Clear Stringy Poop. What does it mean?

[Tomcitienet]

I added a pair of Percula clownfish to my new tank two days ago after doing a fishless cycle following Dr. Tim’s directions.
I bought them from a LFS that quarantines and treats each batch of fish it receives for a couple weeks. The clownfish are eating Saki-Hikari Marine Carnivore pellets well. So far I have only fed them that. I also have LRS Reef Frenzy Nano in the freezer which I will start feeding very small quantities soon.
Today I noticed one of the clownfish has clear, not white, stringy poop dangling from its anus. I couldn’t get a picture. I will try to soon but it’s basically pieces of regular poop joined by a clear string about an inch.
Is this what is meant by fish with “white poop” indicating parasites. Or is this normal? Or acclimation stress? Thank you in advance for your advice. I just ordered some NLS Hex Shield but am unsure if I actually need to use it.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

To me, that indicates mucus. As long as the feces are normal in sections, it may not be a big issue. I worry when I see white fecal strings, or clear mucus with no solids. Definitely introduce a second suitable food and see if that changes things.

Jay

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I added a pair of Percula clownfish to my new tank two days ago after doing a fishless cycle following Dr. Tim’s directions.
I bought them from a LFS that quarantines and treats each batch of fish it receives for a couple weeks. The clownfish are eating Saki-Hikari Marine Carnivore pellets well. So far I have only fed them that. I also have LRS Reef Frenzy Nano in the freezer which I will start feeding very small quantities soon.
Today I noticed one of the clownfish has clear, not white, stringy poop dangling from its anus. I couldn’t get a picture. I will try to soon but it’s basically pieces of regular poop joined by a clear string about an inch.
Is this what is meant by fish with “white poop” indicating parasites. Or is this normal? Or acclimation stress? Thank you in advance for your advice. I just ordered some NLS Hex Shield but am unsure if I actually need to use it.

Oh- just saw the NLS hex shield note. I haven’t tried that myself, but I spoke with Pablo when he was developing it, and it sounded promising.

Jay

 

[Lasse]

IMO - a fish that eat and behave normal can have white stringy poop without any infections of flagellates from the family Hexamitidae . It is also only a question of mucus. Often happens after starvation (transport) and other types of stress.

Drugs against Hexamitidae normally contains Metronidazole. The problem with this is that this drug is not only effective against flagellates - it will wipe out the whole fauna of anaerobic bacteria in the gut too.

IMO - Metronidazole treated food should not be used to newly introduced animals or stressed in other ways.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Tomcitienet]

Thank you so much @Lasse and @Jay Hemdal for the replies. I think I will let the clownfish settle in for a few weeks and keep a close eye on them. I will start feeding the LRS as well as pick up another type of pellet food to add to the mix. I’ll keep the NLS Hex Shield in storage in case I need it in the future. Thanks again for your advice!