Stringy Poop

[Instigate]

I have noticed stringy poop on my Tailspot Blenny I have in QT. It's not the absolute white I have seen others post in threads where people say it's internal parasites. I have seen both green and an off white color. I feed hikari bio pure mysis and ocean nutrition green algae seaweed sheets. So I was thinking that the colors are because of what I'm feeding. I have prazipro, general cure, metro/focus, and copper on hand. Should I go ahead and start feeding food infused with metro/focus? I have been trying to get pictures and video. I'll post some when I get better ones.

 

[Big G]

Are you treating with some medication now?

 

[Instigate]

Are you treating with some medication now?

Nope, just been letting him get settled in and eating good for the past 4-5 days so now I'm ready to treat with meds if needed.

 

[Humblefish]

The "off white" color could be intestinal worms, so I would go ahead and begin soaking metro/focus into his food.

 

[Big G]

Poo doesn't look bad. I have some Firefish in QT right now and feeding them a similar mix and their poo looks like your picture. They are happy and healthy at day 42 of QT. I did prophylactic treatment of General Cure first and now almost done with Cupramine. Hope that helps. Cheers.

 

[Instigate]

Thank you both for your input. I will start adding the metro/focus to the mysis.

 

[ngoodermuth]

The poop in the picture looks fine to me, but white, stringy poop would definitely warrant metro/focus. Feed for at least 10 days, or up to three weeks if symptoms persist.

 

[Instigate]

The poop in the picture looks fine to me, but white, stringy poop would definitely warrant metro/focus. Feed for at least 10 days, or up to three weeks if symptoms persist.

Color seems to change depending on what I last fed. Have seen some 1/2 green 1/2 off white ones too.

I made up some food with the metro and focus and fed him some.

Is it ever normal to have stringy poop? Regardless of color.

 

[4FordFamily]

Color seems to change depending on what I last fed. Have seen some 1/2 green 1/2 off white ones too.

I made up some food with the metro and focus and fed him some.

Is it ever normal to have stringy poop? Regardless of color.

Stringy poo is like fish constipation but depending on the species, diet, and environment -- it's not entirely uncommon.

 

[Instigate]

Stringy poo is like fish constipation but depending on the species, diet, and environment -- it's not entirely uncommon.

Is there anything I can be doing better as far as diet?

 

[4FordFamily]

Is there anything I can be doing better as far as diet?

I mean I think we all feed relatively low quality foods relative to their oceanic feeding behaviors but I avoid pellets and flakes entirely. Live blackworms should be fed for the sole reason that they're quite nutritious!

 

[Instigate]

I mean I think we all feed relatively low quality foods relative to their oceanic feeding behaviors but I avoid pellets and flakes entirely. Live blackworms should be fed for the sole reason that they're quite nutritious!

I'll see about where I can get some. Thanks!

 

[4FordFamily]

I'll see about where I can get some. Thanks!

I ordered mine online but it'd be a lot less expensive if a local LFS had them.

 

[Instigate]

He was eating the focus/metro infused mysis for the past couple days but now this morning he ate a couple bites of the mysis then abruptly stopped eating and hid like something was wrong. He's only wanting to eat the seaweed sheets I rubber band to a small piece of dry rock rubble. I tried again later and he swam up to the eyedropper I use to feed like he was ready to eat, but when I dropped a piece in he turned away. I also observed him gum some smaller pieces and spit them back out. Should I dose the tank with metro? Or should I try a different food infused with metro/focus? Maybe add garlic guard? I mixed the mysis with chopped up seaweed when I made up the batch of food. The seaweed I have is the ocean nutrition seaweed with garlic already in it.

Also I have noticed more stringy poop and have seen him with several poops all hanging on by a very thin thread. I think I read somewhere that would denote an internal parasite.

 

[Big G]

Consider using General Cure dosed into the water for internal parasites. Use a brine shrimp net to rub the powder to dissolve and disperse the medication throughly into the tank water. Here's Humblefish's Fish Diseases 101:
Internal/intestinal parasites:

Symptoms - Internal parasites are also “worms,” but these target a fish’s intestines. As a result, the main symptom is white stringy poop. It has to be white; brown stringy poop, for example, can just mean intestinal irritation which requires no treatment.

Treatment options - API General Cure (a medication containing both praziquantel and metronidazole). Some species of internal worms are resistant to prazi, while others are resistant to metro, but usually not both. :wink: Seachem MetroPlex can be dosed directly in QT, or soaking fish food with it provides an alternative (and reef safe) treatment option. Two other available options are: Paracide-X (mixed in food) and Paracide-D (in- tank treatment).

Hope this helps!

 

[Instigate]

Consider using General Cure dosed into the water for internal parasites. Use a brine shrimp net to rub the powder to dissolve and disperse the medication throughly into the tank water. Here's Humblefish's Fish Diseases 101:
Internal/intestinal parasites:

Symptoms - Internal parasites are also “worms,” but these target a fish’s intestines. As a result, the main symptom is white stringy poop. It has to be white; brown stringy poop, for example, can just mean intestinal irritation which requires no treatment.

Treatment options - API General Cure (a medication containing both praziquantel and metronidazole). Some species of internal worms are resistant to prazi, while others are resistant to metro, but usually not both. :wink: Seachem MetroPlex can be dosed directly in QT, or soaking fish food with it provides an alternative (and reef safe) treatment option. Two other available options are: Paracide-X (mixed in food) and Paracide-D (in- tank treatment).

Hope this helps!

Could he be disinterested in the mysis because I'm likely over feeding? I've been feeding as much as he would eat in a couple minutes twice a day, as well as the seaweed sheets I rubber band to a rock. Any thoughts on why he suddenly decided to not eat the mysis? And does the fish poop held together by a thread affirm my suspicions of an internal parasite? I read that some fish just don't like the taste of the meds. But he was eating it for two days. I don't get why he would suddenly stop eating it.

But since GC has both prazi and metro I suppose that would be the best course of action.

 

[Katrina71]

Lrs Reef Frenzy. Cut it into tiny pieces. Ours loves it.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Could he be disinterested in the mysis because I'm likely over feeding? I've been feeding as much as he would eat in a couple minutes twice a day, as well as the seaweed sheets I rubber band to a rock. Any thoughts on why he suddenly decided to not eat the mysis? And does the fish poop held together by a thread affirm my suspicions of an internal parasite? I read that some fish just don't like the taste of the meds. But he was eating it for two days. I don't get why he would suddenly stop eating it.

But since GC has both prazi and metro I suppose that would be the best course of action.

Sometimes they will "snub" the taste of the medicine, especially if you are offering other choices. You could try adding some entice or garlic to make it more palatable. And, I would hold off on the Nori, just until treatment is completed. It's better if all the food they eat is medicated, more effective. Some internal parasites can be stubborn.

You can food soak GC, it is 2 scoops of GC to one scoop of focus to one tablespoon of food. That covers a little bit of a broader spectrum of parasites, mainly tapeworms.

 

[Xclusive Reef]

one my clowns had white stingy poop 3-4 weeks ago, last night i noticed it again? i treated with metro/focus for 3 weeks. could it just be poop? don't want to dose metro again if i don't have too

 

[4FordFamily]

one my clowns had white stingy poop 3-4 weeks ago, last night i noticed it again? i treated with metro/focus for 3 weeks. could it just be poop? don't want to dose metro again if i don't have too

Unfortunately it sounds like it wasn’t effective. Are you sure the clown ate the food? I’d re-treat.