Metroplex alternatives for intestinal parasite

[mushy coral]

I got a wrasse that i kept for around 2 months now. Recently he seem to be eating less and shrunken belly. Last time i check he was pooping out white feces but not stringy but a topedo like white chunk. But his belly make me concern more so I decided to treat for intestinal parasite. Got him out of dt and into another tank and planning to treat with prazipro. However the api general cure i used to medicate food with now out of stock at my place and so does metroplex. Are there any other drug that i can use instead or just prazipro is enough?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I got a wrasse that i kept for around 2 months now. Recently he seem to be eating less and shrunken belly. Last time i check he was pooping out white feces but not stringy but a topedo like white chunk. But his belly make me concern more so I decided to treat for intestinal parasite. Got him out of dt and into another tank and planning to treat with prazipro. However the api general cure i used to medicate food with now out of stock at my place and so does metroplex. Are there any other drug that i can use instead or just prazipro is enough?

It’s complicated - you should NOT be mixing General Cure in food! It is impossible to get the dose correct as the two medications it contains have two different oral doses.

The two medications it contains are praziquantel and metronidazole.

Prazi only treats external flukes and internal tapeworms. It can be added to the water and still kill tapeworms inside the fish.

Metro only treats protozoans. Mixed in food at a rate of 1% by weight, it treats internal flagellate protozoans. Metro is very bitter and too high of a dose will cause fish not to eat it.

Nematodes are another internal parasite, but to treat them, you need to make a food with another drug that is not easy to source.

 

[mushy coral]

It’s complicated - you should NOT be mixing General Cure in food! It is impossible to get the dose correct as the two medications it contains have two different oral doses.

The two medications it contains are praziquantel and metronidazole.

Prazi only treats external flukes and internal tapeworms. It can be added to the water and still kill tapeworms inside the fish.

Metro only treats protozoans. Mixed in food at a rate of 1% by weight, it treats internal flagellate protozoans. Metro is very bitter and too high of a dose will cause fish not to eat it.

Nematodes are another internal parasite, but to treat them, you need to make a food with another drug that is not easy to source.

My bad, i treated my tang before with prazipro first then switched med after a time not seeing improvement. With those symtoms what do you suggest? He does lost appetize a little bit but still go after food that i put in.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

My bad, i treated my tang before with prazipro first then switched med after a time not seeing improvement. With those symtoms what do you suggest? He does lost appetize a little bit but still go after food that i put in.

If the fish is eating well, but is thin, first try feeding more food, more often. Feed it as much as it will eat in, say, 2 minutes, four times a day.

 

[mushy coral]

If the fish is eating well, but is thin, first try feeding more food, more often. Feed it as much as it will eat in, say, 2 minutes, four times a day.

Does the diet have caused any of the symtoms? I feed them 3 times a day with spirulina brineshrimp, pellets and minced shrimp.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Does the diet have caused any of the symtoms? I feed them 3 times a day with spirulina brineshrimp, pellets and minced shrimp.

That diet is fine. Make sure that this fish is getting its fair share of the food you are offering.

 

[mushy coral]

That diet is fine. Make sure that this fish is getting its fair share of the food you are offering.

Just fed them the 2nd meal of the day and the wrasse did eat but after few bites he ignored the food. I tried to feed him more with the pipet but he seems not interested. He eats much less than before.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Just fed them the 2nd meal of the day and the wrasse did eat but after few bites he ignored the food. I tried to feed him more with the pipet but he seems not interested. He eats much less than before.

A gradual decline in feeding response is a serious symptom, but not of any single issue. One thing that can happen is that when a fish becomes very thin, it uses its liver tissue for energy. That is a fatal trend, as with all animals, once the liver is used like that, it cannot repair itself. I looked back at your pictures and see that your wrasse is thinner than I first thought - hopefully, this isn't that problem.