Gourami with IP?

[twoluvcats]

I'm pretty sure my dwarf gourami in my big tank has internal parasites. His poop is white and stringy...he's been hiding more, and now he's bloating...kinda...only on one side.

Whatever I decide to treat with, I should treat the whole tank, right...and not just put him in a med tank. He's the only one looking sicky.

What should I use to treat? Garlic? Pepso food? Seachem's Metro? anything else. Excluding the garlic I'd have to order-in anything else.

[Rachel]

Hmm. I'm no gourami expert , but I would think you would treat for internal parasites in a similar manner for most fish. I've usually heard the best way is through medicated food, rather than tank medication. As far as what would be the most helpful though, I couldn't say for sure. Pepso food?

Good luck with him.

[twoluvcats]

Thanks Rachel. I'm off to check a small pet store a couple towns over to see if they have any pepso or Metronidazole. <fingers crossed> From what I've been reading the medicated food is actually hit and miss, whereas treating with Metronidazole seems to knock it out very quickly. I'm going to end up following the treatment regimine that his webpage suggests www.tomgriffin.com/aquasource/ipmetro.html

Oh boy...lots of water changes!!

[twoluvcats]

**sigh** They didn't have what I needed for IPs at the store, but they did have 1 box of BettaMax left WOOO bought that LOL

I'm going to call the LFSs in the "big city" I go to to shop (80 miles away) and see if anyone has what I need or if I should just order online.

[amanichen]

Hrm...how did I miss this thread?

Anyway, metronidazole is probably the best way to go. And it can be fed to the fish if you want

[twoluvcats]

I was wondering what was taking you so long

thanks! Hopefully I can get my hands on some in Grand Junction tomorrow.

How likley is it that it DIDN'T spread to any of my other fish? Cause I think there is a chance that he's been battling these guys for a while. I had been seeing white poo from him off and on. He was still eating and staying out, pushing fish around...as gouramis do so well but in the last week he's really withdrawn, hardly eating, now looks slightly bloated and is fading. The eating is the big thing...any time i used to open the lid he would check to see if i was feeding him...now he only comes up if there's food for sure and only eats one flake or pellet, then goes and hides.

[amanichen]

Internal parasites really aren't contagious from fish to fish, but rather it's one of these cases:

1. fish share a common, contaminated food
2. a fish dies and other start munching on the dead one
3. a fish eats another fish's feces

So, isolating the affected fish would be a good idea, as well as treating the main tank water.

[twoluvcats]

I've moved him to the hospital tank. I'm not getting to Grand Junction until sunday...so for the sake of "doing something", I'm feeding him garlic. I got him to eat about 3 tiny pieces of it tonight. I'm not expecting it to "cure" anything, but at least its something LOL

Is it possible that he's had these since I got him in April? and its just now getting bad?

[twoluvcats]

He didn't make it I guess I waited to long to treat him. I think he had had this for a while, and I just didn't trust my diagnostic skills to see it sooner.

I'm still going to do one round of treatment in the tank he was in to make sure that no one else is carrying them. I've been feeding Jungle's IP food the last 2 days.

Off to post a question about Hosptial Tanks.

[amanichen]

twoluvcats said:

Is it possible that he's had these since I got him in April? and its just now getting bad?

Unfortunately, it's quite possible. Many fish who have parasites, typically come with them. I know that sounds a bit funny, but if you uthink about it -- if all your other fish don't have any, then the new fish came with them =)

There's also live food to blame, but at your average large chain pet store, a surprisingly high number of fish come in sick or dying. Symptoms of parasites don't show up right away so it often goes unnoticed till the fish gets to an owner's tank.

[twoluvcats]

that actually makes me feel (a bit) better, because I couldn't think of how he had gotten them with me. I don't feed live food (don't have a store that sells it, and won't pay the shipping on it), no one had been cannabalized, and with my sand substrate and weekly cleanings there's not much poo to be found in my tank.

At least I know what to look for now...He was a tough guy to battle with them for so long. I do feel bad I didn't treat him sooner.