# Guppy is flashing/scratching - parasites?



## Nireht (Jan 20, 2011)

I have a new 20 gallon high tank with three male feeder guppies, a red cherry shrimp, and live plants. One of my guppies is flashing (quickly turning to the side and sweeping across the sand). I do not have a hospital/quarantine tank to treat him in. I was thinking of buying a specimen container (the things that fish stores use to put fish in before they're put in a bag) and hang it on the side of the tank and use a bath.

What medications are available that can be used as a bath for parasites?

Because I have shrimp, live plants, and my tank is still cycling (my ammonia is 0.25 ppm) I can't add anything to the whole tank that would harm any of those.

I have aquarium salt and aquarisol on hand.


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## liz26914 (Oct 26, 2011)

aquarium salt only helps them not get sick. Aquarisol treats velvet and ich. Try that. If that dosn't work, try jungle parasite clear, which treats most worms. If that doesn't work, u might have callamus (spelled wrong) round worms. Real pain in the ass. Does it look like there is a worm sticking out of his butt? you can try buying a dog dewormer with fenbendozole (spelled wrong)(I use safeguard) , dissolve it in water, soak food or treat in it for a couple of hours and feed it to ur fish. Its very likely that ur whole tank is sick and just isn't showing symptoms yet.


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## Nireht (Jan 20, 2011)

I don't see anything hanging from him or any patches on him. Or really anything abnormal other than his behavior.

It may simply be the ammonia that's irritating him. But feeder fish aren't usually very healthy to begin with. They came out of a turtle tank! I liked them so much I told the store worker and he got them for me.

Unless I see anything obvious on him I think perhaps I should wait it out until I see how he behaves once the tank is cycled.

I wish I had the money to get a 10 gal for my betta so I can use his 5 gal for a quarantine tank.


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## Nireht (Jan 20, 2011)

*Update*

Well the guppy that was flashing is now missing. I can't find him or his body. So I'm now down to two feeder guppies. I went to pick up three endlers that I had requested, but one of them is sick and I've got him in a specimen container I bought. I picked up Quick Cure, but what this new fish has is something internal I fear.


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## bettaowner101 (Nov 13, 2009)

Missing? Could any of the other fish have eaten his body? Did he get sucked up the filter?


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## Nireht (Jan 20, 2011)

bettaowner101 said:


> Missing? Could any of the other fish have eaten his body? Did he get sucked up the filter?



No, I have a pre-filter sponge. It is possible he jumped out of the tank. But I searched high and low for him on the floor, in the tank, etc.

Poor endlers were really stressed out. As a matter of fact one of the endlers jumped out of the tank, I found him just in time when I saw something I didn't see yesterday on the carpet. He was still moist and alive and I quickly put him in the tank. Lucky bastard, I had just woken up. That was two days ago and he's still acting weird, usually stays to himself. Neurological damage from lack of air maybe or just still in shock?

I decided to close up the open space around the filter with some tape.


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## bettaowner101 (Nov 13, 2009)

Nireht said:


> No, I have a pre-filter sponge. It is possible he jumped out of the tank. But I searched high and low for him on the floor, in the tank, etc.
> 
> Poor endlers were really stressed out. As a matter of fact one of the endlers jumped out of the tank, I found him just in time when I saw something I didn't see yesterday on the carpet. He was still moist and alive and I quickly put him in the tank. Lucky bastard, I had just woken up. That was two days ago and he's still acting weird, usually stays to himself. Neurological damage from lack of air maybe or just still in shock?
> 
> I decided to close up the open space around the filter with some tape.


I highly recommend you getting Jungle Parasite Clear. I put in a tablet of those last night when I noticed my new Molly was darting, clamped, and was scratching against objects. I woke up today to see my molly no longer clamped and is no longer darting. Back to her old self and it hasn't even been 24 hours yet. Unfortunately my other Molly died yesterday, didn't get it close enough


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## Nireht (Jan 20, 2011)

bettaowner101 said:


> I highly recommend you getting Jungle Parasite Clear. I put in a tablet of those last night when I noticed my new Molly was darting, clamped, and was scratching against objects. I woke up today to see my molly no longer clamped and is no longer darting. Back to her old self and it hasn't even been 24 hours yet. Unfortunately my other Molly died yesterday, didn't get it close enough



Both of the endlers have come down with columnaris. I am treating the whole tank. Took out all of my plants except my hornwort. Lowered the temp from 78 to 74, dosing salt, and using tetracycline. I gave the sickest one an overdosed 10 min Quick Cure bath which has malachite green in it.

It's the best I can do with what I have on hand. I'd rather use a Methylene Blue or potassium permanganate as a dip/bath and kanamycin for the whole tank but I don't have those.


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## Nireht (Jan 20, 2011)

Found the missing guppy today. He was still alive in the filter intake! That's 10 days missing. Wow.


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## afremont (Nov 17, 2011)

Nireht said:


> Found the missing guppy today. He was still alive in the filter intake! That's 10 days missing. Wow.


That's amazing. What kind of filter? How's he doing, I bet he's tired.


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## Nireht (Jan 20, 2011)

AquaClear 50.

Appears he has a gill sticking out, skin loose on his back, looks like he's missing scales, doesn't swim right, kinda crooked. He has a voracious appetite tho.

Instead of swimming horizontally he swims diagonally, and slowly.


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## afremont (Nov 17, 2011)

Amazing, a true Super Fish. I have that type of filter, how did he get thru the slots?


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## Nireht (Jan 20, 2011)

I have a pre-filter sponge. So I don't know. I think I must have dumped him in when pouring tank water into the filter to get it going after turning it off perhaps. That's the only explanation.


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## afremont (Nov 17, 2011)

Ok, so he was inside the filter box itself? If he'd gone up the tube he'd have to have gone thru the pump past the impeller to end up there. Doubt he could have survived that trip, but who knows I guess fry make it sometimes.


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