Is this Normal clown poop?

[Ryan Rioux]

Hi All ,

I am just wondering if this is normal clown poop ? One of my clowns was pooping like this earlier in the week and now the other is pooping like this . Both are eating perfectly and acting normal ! I am feeding them every evening once a day . Going from Frozen mysis , brine and LRS reef frenzy . Mixing some small pellets in as well.

All water parameters are perfect !

 

[StartingATank]

I can’t tell very well if the clowns have a pinched head, but if you can see if they have a pinched head, then they have what is called hexamita. Cure is either feeding premedicated food or medicating your own food with metronidazole

 

[Ryan Rioux]

I can’t tell very well if the clowns have a pinched head, but if you can see if they have a pinched head, then they have what is called hexamita. Cure is either feeding premedicated food or medicating your own food with metronidazole

They don’t seem to have pinched heads . Tough to get better pictures they are on the move !

Pinched head is like a small indentation on the forehead ? Also , there colors seem to be great as well .

If it did end up being hexamita , any idea what food is best for this that’s pre medicated ?

 

[StartingATank]

I forgot what brand I used, but it was a flake food. The clowns should have a good amount of time left if they are sick, what are you feeding them? I would go to your lfs and asked if they had anything with the medicated food I mentioned above. And if it isn’t hexamita, the food should be able to cure some other kinds of intestinal diseases. What are you feeding them? If you are only feeding them shrimp, their poop will most likely be white and stringy. If it is hexamita, then they should have about 2 days left or more maybe. If you get the medicated food, feed it to them once or twice a day for about a week.

EDIT: Now that I am looking at the pictures more, it definitely looks like hexamita. #f#fishmedicsan you confirm?

 

[Ryan Rioux]

I forgot what brand I used, but it was a flake food. The clowns should have a good amount of time left if they are sick, what are you feeding them? I would go to your lfs and asked if they had anything with the medicated food I mentioned above. And if it isn’t hexamita, the food should be able to cure some other kinds of intestinal diseases. What are you feeding them? If you are only feeding them shrimp, their poop will most likely be white and stringy. If it is hexamita, then they should have about 2 days left or more maybe. If you get the medicated food, feed it to them once or twice a day for about a week.

EDIT: Now that I am looking at the pictures more, it definitely looks like hexamita. #f#fishmedicsan you confirm?

I am going to the LFS where I got them tomorrow . Hoping they have the pre medicated food . I have been feeding them once a day , either frozen mysis , frozen Brine , some pellets , and also just had LFS reef frenzy overnighted from saltwater aquarium.com . It came in yesterday and fed that to them Friday evening . Both eating well!

Did a small water change yesterday . No heavy breathing or thinning in either of them . If it is Hexamita , do you mean they’d have 2 days to live ?

 

[StartingATank]

I forgot what brand I used, but it was a flake food. The clowns should have a good amount of time left if they are sick, what are you feeding them? I would go to your lfs and asked if they had anything with the medicated food I mentioned above. And if it isn’t hexamita, the food should be able to cure some other kinds of intestinal diseases. What are you feeding them? If you are only feeding them shrimp, their poop will most likely be white and stringy. If it is hexamita, then they should have about 2 days left or more maybe. If you get the medicated food, feed it to them once or twice a day for about a week.

EDIT: Now that I am looking at the pictures more, it definitely looks like hexamita. #f#fishmedicsan you confirm?

I am going to the LFS where I got them tomorrow . Hoping they have the pre medicated food . I have been feeding them once a day , either frozen mysis , frozen Brine , some pellets , and also just had LFS reef frenzy overnighted from saltwater aquarium.com . It came in yesterday and fed that to them Friday evening . Both eating well!

Did a small water change yesterday . No heavy breathing or thinning in either of them . If it is Hexamita , do you mean they’d have 2 days to live ?

That is what I would estimate. My clownfish that had hexamita died in like 3 days since I found out it had hexamita. The food should work pretty quickly. As long as they are eating and not breathing heavily, I believe they should be fine for a while

 

[Ryan Rioux]

Man that stinks , hoping this is not the case . If I can’t find the medicated food from the LFS is there any medicines I should pick up and have on hand ?

Also appreciate your help truthfully .

FYI the larger female clown had white stringy poop at beginning of the week. It wasn’t long and super thin . It fell off within 5 minutes or so of swimming . Possibly because I was feeding mostly mysis and it’s fatty .

 

[Ryan Rioux]

That is what I would estimate. My clownfish that had hexamita died in like 3 days since I found out it had hexamita. The food should work pretty quickly. As long as they are eating and not breathing heavily, I believe they should be fine for a while

Man that stinks , hoping this is not the case . If I can’t find the medicated food from the LFS is there any medicines I should pick up and have on hand ?

Also appreciate your help truthfully .

FYI the larger female clown had white stringy poop at beginning of the week. It wasn’t long and super thin . It fell off within 5 minutes or so of swimming . Possibly because I was feeding mostly mysis and it’s fatty .

 

[StartingATank]

Man that stinks , hoping this is not the case . If I can’t find the medicated food from the LFS is there any medicines I should pick up and have on hand ?

Also appreciate your help truthfully .

FYI the larger female clown had white stringy poop at beginning of the week. It wasn’t long and super thin . It fell off within 5 minutes or so of swimming . Possibly because I was feeding mostly mysis and it’s fatty .

I am unsure if there are any other medicines for hexamita. You also could probably find some off Amazon if your lfs doesn’t have it. Also do you think you would be able to contact them tonight to see if they have it or look on their website to see if they have the food?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi All ,

I am just wondering if this is normal clown poop ? One of my clowns was pooping like this earlier in the week and now the other is pooping like this . Both are eating perfectly and acting normal ! I am feeding them every evening once a day . Going from Frozen mysis , brine and LRS reef frenzy . Mixing some small pellets in as well.

All water parameters are perfect !

This isn't typically mucus feces - see how it looks like little bits of feces strung together? Could the clownfish have eaten some fabric? Filter floss can cause this, but so can algae strands if they eat that (I don't see any of that type of hair algae in your picture though).

I don't think this is Hexamita, but every fish has some of these in their gut as normal fauna. Under stress conditions, their population can explode, causing disease.

Here is a section from my disease book:
Hexamita and related diplomonad flagellate protozoans very frequently cause white stringy feces, especially in newly acquired clownfish. Metronidazole is the most frequent treatment for this issue. It can be dosed orally at 25 mg per kg of fish body weight, or 5 g in a kg of food. However, it is a very bitter medication, and some fish will refuse to feed on food containing it. It can be dosed in the water at 25 mg/l, but this is more effective in treating marine fishes, as freshwater fish do not “drink” aquarium water.
There are other causes of mucus feces:

Excess mucus in fish feces:

This will present as white or light colored, stringy fecal material that often hangs from the fish’s anus for a longer than normal period. There are a number of different causes for this, some benign, others very serious. Without access to a microscope, there is little that can be done to diagnose this issue effectively.

Idiopathic mucus feces: this fancy term is just to describe white mucoid bulky feces of no serious consequence, but of an unknown cause. Some suspicion is that this can be caused by changes in diet or diets high in fats.

Starvation: Fish that have no food moving through their bowels may excrete white mucoid feces with little bulk to them. The primary diagnostic for this issue is evident in that the fish won’t been seen to be eating. Resolving the anorexia is of course the prime focus to resolve this issue.

Bacterial infection: internal bacterial infections can cause stringy feces as well. While some of these may resolve on their own, medicated foods containing a broad spectrum, gram negative oral antibiotic may be required.

Metazoan infections: multicellular worms are often blamed for mucoid feces, but in reality, they are almost never the root cause for this, and really, can only be diagnosed through looking for their ova in fecal samples. Fish can harbor tapeworms and nematodes without producing mucoid feces.

Protozoan infection: Hexamita and related diplomonad flagellate protozoans very frequently cause white stringy feces, especially in newly acquired clownfish. Metronidazole is the most frequent treatment for this issue. It can be dosed orally at 25 mg per kg of fish body weight, or 5 g in a kg of food. However, it is a very bitter medication, and some fish will refuse to feed on food containing it. It can be dosed in the water at 25 mg/l, but this is more effective in treating marine fishes, as freshwater fish do not “drink” aquarium water.

Coccidia: These microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled parasites are common diseases in dogs and cats. In fish, they cause epithelial necrosis of the gut, enteritis and the copious production of mucus (Noga 2010). These cannot be diagnosed without microscopic examination, and there is no well researched cure for this in fishes, although Toltrazuril has been tested.

Constipation: This malady is often given as a cause for stringy feces, but it is not as common as one would think. When it is seen, the feces are usually dark, not light in color. Often touted as a “cure for constipation”, many aquarists add Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to the aquarium’s water – do not do this in marine aquariums, its use is primarily as a tonic/dip for freshwater fish. Seawater formulas already contain between 7 and 19 grams of magnesium sulfate per gallon (depending on the recipe). NSW magnesium level is around 1200 ppm and sulfur is around 840 ppm. Some benefit might be seen using it as a dip in additional concentrations, but adding a small amount to a marine aquarium itself has no benefit. Epsom salts do have some possible benefit when mixed into the food as a 3% by weight adjunct. Another commonly heard remedy for constipation is; “feed fresh peas”. This is an effective cure for fancy goldfish and Malawi cichlids that develop constipation and bloating. Again, overextrapolation has marine aquarists trying to feed peas to carnivorous fish, etc. The best method to enhance gut motility in fish is to feed frozen adult brine shrimp – not as a permanent diet, just long enough to get the constipation resolved.

 

[Ryan Rioux]

This isn't typically mucus feces - see how it looks like little bits of feces strung together? Could the clownfish have eaten some fabric? Filter floss can cause this, but so can algae strands if they eat that (I don't see any of that type of hair algae in your picture though).

I don't think this is Hexamita, but every fish has some of these in their gut as normal fauna. Under stress conditions, their population can explode, causing disease.

Here is a section from my disease book:
Hexamita and related diplomonad flagellate protozoans very frequently cause white stringy feces, especially in newly acquired clownfish. Metronidazole is the most frequent treatment for this issue. It can be dosed orally at 25 mg per kg of fish body weight, or 5 g in a kg of food. However, it is a very bitter medication, and some fish will refuse to feed on food containing it. It can be dosed in the water at 25 mg/l, but this is more effective in treating marine fishes, as freshwater fish do not “drink” aquarium water.
There are other causes of mucus feces:

Excess mucus in fish feces:

This will present as white or light colored, stringy fecal material that often hangs from the fish’s anus for a longer than normal period. There are a number of different causes for this, some benign, others very serious. Without access to a microscope, there is little that can be done to diagnose this issue effectively.

Idiopathic mucus feces: this fancy term is just to describe white mucoid bulky feces of no serious consequence, but of an unknown cause. Some suspicion is that this can be caused by changes in diet or diets high in fats.

Starvation: Fish that have no food moving through their bowels may excrete white mucoid feces with little bulk to them. The primary diagnostic for this issue is evident in that the fish won’t been seen to be eating. Resolving the anorexia is of course the prime focus to resolve this issue.

Bacterial infection: internal bacterial infections can cause stringy feces as well. While some of these may resolve on their own, medicated foods containing a broad spectrum, gram negative oral antibiotic may be required.

Metazoan infections: multicellular worms are often blamed for mucoid feces, but in reality, they are almost never the root cause for this, and really, can only be diagnosed through looking for their ova in fecal samples. Fish can harbor tapeworms and nematodes without producing mucoid feces.

Protozoan infection: Hexamita and related diplomonad flagellate protozoans very frequently cause white stringy feces, especially in newly acquired clownfish. Metronidazole is the most frequent treatment for this issue. It can be dosed orally at 25 mg per kg of fish body weight, or 5 g in a kg of food. However, it is a very bitter medication, and some fish will refuse to feed on food containing it. It can be dosed in the water at 25 mg/l, but this is more effective in treating marine fishes, as freshwater fish do not “drink” aquarium water.

Coccidia: These microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled parasites are common diseases in dogs and cats. In fish, they cause epithelial necrosis of the gut, enteritis and the copious production of mucus (Noga 2010). These cannot be diagnosed without microscopic examination, and there is no well researched cure for this in fishes, although Toltrazuril has been tested.

Constipation: This malady is often given as a cause for stringy feces, but it is not as common as one would think. When it is seen, the feces are usually dark, not light in color. Often touted as a “cure for constipation”, many aquarists add Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to the aquarium’s water – do not do this in marine aquariums, its use is primarily as a tonic/dip for freshwater fish. Seawater formulas already contain between 7 and 19 grams of magnesium sulfate per gallon (depending on the recipe). NSW magnesium level is around 1200 ppm and sulfur is around 840 ppm. Some benefit might be seen using it as a dip in additional concentrations, but adding a small amount to a marine aquarium itself has no benefit. Epsom salts do have some possible benefit when mixed into the food as a 3% by weight adjunct. Another commonly heard remedy for constipation is; “feed fresh peas”. This is an effective cure for fancy goldfish and Malawi cichlids that develop constipation and bloating. Again, overextrapolation has marine aquarists trying to feed peas to carnivorous fish, etc. The best method to enhance gut motility in fish is to feed frozen adult brine shrimp – not as a permanent diet, just long enough to get the constipation resolved.

Thank you for this . Super informative . They are still doing well and eating . I did pick up some medication for the hexamita just in case . I do currently have some serious diatoms and hair algae starting . Tank is about a month old now . (Have seen them nip at the hair algae ) have also noticed that I see the white stringy poop more often when I feed mysis or if I skip feeding them for a day . Only have skipped a day a couple of times due to no CUC .

I went to a LFS about an hour from me last week and he tested my water and said I had a tiny bit of ammonia . He was using API . I tested my water with Redsea and API and got 0 ammonia on 3 tests . Went to the LFS to grab a clean up crew and some meds just in case but he told me to wait a week on the CUC . Plan on going back tomorrow to get the CUC to get the tank cleaned up .

Any idea what type of CUC members would be ideal for diatoms , hair algae , leftover food etc ?

Again appreciate the help from all of you!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thank you for this . Super informative . They are still doing well and eating . I did pick up some medication for the hexamita just in case . I do currently have some serious diatoms and hair algae starting . Tank is about a month old now . (Have seen them nip at the hair algae ) have also noticed that I see the white stringy poop more often when I feed mysis or if I skip feeding them for a day . Only have skipped a day a couple of times due to no CUC .

I went to a LFS about an hour from me last week and he tested my water and said I had a tiny bit of ammonia . He was using API . I tested my water with Redsea and API and got 0 ammonia on 3 tests . Went to the LFS to grab a clean up crew and some meds just in case but he told me to wait a week on the CUC . Plan on going back tomorrow to get the CUC to get the tank cleaned up .

Any idea what type of CUC members would be ideal for diatoms , hair algae , leftover food etc ?

Again appreciate the help from all of you!

In terms of what CUC to get, it looks like you have a variety of needs, so a variety of species would be best. I use this company, you can at least go through their listings to see what CUC will control which issues (if you click on the animal's name, it brings up another page of info):

Tank Cleaners

Tank Cleaners. Our saltwater tank cleaners are competitively priced, but more importantly they get the job done and we know their Read more

www.reefcleaners.org

 

[Ryan Rioux]

In terms of what CUC to get, it looks like you have a variety of needs, so a variety of species would be best. I use this company, you can at least go through their listings to see what CUC will control which issues (if you click on the animal's name, it brings up another page of info):

Tank Cleaners

Tank Cleaners. Our saltwater tank cleaners are competitively priced, but more importantly they get the job done and we know their Read more

www.reefcleaners.org

Thank you , great selection and fair pricing