Do you have to feed fish GC to get rid of internal parasites.

[leo12345]

i think my fish might have internal parasites so i was planning on quarantining it with some general cure. With general cure do you have to feed it to the fish in order for it to work against internal parasites/worms or can you just put it in the water?

 

[MnFish1]

The usual recommendation is 'in the water' as it's difficult to dose correctly in food. However, I would ask - what leads you to think that they have intestinal parasites?

 

[Sharkbait19]

What symptoms are you observing?
While medications for internal parasites can work if treated to the water column, they are most effective if fed to the fish. This becomes difficult because, as @Jay Hemdal can point out, the dosage required to be effective often tastes too bad for the fish to eat. Furthermore, as the infection progresses, they lack any appetite whatsoever.
This leaves dosing to the water a better option for the hobbyist standpoint.

 

[leo12345]

The usual recommendation is 'in the water' as it's difficult to dose correctly in food. However, I would ask - what leads you to think that they have intestinal parasites?

they have white stringy poop which i know could be a lot of things but i rather do something now just in case.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

i think my fish might have internal parasites so i was planning on quarantining it with some general cure. With general cure do you have to feed it to the fish in order for it to work against internal parasites/worms or can you just put it in the water?

General Cure is not really set up for oral dosing in food. Metronidazole is dosed at 1% in food, while praziquantel is dosed at 50 mg per kilogram of fish weight. It would be better to just dose the water with it and have the fish absorb it that way.

What symptoms are your fish showing?

Jay

 

[Sharkbait19]

they have white stringy poop which i know could be a lot of things but i rather do something now just in case.

What are you feeding?
Brine and mysis shrimp cause white poop.

 

[leo12345]

What are you feeding?
Brine and mysis shrimp cause white poop.

Just pellets and flakes rn. I ran out of mysis and brine two weeks ago and its still has white stringy poop so i dont think its from the shrimp.

 

[vetteguy53081]

i think my fish might have internal parasites so i was planning on quarantining it with some general cure. With general cure do you have to feed it to the fish in order for it to work against internal parasites/worms or can you just put it in the water?

Do not add to food if that's what youre wondering. Its absorbed by the fish and may or may not work as in a case by case basis depending on severity of infection/outbreak you are dealing with