Internal Parasites?

[Xefan]

My purple tang has white stringy poop, and my initial assumption is internal parasites, but reading a few posts here it sounds like there can be other causes, like an insufficiently varied diet. I feed a mix of Modern Reef pellets, and frozen Mysis shrimp as well as sea veggies (though possibly not as frequently as I should). The reason I'm assuming internal parasites however is my cleaner wrasse has started to get quite skinny despite eating with no obvious cause too, but this could be something else and be coincidence of course.

I haven't introduced any new fish in quite a while (at least 4 months), so if something was introduced then it's definitely been a slow burn in terms of impact if that helps. All other fish seem fine and I've not seen any other worrying signs other than the stringy poop on the tang, and the underweight cleaner wrasse.

I'm in the UK that means some of the US medicines are harder to get hold of so would have to wait for shipping from the US which will likely be a couple of weeks, but I can at least get FlukeSolve which is apparently a UK equivalent of PraziPro. I can run Ozone but I tend to rarely turn it on, as I usually just use UV.

I don't have a QT, but I do have a second 75l tank (main tank is 300l), so if I'm using something like FlukeSolve in tank if there's any risk to urchins or starfish I can at least move them to the other tank for the duration of treatment (though I'd prefer not to if avoidable as the tuxedo is a demon in the 300l, I daren't imagine the carnage in the 75l). Other than that I have a number of different snails, a few conches, a tube anemone, a blood shrimp, some peppermint shrimp, and an emerald crab, so if I'm dosing in tank I need to consider them, as they'll be quite hard to extract.

I've linked a video showing the white stringy poop.

Video of tang

 

[Jekyl]

Please post the video via youtube.

 

[vetteguy53081]

My purple tang has white stringy poop, and my initial assumption is internal parasites, but reading a few posts here it sounds like there can be other causes, like an insufficiently varied diet. I feed a mix of Modern Reef pellets, and frozen Mysis shrimp as well as sea veggies (though possibly not as frequently as I should). The reason I'm assuming internal parasites however is my cleaner wrasse has started to get quite skinny despite eating with no obvious cause too, but this could be something else and be coincidence of course.

I haven't introduced any new fish in quite a while (at least 4 months), so if something was introduced then it's definitely been a slow burn in terms of impact if that helps. All other fish seem fine and I've not seen any other worrying signs other than the stringy poop on the tang, and the underweight cleaner wrasse.

I'm in the UK that means some of the US medicines are harder to get hold of so would have to wait for shipping from the US which will likely be a couple of weeks, but I can at least get FlukeSolve which is apparently a UK equivalent of PraziPro. I can run Ozone but I tend to rarely turn it on, as I usually just use UV.

I don't have a QT, but I do have a second 75l tank (main tank is 300l), so if I'm using something like FlukeSolve in tank if there's any risk to urchins or starfish I can at least move them to the other tank for the duration of treatment (though I'd prefer not to if avoidable as the tuxedo is a demon in the 300l, I daren't imagine the carnage in the 75l). Other than that I have a number of different snails, a few conches, a tube anemone, a blood shrimp, some peppermint shrimp, and an emerald crab, so if I'm dosing in tank I need to consider them, as they'll be quite hard to extract.

I've linked a video showing the white stringy poop.

Video of tang

Before jumping to treatments, what foods are you feeding?
Often, certain foods such as mysis shrimp, brine shrimps and other fatty foods can produce excess mucus in the stomach lining and mimic internal issues.

 

[Xefan]

Before jumping to treatments, what foods are you feeding?
Often, certain foods such as mysis shrimp, brine shrimps and other fatty foods can produce excess mucus in the stomach lining and mimic internal issues.

I do feed frozen mysis daily, though I also feed pellets too, a combination of TDO Chroma Boost, and Modern Reef Reef Feast Granules. Every once in a while I put seaweed sheets in on a feeder, but maybe not as much as I should.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

My purple tang has white stringy poop, and my initial assumption is internal parasites, but reading a few posts here it sounds like there can be other causes, like an insufficiently varied diet. I feed a mix of Modern Reef pellets, and frozen Mysis shrimp as well as sea veggies (though possibly not as frequently as I should). The reason I'm assuming internal parasites however is my cleaner wrasse has started to get quite skinny despite eating with no obvious cause too, but this could be something else and be coincidence of course.

I haven't introduced any new fish in quite a while (at least 4 months), so if something was introduced then it's definitely been a slow burn in terms of impact if that helps. All other fish seem fine and I've not seen any other worrying signs other than the stringy poop on the tang, and the underweight cleaner wrasse.

I'm in the UK that means some of the US medicines are harder to get hold of so would have to wait for shipping from the US which will likely be a couple of weeks, but I can at least get FlukeSolve which is apparently a UK equivalent of PraziPro. I can run Ozone but I tend to rarely turn it on, as I usually just use UV.

I don't have a QT, but I do have a second 75l tank (main tank is 300l), so if I'm using something like FlukeSolve in tank if there's any risk to urchins or starfish I can at least move them to the other tank for the duration of treatment (though I'd prefer not to if avoidable as the tuxedo is a demon in the 300l, I daren't imagine the carnage in the 75l). Other than that I have a number of different snails, a few conches, a tube anemone, a blood shrimp, some peppermint shrimp, and an emerald crab, so if I'm dosing in tank I need to consider them, as they'll be quite hard to extract.

I've linked a video showing the white stringy poop.

Video of tang

Are the tang’s feces always multiple threads like that? Could those be tapeworms?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I do feed frozen mysis daily, though I also feed pellets too, a combination of TDO Chroma Boost, and Modern Reef Reef Feast Granules. Every once in a while I put seaweed sheets in on a feeder, but maybe not as much as I should.

Diet plays an important role with tangs. While Mysis is an accepted food, too much can do this as described. Please post a short video of feces and even pics under white light intensity for i.d. and consider other foods below as what you are feeding is Not a total/adequate diet for tangs.

LRS herbivore diet
Formula 2 flake and frozen
small plankton
Hikari Marine cuisine
Ocean nutrition veggie diet
spirulina brine shrimp
Prime reef
Nori seaweed basted with garlic extract

Add selcon vitamins to foods occasionally

 

[Xefan]

Thanks folks, I'll try and get more video, I don't often catch them pooping though so it's hard to say if it's normally like this. I'll also try some other food to see if it makes a difference.

Would this diet explain my cleaner wrasse being skinny though? That's the only other thing leaving me thinking maybe it's internal parasites.

I've reuploaded the video to YouTube for anyone that couldn't access it at the original link:

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thanks folks, I'll try and get more video, I don't often catch them pooping though so it's hard to say if it's normally like this. I'll also try some other food to see if it makes a difference.

Would this diet explain my cleaner wrasse being skinny though? That's the only other thing leaving me thinking maybe it's internal parasites.

I've reuploaded the video to YouTube for anyone that couldn't access it at the original link:

Those multiple threads look strange to me - in freshwater fish, I’d say they are caprillaria worms.

 

[Xefan]

Those multiple threads look strange to me - in freshwater fish, I’d say they are caprillaria worms.

Is it possible to tell if Prazi (Fluke Solve in the UK) is the right thing here? Or is it just a case of trying that and if not working trying Metroplex after?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Is it possible to tell if Prazi (Fluke Solve in the UK) is the right thing here? Or is it just a case of trying that and if not working trying Metroplex after?

Prazi works against cestodes (tapeworms) and external flukes, but has less effect on other types of worms. Metroplex in the food at 1% by weight helps against internal protozoans, but those typically cause white, single strands of feces.

 

[Bubule]

Hello Everybody

First message on this forum . (But I read it for few weeks)


Did you found a treatment for this parasite ?

My old Z. flavescens has the same thing for few weeks. i saw also the same on my young Z. xanthurum few month ago. I think some of my other fish have it.
I think it's a worm or its residue. The consistency is a translucent tube with a diameter of about 0.5 mm. Sometimes several lengths tangled and drowned in the excrement. This transparent tube has a few brown rings about 1 mm long distributed every 10 to 20 mm (random).

Franck

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hello Everybody

First message on this forum . (But I read it for few weeks)


Did you found a treatment for this parasite ?

My old Z. flavescens has the same thing for few weeks. i saw also the same on my young Z. xanthurum few month ago. I think some of my other fish have it.
I think it's a worm or its residue. The consistency is a translucent tube with a diameter of about 0.5 mm. Sometimes several lengths tangled and drowned in the excrement. This transparent tube has a few brown rings about 1 mm long distributed every 10 to 20 mm (random).

Franck

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I don't suppose you have a photograph of what you are seeing? Your description does not sound like anything that I am familiar with.

Are you sure these are a parasite?
Is the fish showing any other symptoms, like rapid breathing, scratching or not eating?

 

[Bubule]

Thank you for your help Jay. I've read many of your writings before, but have not encountered anything similar too.

I don't have any picture at all, but next time I see this I'll make.

They dont have any other symptome (I can see). First time I saw one was few monte ago. I thought of worms and gave them some garlic. But it seems had no effect. I saw it last week. Their is no emergency, but when I saw this video, I saw the same thing my fish have.