a little corner of the store behind the reptiles and felines so needless to say there is very little selection.


----------



## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

I order online from Kens fish. A lot more food and cheaper price. I don't think the vegetable oil would hurt the fish but can leave a film on the top of your tank. Would you dip your finger in oil and stick it in the tank? It would give the same results. With fresh garlic just mash it as fine as you can and mix it in the flake and let it sit awhile. The flake will soak up any of the garlic oil.


----------



## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Thanks!! I'll have to check that place out. Maybe they have the brine shrimp hatchery. I've been wanting one of those for awhile.


----------

