Does white stringy poop always mean parasites?

I’ve noticed that my Odessa Barbs have long white stringy poop hanging out from their anus.

I don’t really notice any inflammation or abnormal behaviour. They seem to be eating and swimming normally. The poop falls off after a while and it’s not moving on it’s own, so I don’t think the poop is a worm.

Do my barbs have parasites?

 

They can, any fish can have parasites. As far as white poop being a definite indicator, it's not - but another symptom to look for.

If your fish had internal parasites, they'd also likely be skinny, swimming funny, or otherwise also not appearing totally healthy. If they're robust and acting normally and you haven't added any new live organisms to the tank (plants or other fish) recently, than I'd like to think they're okay.

White stringy poop can also be a symptom of digestion issues. Do you notice this on their fasting days? do you feed the same thing all the time? how often do you feed?

Additionally, the type of 'white and stringy' can also be an indicator, is there a lot of white and stringy, or just one occasional strand. A lot all the time is signalling something wrong with digestion all the time (and is a cause for concern), the occasional white, stringy poop could just be something temporarily up with the fishes digestion. Bubbles in their poop can also signal this.

 

They can, any fish can have parasites. As far as white poop being a definite indicator, it's not - but another symptom to look for.

If your fish had internal parasites, they'd also likely be skinny, swimming funny, or otherwise also not appearing totally healthy. If they're robust and acting normally and you haven't added any new live organisms to the tank (plants or other fish) recently, than I'd like to think they're okay.

White stringy poop can also be a symptom of digestion issues. Do you notice this on their fasting days? do you feed the same thing all the time? how often do you feed?

Additionally, the type of 'white and stringy' can also be an indicator, is there a lot of white and stringy, or just one occasional strand. A lot all the time is signalling something wrong with digestion all the time (and is a cause for concern), the occasional white, stringy poop could just be something temporarily up with the fishes digestion. Bubbles in their poop can also signal this.

I did have a sickly corydoras which had fin rot and was really skinny which I’ve removed.
I cleaned the tank, filter and did a 80% water change after that.

The fish (Odessa Barb and Neon Tetra) that exhibits stringy white poop does appear to be normal. They are swimming normally and seem to be eating. I don’t notice any white spots or swelling. Physically they look normal.

They could be stressed though during the big clean as I’ve also hoovered the substrate. Water temps also varied during the water changes.

The white stringy poop is occasional, not constant. Should I reduce feed and increase aquarium temp?

edit: I used to fast every other day but now I feed them once daily as I noticed the barbs were nipping at the plants. Should I consider fasting again?

 

https://cafishvet.com/2020/01/25/white-stringy-poop-in-fish/

 

Well.....how much and what do you feed?

It could be they're not getting enough of the right type of food. Do you vary feeding? or do you feed the same thing all the time? do you skip feedings at all?

I don't think you should go adding or removing anything for them just yet because I personally don't think anything is 'wrong'. I just think you may need to feed differently. Was the corydora eating beforehand? Did it stop eating in your care?

 

White Stringy Poop in Fish - Aquatic Veterinary Services

Thanks. It could be something else as I've noticed this occasionally even before the sickly corydoras.

 

Well.....how much and what do you feed?

It could be they're not getting enough of the right type of food. Do you vary feeding? or do you feed the same thing all the time? do you skip feedings at all?

I don't think you should go adding or removing anything for them just yet because I personally don't think anything is 'wrong'. I just think you may need to feed differently. Was the corydora eating beforehand? Did it stop eating in your care?

I suspect the sick corydora could have got the fin nipped whilst laying eggs and could be poor water quality. It got really thin and fins were bunched up, unfortunately I had to euthanise her.

I also don’t think anything’s wrong as I can’t spot any signs of infection on the Barbs. Only the stringy poop.

I have been feeding slightly more than usual lately.

I rotate between Tetra flakes, Fluval bug bites and New Life Spectrum Grow.

 

So some of the Odessa Barbs are still pooping stringy poop. Perhaps slightly less now.

The poop does not have mucus but white string and sometimes pink (from flake food) or black spots.

They appear normal and eating as usual. No signs of pine coning or sunken belly.

I suspect could be down to stress as I did a very big water change and tidy up few days ago when this started.

Over here in the UK over the counter medication is limited but I was recommended eSha -nDX. I haven’t bought the meds yet and so far only do 20-30% daily water changes to ensure the tank is as clean as possible. I’ve also reduced feeding to smaller amounts once daily. If it’s stress I’m not sure if I should skip feeding?

What are you thoughts on this?