4FordFamily
Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
Medicated food is notoriously ineffective and puts the fish at great risk of over or under dosing.
It also assumes that a fish will actually consume the food which is a huge stretch for many.
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It also assumes that a fish will actually consume the food which is a huge stretch for many.
alg
Community Member
I had a Purple Tang that showed similar symptoms --> it ate quite a lot, and had a round belly, but just never "filled out" like the other tangs in the same tank. It acted normal, but it just never got fat like the others. I'm about 90% sure it was an internal parasite, although the fish did not exhibit stringy white feces, which is usually a symptom.
I had a really hard-to-eradicate external fluke infestation in the QT tank it was in, so I treated that tank with MULTIPLE (read: 10+) rounds of PraziPro. I also fed that tank mysis soaked with SeaChem Focus and General Cure, which is a combination of Metronidazole and Praziquantel. (Usually Metro will beat any internal parasites that Prazi doesn't.) These fish have been in quarantine for about 10 weeks and Prazi / medicated food started about... I think 4 or 5 weeks ago. The fish still doesn't look 100%, but it does look noticeably better. It used to be very pinched right behind its belly and near its dorsal fin, but now it seems to have a little padding there. It eats tons and tons of nori every day.
Food with Metronidazole is reef safe as long as you use Focus as a binder. It's up for debate whether it's more effective in the food or in the water column. IF you can get the fish to eat enough of it, that seems to be preferable.
Here's Humblefish's writeup on Metro:
Metronidazole: Treats internal parasites (worms), Brooklynella; possibly Uronema marinum.
How To Treat - Metro can be found as a stand-alone drug (ex. Metro+, Seachem MetroPlex) or incorporated into a multi-purpose medication (ex. API General Cure). It is best to soak it in the fish’s food; however it can also be dosed directly into a quarantine tank. Use until symptoms (white stringy poop) are gone.
Whether or not metro is “reef safe” is a topic for debate. The general consensus is that while soaking it in fish food IS “reef safe,” dosing it directly into the water column IS NOT and should only be done in quarantine.
I had a really hard-to-eradicate external fluke infestation in the QT tank it was in, so I treated that tank with MULTIPLE (read: 10+) rounds of PraziPro. I also fed that tank mysis soaked with SeaChem Focus and General Cure, which is a combination of Metronidazole and Praziquantel. (Usually Metro will beat any internal parasites that Prazi doesn't.) These fish have been in quarantine for about 10 weeks and Prazi / medicated food started about... I think 4 or 5 weeks ago. The fish still doesn't look 100%, but it does look noticeably better. It used to be very pinched right behind its belly and near its dorsal fin, but now it seems to have a little padding there. It eats tons and tons of nori every day.
Food with Metronidazole is reef safe as long as you use Focus as a binder. It's up for debate whether it's more effective in the food or in the water column. IF you can get the fish to eat enough of it, that seems to be preferable.
Here's Humblefish's writeup on Metro:
Metronidazole: Treats internal parasites (worms), Brooklynella; possibly Uronema marinum.
How To Treat - Metro can be found as a stand-alone drug (ex. Metro+, Seachem MetroPlex) or incorporated into a multi-purpose medication (ex. API General Cure). It is best to soak it in the fish’s food; however it can also be dosed directly into a quarantine tank. Use until symptoms (white stringy poop) are gone.
Whether or not metro is “reef safe” is a topic for debate. The general consensus is that while soaking it in fish food IS “reef safe,” dosing it directly into the water column IS NOT and should only be done in quarantine.
alg
Community Member
Internal parasites aren't contagious unless the other fish eat the infected feces.
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