Stringy Poo

[Kraig]

Hello all! I have a new Purple Firefish and it is in a qt tank for observation. I have seen it poo twice in the last couple of days, both times with stringy poo, but the first part of the poo to come out is normal looking (brown) but the second half(ish) of the poo looks white/clear, and it hangs on a little while.

Should I go ahead and treat this fish (metro?, focus?) or is this something to just keep an eye on for now.

Thanks!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hello all! I have a new Purple Firefish and it is in a qt tank for observation. I have seen it poo twice in the last couple of days, both times with stringy poo, but the first part of the poo to come out is normal looking (brown) but the second half(ish) of the poo looks white/clear, and it hangs on a little while.

Should I go ahead and treat this fish (metro?, focus?) or is this something to just keep an eye on for now.

Thanks!

That’s a tough call….

Is it eating well?
What are you feeding it?
How long have you had it?
Is it showing any other symptoms?

Metro+Focus is useless unless you calculate the dosage properly - should be around 1% metro by total food weight fed every day for three days - but this only helps for protozoan diseases, and there are other causes for white feces.

Jay

 

[Kraig]

Sorry for the left out details.

I've had the fish for a week now. It seems to be acting normal, just hangs out in the middle of the tank all day with the lights on and sleeps in a corner of the tank at night.

It is eating well. I am feeding a rotation of Rods Food (Fish only) and Reef Nutrition Formula 2 and TDO pellets. It doesn't care for the the pellets much right now and I've only tried that a couple of times. The frozen is the main rotation.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sorry for the left out details.

I've had the fish for a week now. It seems to be acting normal, just hangs out in the middle of the tank all day with the lights on and sleeps in a corner of the tank at night.

It is eating well. I am feeding a rotation of Rods Food (Fish only) and Reef Nutrition Formula 2 and TDO pellets. It doesn't care for the the pellets much right now and I've only tried that a couple of times. The frozen is the main rotation.

Please post pics under white light intensity. It may be from foods fed at LFS including mysis shrimp, brine shrimp and some flakes. The diet you are feeding should help as its lower in mucus content

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Sorry for the left out details.

I've had the fish for a week now. It seems to be acting normal, just hangs out in the middle of the tank all day with the lights on and sleeps in a corner of the tank at night.

It is eating well. I am feeding a rotation of Rods Food (Fish only) and Reef Nutrition Formula 2 and TDO pellets. It doesn't care for the the pellets much right now and I've only tried that a couple of times. The frozen is the main rotation.

Well, as long as it isn't showing other symptoms, there really isn't any treatment direction to go with it. If it was in a quarantine tank, you could treat with General Cure in the water....that covers a couple of possible issues. Here is a write-up that I did on 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.

Jay

 

[Kraig]

Well, as long as it isn't showing other symptoms, there really isn't any treatment direction to go with it. If it was in a quarantine tank, you could treat with General Cure in the water....that covers a couple of possible issues. Here is a write-up that I did on 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.

Jay

Thanks for the information Jay.

I will do a little more reading and keep an eye out. It is in a qt by itself so I can go any direction I need to for treatment. I have a BS so lots of time in a lab (although I am not a practicing geologist). I've been wanting to get a scope for a while, this might nudge me that way. It would be interesting to observe the poo under a scope! Maybe not as fun as looking at rocks

I haven't had my phone both times I've seen the poo. If I see it again, I will try to get a video. No blue lights in this tank so don't have to fight the blues....

 

[Kraig]

Said fish. Had a heck of a time staying focused. Still no video or pics of poo. Haven’t caught him in the act yet.

First video showing him eating, second just cruising some, lookkng around for a little more food I suspect.

Excuse the messy tank please!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Said fish. Had a heck of a time staying focused. Still no video or pics of poo. Haven’t caught him in the act yet.

First video showing him eating, second just cruising some, lookkng around for a little more food I suspect.

Excuse the messy tank please!

I don't see any symptoms of issues here....looks pretty good.

jay

 

[Kraig]

I don't see any symptoms of issues here....looks pretty good.

jay

Thanks Jay. I will proceed with observation!