# IP help for sensitive fish please!



## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Well, if any of you have read my other thread you will know that all the fish from my 15 gallon are now in my QT tank awaiting treatment for internal parasites that my guppies apparently brought in dormant. So, from treating the guppies I know that parasite clear and pretty much any weaker medication doesn't work on these suckers. I have a very strong med called Clout that I ordered specifically for this purpose, but on reading the label it says it's not safe for bottomfeeders (my corys). So here's the question; the clout is a 1 time deal, one dose, one day, says you can use more but once should do the trick. If the parasites won't respond to anything else, then how would I treat this without using the strong meds? Do you think if I put a tablet in and watched very carefully that my cories could survive the treatment? What would you do? I mean, they can't go in my new tank until they're treated.

Thanks in advance for any advice. I really need it!


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

I have used Clout. It is very strong and it is highly unlikely that your Cory's would survive.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Could you treat the corys separate from the other fish with something else?


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## FordMan (Jan 18, 2009)

*You can try copper sulfate here's some info on it. As far as i know it won't hurt your corries but i haven't tryed it myself.
*
*Copper Sulfate, Is it safe?*
Many people have had a bad experience with, or are afraid to use Copper Sulfate on their fish because they have been improperly informed on the mixing, dosing and usage of this product.
*First we will tell you what Copper does:*
Copper Sulfate is pretty much an all-around treatment. It is an Algaecide, meaning that it kills Algae, it is Anti-Bacterial, Anti-Fungal, works on external Protozoa such as Ich, and works on Oodinium, Sliminess of the skin, and kills certain parasites such as Cryptocaryon Irritans (Salt water Ich) and Crustacea (Argulus). It also works as a great preventative treatment for most all fish, freshwater or saltwater. We used to use it on Gill Flukes years ago, but now, the Gill Flukes have become resistant to this treatment.
*How to mix up a Copper Solution properly:*
Stock solution= 21 grams of Copper Sulfate + 21 grams of Citric Acid Crystals to 1 pint of distilled water. Shake well. Use 1 drop per every gallon of aquarium water= .15ppm. Why use Citric Acid with Copper? Simple, it sequesters the solution to make it stable. Copper does not readily dissolve in water. The Citric Acid helps it to dissolve completely and prevent Copper levels from bouncing around.
*How high can I run Copper?*
Safe levels are .15ppm to .20ppm. Any higher may burn the fish and leave them with red sores on their sides. It is very important to use a Copper test kit when medicating with this product.
*How do I remove Copper?*
A common misconception about Copper is that it can be removed from the water with activated charcoal. It can only be removed by either doing water changes, or by using E.D.T.A. (Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acidic Acid) to chelate it out of the water. Remember folks, there is no such thing as a "Chelated Copper Solution", as "Chelated" means "Inactivated". The proper terminology would be "Sequestered Copper Solution".
*Warnings before using Copper:*
Although Copper is safe at the correct parts per million, there are certain things that Copper cannot be use on: Saltwater Sharks, Invertebrates, and for sure... reef tanks.
Also, be careful if using Copper to kill algae. When you dose the tank, the Copper readings will disappear, because the algae will suck it all up. Then the algae dies, and releases all of the Copper back into the water.
Copper is a heavy metal ion and is considered a "Poison". Care should be used when handling this product.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

What kind of internal parasites? I always use levasole if there is any chance a fish is carrying internal parasites. Its a very mild med. that can even be used on discus and invertebrates. Copper Sulfate won't work on internal parasites, it's a very common med and is the ingredient in Mardel's coppersafe. I also can't find anything saying clout will work on internal parasites either.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Mikaila31 said:


> What kind of internal parasites? I always use levasole if there is any chance a fish is carrying internal parasites. Its a very mild med. that can even be used on discus and invertebrates. Copper Sulfate won't work on internal parasites, it's a very common med and is the ingredient in Mardel's coppersafe. I also can't find anything saying clout will work on internal parasites either.


Really? The clout says right on the package that it will kill internal parasites. I don't want to kill my cories with it though!

Where do you get levasole? My main problem is that I can't seem to find any other meds around. I don't really know what type they are. All I know is that they came in on some rescue guppies that were in terribly dirty water for years. The affected fish have white, stringy poops which is not the result of constipation. I had one guppy die since the I moved the remaining ones over to my 15 gallon (after I thought they were ok) and he died in a gruesome way with open ulcers covering his abdomen. He basically looked like he was exploding from the inside out. If I had to make a guess, I would say that the parasites had damaged his stomach wall enough to make it unable to hold up. I had to euthanize him and it was terrible.

If all else fails, do you think doing a half or even quarter dose of the Clout would be safe?

Thanks to everyone who replied!


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

I cant say I have had any success treating for IP. My clown loach did not make it. I ordered some Paracide-x from National Fish Pharmaceuticals. How well it works, I dont know, fish did not live long enough to try it out.
(nationalfishpharm.com), if you want to read about Paracide-x.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Twistersmom said:


> I cant say I have had any success treating for IP. My clown loach did not make it. I ordered some Paracide-x from National Fish Pharmaceuticals. How well it works, I dont know, fish did not live long enough to try it out.
> (nationalfishpharm.com), if you want to read about Paracide-x.


Yeah, I know, tell me about it! I have sucessfully brought bettas back from the dead, treated fin rot, velvet, ick, and fungus, but I can't seem to beat this IP. I even made my own meds from a recipe that I got on here using a horse dewormer, all to no avail. I'm starting to loose hope for these guys, and it makes me feel really guilty that I have possibly killed my cories because of introducing those guppies...even though they appeared to be better. :-(


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

I went to the pet store the other day and I took a look at the meds while I was there. They didn't have anything beside the parasite clear. Drsfostersmith doesn't have much else either. I'm thinking I may be forced to try 1/4 to 1/2 dose clout. I don't want to kill my cories, but if the parasites won't respond to anything else they will die anyway. Uhhh...this is a terrible situation I never wanted to happen. Advice anyone? Will that work? And don't worry, I won't blame anyone if anything goes wrong, I'm just looking for imput. I take responsibility for my own actions.


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

I would not do it. If the meds say not to use it on cories, I would not do it. I would by some kind of medication on line, or give it some time. There is a good chance the corries are not even infected. Do they show any signs of illness?


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

sorry to see you're having a hard time.
would there be any possible way to re locate the corys and treat them with something else,
or even move the guppys,to a rubber maid container and treat them in that ?
sorry if you've already thought of this.
ok i just had a thought............probably more than stupid..........
can you make up the solution and dip the guppys ? so not to effect the others ?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Can you try the one you made with the dewormer on the cories and the Clout on the others?


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Great news! I went on drsfostersmith.com to see if they had a help section. I looked throught the entire catalogue and didn't see anything with different active ingredients so I wanted to know what they would recommend. Turns out they have this thing where you can ask a question and they will put you through to an expert who you can talk to via a chat box. So, I explained my situation to the woman and she consulted a tech who said that I could try one 1/2 dose Clout or a half dose of another med. So, I followed the directions on the clout, just cut the tablet in half. As of right now everyone is doing fine, but since school was cancelled due to snow I will be here all day to make sure nothing goes wrong. I'm just hoping that it will work. Cross your fingers for me!

Oh, and some more good news is that I was able to salvage all my plants. I scooped out all the infected eco-complete (there goes $20) and the gross driftwood. I then bleached the entire tank, heater, (not the filter, that I moved onto the QT tank with the fish). I also emersed the plants in a 5% bleach solution for 3 minutes, rinsed them off, and soaked them in a bucket with 3x the normal dechlorinator. Then I refilled the tank, stuck the plants in, and turned the light on. I have a little sand left that I will rinse today, and hopefully tonight if the weather is good enough I am going to pick up a new bag. The plants look good today (never seen them so algae free!) so I'm hoping that they will survive and I can replant the tank for only the cost of a $4 bag of sand. I'm thinking maybe once it's set up and I'm satisfied it's stable I'll do a school of neons with the cories....

Anyway, here's to hoping that everything works out!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm glad you found someone to help you. Good luck with everything.


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

Glad to hear it! Hope all goes well for you! I did not know DF&S had that kind of service available, that is good to know.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

That IS good to know.


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## cerianthus (Jul 13, 2008)

Have used CLOUT by AQUARIUM PRODUCTS for over 20 yrs in treating external parasites, especially Ich, including corys w/o any mishaps. Unless, ingredients have been changed, I think they advice to be careful with scaless fish such as Lions, Shark. Even used it on clown locaches treating for Ich and worked well (used slightly less for CL). Just dont over dose. 
And I think CLOUT will not work against IP, it says that this med is for treating external parasites. From my experiences, did NOT help much in treating Arguls /Flukes infestation.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Kim, how are your fish doing? I hope all is well for your fishies.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Ummm...well to tell you the truth I don't really know. Everyone survived fine and I just did the water change and added carbon to the filter yesterday, but I'm not really sure it was effective. There were a few brown poops, but there are still some that just look kind of pale and goopy.

Does anyone with experience with IP have any suggestions for good meds and where I can order them?

The good news is that my plants are still alive and I have added the sand to the tank. So, I'll be planting them today and hopefully I can find something neat to put in the tank. But, the fish need to get out of the QT tank before I can put anything in there. Hopefully the bad luck will end soon.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Maybe it takes the meds awhile to clear everything out?


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Well, it's been a few days and it still appears that they have the IP. Any med suggestions? Does anyone know of a place where I can order them and get shipping for less than $10? I mean, it's kind of expensive to get a ten dollar med and have to spend ten dollars just on shipping, especially when it takes a week to get here. Please? Someone has to have some experience with a good med for treating IP.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

Despite what the package says Clout had no chance of treating IP. None of the active ingredients have any effect on IP. I suggest going and getting some Levamisole HCL. Follow that site for proper dosing. You can get it at Fleet farm/ Farm & Fleet, the farm section. It's sold as a pig dewormer, $16 for a lifestime supply. Bottle should look like This. The bottle is for mixing the med with water, so it's very large and has a fairly small amout of the med on the bottom. I suggest storing the med in a smaller bottle.

The main thing when treating fish with meds is to know what you are treating them with. I don't mean the brand name, but the active ingredients in the med. You would be surprised whats what and all the uses our fish antibiotics have. I've used actual fish meds, animal meds, and perscription human meds on fish. This may sound like a bit much, but why pay for Maracyn Two when I'm perscribed 100mg Minocycline tablets. Turn this around and you get a problem......... that may surprise some people......


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Thank you so much! I'm going to get my mom to hopefully drive me over today and try to find it. Hopefully I can settle this problem once and for all!


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## aspects (Feb 1, 2009)

raise the temp, add salt, daily WC


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Kim, how are your fish doing? I hope they are on the road to recovery.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

We couldn't get the med yesterday unfortunately, but my mom should try to get it tomorrow. I'll tell you how it works. I'm crossing my fingers that we can 1) find it and 2) that it works.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I hope everything works out for you.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

More bad news. We called Agway (our only place around that would carry farm animal dewormers) and they said that they had it. Only when we arrived did we realize that the woman didn't know what she was talking about and it turns out that they didn't have it. So, the search continues.

Oh, and another complication is that my female guppy gave birth to ~30 fry today. Yup.....just great. 

If I can't find the levamisole, maybe I should try PraziPro. I already used prazanquatel (sp.?) but maybe the dosing was not high enough? Oh, probably scratch that, that was also one of the active ingredients in the Parasite Clear. I'll just keep looking for the levamisole...ughhhh


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Is there anywhere you can order it online?


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## cerianthus (Jul 13, 2008)

If it is IP, only method of treating them is orally. Try searching for medicated foods for IP. I am sure it is still available. Tetra used have 2 types of medicated foods, one for bacterial and one for parasitic infection. Putting med in the water did not have any effects on IP from my experiences. Must ingest med to be effective. Once found, Check to see if ok with live plants. May want to leave carbon in the filter just in case leftover food decays.

All this if fish are still eating.


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## cerianthus (Jul 13, 2008)

I just google for medicated fish foods, ther are few and easily avail. Jungle Lab has 2 kinds avail just like Tetra. check it out and maybe lfs may have some. Call lfs to see if in stock.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

I've tried medicated foods. They are garbage. The one by Jungle included. levamisole is the best way to treat them. If they have IP.......... I'm not terribly sure that the OP's fish even have IPs. Going just by their poop is not a very acurate way of telling. 

Lots of fish carry internal parasites, normally the load is low enough to not be a real concern. One the load gets higher the fish start losing weight. They don't act any different and they usually eat a lot, but continue to get skinnier.

Kim If you can't find the levamisole I can mail you some if you want. that is if you are in the USA......


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## cerianthus (Jul 13, 2008)

Mikaila31 said:


> I've tried medicated foods. They are garbage. The one by Jungle included. levamisole is the best way to treat them. If they have IP.......... I'm not terribly sure that the OP's fish even have IPs. Going just by their poop is not a very acurate way of telling.
> 
> Lots of fish carry internal parasites, normally the load is low enough to not be a real concern. One the load gets higher the fish start losing weight. They don't act any different and they usually eat a lot, but continue to get skinnier.
> 
> Kim If you can't find the levamisole I can mail you some if you want. that is if you are in the USA......


Mikalia,
I do know you have good intention but Kim may be Minor. Would be careful before recommending/dispensing med other than prepared form that mom can purchase/obtain from Vet and supervise its use...

The reason Prepared food did not work was probably if fish is infected with other than tapeworm. Jungle Labs med food contain ingredient, Praziquantel, used against tapeworm as Levamisole is found to be effective against roundworm.

Camallanus, round worm, usually associated with Livebearer, Levamisole would be effective and further reading of my books confirmed that it can be absorbed from water. iBut I could not find any Levamisole in prepared form. 
Just remembered that I've used piperazine citrate, PIPZINE by AQUATRONICS(dont know still available) with good results (not in the water though). Still requires adult supervision when altering its use.

Kim! Google for Camallanus images to see if you notice same/similar symptoms. Unlike some roundworm/other worm which requires intermediate hosts, Camallanus can spread fro fish to fish w/o intermediate host. SO if can ID & treat, it will benfit all the fish.

You should be certain, even difficult task, before exposing fish to unnecessary medicatios. Such overuse can lead to organisms building resistance to med thus can/will be ineffective when one really needs it.

Hope you can verify some how that it is/is not IP so you can rest your mind!!


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

Jungle Labs anti- parasite medicated fish food contains,, Praziquantel,Metronidazole,Levamisole. It comes as small pellets which can be crushed for feeding small fish. As with any medications, ALWAYS follow the directions.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Mikaila31 said:


> Lots of fish carry internal parasites, normally the load is low enough to not be a real concern. One the load gets higher the fish start losing weight. They don't act any different and they usually eat a lot, but continue to get skinnier.


That is exactly what happened to the entire tank full of guppies. They just got thinner, and thinner, eventually started to breathe rapidly, and died. The white, stringy poops accompanied this. Only in the end stages did they stop eating. I tried Parasite Clear by Jungle Labs, and although it seemed to work at first (poops would become brown again) within a few days everything would be back to the way it was. I tried it many times, so I don't think it has anything to do with the lifecycle of the parasite. I then tried to feed the medication to the fish using directions that I got off another site. I used bloodworms and a horse dewormer that contains an active ingredient of pyrantal pamoate. The fish appeared to be fine for a while, so I moved the remaining 3 over to my 15 gallon. A few weeks later I started seeing white poops coming off of the cories and the guppies so I'm guessing they were still carrying the parasites. One guppy developed bloat like symptoms accompanied by open ulcers in the abdomen area then died (From my research I'd say that this was the result of extensive internal damage to the abdomen wall which I already knew could occur in humans and other animals as well). I moved all the remaining fish into my QT tank for treatment and better observation, and sanitized and reset up the 15 gallon which is now empty. Since being in the QT tank I tried using Clout which had no effect.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

1077 said:


> Jungle Labs anti- parasite medicated fish food contains,, Praziquantel,Metronidazole,Levamisole. It comes as small pellets which can be crushed for feeding small fish. As with any medications, ALWAYS follow the directions.


Yes, I have seen this food. But, the active ingredients are exactly the same as the Parasite Clear which I already tried using to no effect. 

Oh, and what I forgot to mention in my previous post is that I also tried to dissolve some of the Parasite Clear in aquarium water and soak some freeze-dried bloodworms in it for about 1 hr. then feed to the fish in case the medication would be more effective when fed directly to the fish. This did not work either.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

cerianthus said:


> Mikalia,
> I do know you have good intention but Kim may be Minor. Would be careful before recommending/dispensing med other than prepared form that mom can purchase/obtain from Vet and supervise its use...
> 
> Yes, I do know the risks of using meds not made for fish. The way I reason it though, is that without treatment they will all suffer the same fate as the fish that have already died, so I will do my best to treat them in an informed, careful way regardless of what I need to use.
> ...


Thank you.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

I just wanted to thank everyone who has taken the time to help me with this. I really appreciate it and I hope that this problem can be resolved soon for the fish's sake as well as my own sanity!


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

All right, so I looked up Camallanus and I don't think that is what my fish have. I have never seen any worms protruding from my fish in all the months that this problem has persisted.


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## cerianthus (Jul 13, 2008)

May need magnifying glass for better observation but at least we are getting somewhere.
I'll do what ever I can since Im also curious. Not being able to see is very difficult.
Try google for info & pics on following:
1.Ligula intestinalis or other Ligula species 
2. Schistocephalus Sp.
3. Bothriocephalus acheilognathi
4. Internal fluke: Bunodera luciopercae
5. Pomphorhynchus laevis
So far what I can gather from my old books. I am not sure if rest of the fish have contracted internal parasite since most of parasites do requires imtermediate host (water fleas, clams, snail, etc) other than Camallanus from what I could remember/researched so far. If infected Guppy is no longer is in the same tank w/ others, why not just monitor for symptoms on the rest of fish for while. 
Although I handled lots of wild fish in my many yrs in hobby, very rarely came down with internal problem. I am not a fish pathologist but have performed necropsy on the many dead fish trying to determine/learn to prevent any further suffering/loss of fish to my best ability (using apparatus from college and microscope from children desk, at least better than naked eyes). If memory serves came across what I believe was camallanus just few times with no success due to lack of info (no internet) and meds when experiencing difficulties.

Once other are in good health and returned to main tank, hope you can enjoy the fish keeping as it was meant to be, relieves stress not the other way around.LOL

BTW, I did not mean to offend you in any way when I said if you are Minor. Just trying to look out for other's safety.

Hope we can close the book on this issue very soon.
Cerianthus


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

Kim said:


> Yes, I have seen this food. But, the active ingredients are exactly the same as the Parasite Clear which I already tried using to no effect.
> 
> Oh, and what I forgot to mention in my previous post is that I also tried to dissolve some of the Parasite Clear in aquarium water and soak some freeze-dried bloodworms in it for about 1 hr. then feed to the fish in case the medication would be more effective when fed directly to the fish. This did not work either.


 Jungle labs parasite clear does not list levamisol (wormer) as ingredient. Given the expense of the Discus that I care for, I have used the anti- parasite medicated food with success. Have not tried parasite clear (different method of administering) for It requires treating the water which I am loathe to do. Jugle lab also makes anti- bacteria medicated food as well. Perhaps the fish don't have parasites but rather bacterial infection.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

It has been a very LONG time since I had occasion to use either of the medications (jungle anti- parasite medicated food) or jungle Parasite clear tank buddies. I am not certain who has told original poster that these are EXACTLY the same but they are not. A quick google search for ingredients of both will confirm. The medicated fish food by jungle requires exclusive feeding for three consecutive days a week for three weeks. Jungles parasite clear tank buddies have different instructions as I recall , one treatment with 48 hours between next treatment 25 percent water changes between or before treatments for three to four or five weeks (can't remember) I am not attempting to be combative here, or defend or condemn the use of medications just clearing up any possible misunderstanding. As a last resort,, and depending on my attachment to the fish or fishes I too would explore all options.


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

I bought some Jungle Labs medicated parasite food and it did list levamisol as one of the active ingredients. I was using it to treat my clown loach, did not help in my situation.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

And so it goes with attempts at medicating fish. Without proper identification of what specific pathogen ,bacteria,or fungal infection is present most hobbyists can only make their best educated guess given the symptoms that are observed. Proper identification would involve microscope to observe samples of feces or scrapings done to determine exactly what the offending organisim or pathogen is and most hobbyists don't have the means to do so. It also requires the ability to identify different parasites from one another when looking at them.As hobbyists we are lucky in some respects that medications offered have wide ranging capabilities when addressing some parasites but other medications, are for specific applications and affect different fish in different ,sometimes,harmful ways. As I have said many times, It is ALWAYS easier to maintain the water quality than it is to treat sick fish. Proper feeding, water changes done regularly,properly stocked tanks, and the ability to identify possible sick fish when purchasing them = fewer sick fish. When fish are stressed for any reason. their health will suffer as their immune system is weakened due to the stress and thus disease and Illness are more prone to present themselves. And sometimes despite our best efforts fish die.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Thank you for all the advice. I'm still looking for a place to get meds from.

I just wanted to clear something up though. These fish were sick when I got them. I took them from my brother who did not take care of them at all. Once I became educated about fishkeeping I realized how terrible the situation was and I arranged to take the tank. I'm quite neurotic about my fish, so they are all in pristine aquariums which get regular weekly water changes.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

I got some pictures in the hope that they would help. The male guppy was desplaying a lesser case of the ulcerations seen on the other male that died. These two are the only ones that displayed these symptoms. Most of the others when I first took the tank just got more and more emaciated, had rapid breathing, and died. The cories still "appear" normal but they also display the white poops. So here goes.

Male guppy yesterday.
























Female








Cory (all pretty much look the same)








Babies (they look normal and eat fine)








Male guppy today. Notice the ulcer on the side and the bloating which was also present before. I checked for any worms and found none on the body (maybe I should have checked inside as well though). Note: his spine was not crooked before, it only appears that way because he is dead.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Uh, the last pic was supposed to be at the top because the fish is obviously alive, but it wouldn't work so sorry.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

I have been at a loss at what to do, but I am trying one last thing today. I can't fine the Jungle Labs medicated food anywhere,nor the levamisole pig dewormer (which I had my parents drive me a 1/2 hr away just to find out that they didn't have it) but since I am going to Petco tonight to pick up a new betta (yay!) I am going to ask them if they can order it for me. Cross your fingers for me!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

They have it at my Petsmart.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

They did not have it at Petco, and couldn't order it.

I then went on the Jungle Labs website and printed out all the locations that they supply to near me. I read your comment Dramaqueen, and since Petsmart was on the list I checked there first......and they actually have it!!!!!!! I'm so excited, and we're going to pick it up tonight! I had pretty much lost all hope, but now I'm thinking they may have a chance. I'll let some sink for the cories and powder it for the babies so hopefully all will be parasite free soon. I really want to see my cories in my big tank. I know they'll love it because it is sand and I built a big rock cave especially for them. Wish me luck!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm so glad that you found some.  YAY! I hope everything goes well for you.


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

Good luck!!! Hope it works!


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Well, I got the med and everyone ate some tonight. I had to break/crush it into various sizes so that they could all eat it, but in the end everyone had a full stomach of anti-parasitic food...yum. The treatment lasts an entire month which is a pain, but if it works I'm not complaining.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm glad you got the meds and I'm glad they ate it. Keep us posted and good luck!


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

All right, I have a question for those who have used this med before. How long does it take for symptoms to disappear? I'm almost at the end of the first treatment and I am still seeing white, stringy poops. I just want to know because if it's not working I don't want to waste an entire month trying something useless. But I do realize that the med needs a chance to work, so I'm just wondering how long it is before you usually start seeing an improvement. Thanks.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

I have used the anti- parasite medicated food to help discus that were full of worms. The medications are at moderate levels so as not to harm the fish by overdosing. It was after the third week of treatment before I saw solid dark feces. the weeks prior I beleve they were passing the dead parasites so I do not believe it uncommon to observe white stringy poop after only a week. I also fed the fish Freeze dried Flukers daphnia found in reptile section of petco. I'ts basically crushed insects but helps to clear the intestinal tract. My fish became wise to the food after a time and I had to crush it and mix with blood worms and also minced garlic. But nearly all say that if you can get the fish to eat the medications that they are far more effective which is another reason I chose the food over medicating the tank. It may be necessary to treat the fish once again after the first treatment is over (4 weeks) but I might wait for a week or two before doing so. Hopefully your fish will show improvement and the medicated food will have worked.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Ok thanks, that makes me feel better. I really hope it works!


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

got my fingers crossed for you that it works.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Me too!


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

I just wanted to update because I feel that this discussion may be valuable to anyone in the same position. 

The medicated food does seem to be working and I am on the 3rd treatment right now. So, yay, and I would not hesitate to use this product again or recommend it to others


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Good news! YAY!!


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

That is great news!
Glad to hear it!


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

:blueyay::blueyay::thumbsup:


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

great news.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Yeah, I'm really happy!!! I'd almost given them up for dead...now I can picture my cories digging in the sand and exploring the big rock cave that I build just for them in my 29 gallon


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