Need advice on Acara with possible internal parasites

I have a full grown EBA male with possible internal parasites. He hasn't eaten for past 3 to 4 days and his belly appears sunken. His color is good, no clamped fins and he comes out a feeding time but has no interest in eating. He is presently only cichlid in 55 gallon planted tank with school of Columbian tetras and Corydoras. I do 25 % water changes weekly. No ammonia nor nitrite and nitrates stay around 20 ppm or less. Temp 76 to 78 ° F, pH is 6.6 - 6.8, gH is 8°. Good filtration and flow (306 Fluval canister with spray bar and a back up sponge filter rated for 125 gallons). Normally I feed him Cobalt cichlid flakes (he won't eat pellets) and frozen cichlid cubes and frozen blood worms. As a treat freeze dried brine shrimp cubes that I rehydrate in tank water. This morning he came out then went back behind a piece of driftwood (his cave). When I first got him as a 3 inch juvie, 8 months ago, he was skinny and spitting out food. I treated him with Metroplex mixed with food. He responded after about a week. I would go that route again, but he's not accepting food. It was suggested by another fish keeper that he may have hex and to try metro with Furan 2 as General Cure is a rather mild antI wormer. I'm setting up a 19 gallon tote as a hospital tank (my quarantine/hospital tank has new fish in it undergoing quarantine. Just waiting on a heater I ordered on line and waiting to see how he responds to 2nd dose of General Cure. He is my favorite fish and I would hate to lose him. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Hex is not a worm. You need a dewormer for nematodes. Furan is an antibiotic, not a dewormer, so i'm not sure what the fish keeper's thoughts are with that. But spitting and hiding are indeed symptoms of Hex (among other things, but not usually worms ime). Fish can take in Metro even if they spit, but it's better if they eat the food yes. Perhaps try feeding bloodworms with Seachem Focus to bind the med to the food. More chance he'll eat bloodworms. Or I use Repashy gel food and mix the Metro in that.

I would absolutely feed the Metro though over dosing the water because Metro doesn't last very long in the water.

If he doesn't improve this time, you could try a dewormer like Levamisole in the water or Fenbendazole in the feed.

He's a bit sunken, but it could be from not eating for a couple of days. If it's sunken belly from parasites, you might catch it early (crossing fingers).

 

I've only dosed the tank once with General cure (24 hrs ago). I will do the second dose and also try the metroplex in blood worms with focus and garlic. He did come out of hiding to greet me this afternoon. Ill try to get him to eat. SeaChem said I can continue dosing the water for up to 3 weeks if he's still not eating. They recommend moving to hospital tank. I know that organics in a tank can reduce a medications effectiveness. He has no stringy poop which I've seen in the past in Rams with Hex. I have a 19 gallon container set up for him so I'm not dosing the main tank. I will look into the Levamisole and Fenbendazol. Thanks so much! He has shipped from a very reputable fish farm in Florida but who knows what he could be harboring. Their cichlids are raised outside in huge ponds.

 

A QT could be helpful to be able to keep an eye on him, but sometimes it might stress the fish. And if it's worms.....well you'll need to treat the whole tank. We are only guessing there is even a parasite problem. I don't want to interfere with anything, so it's more for you to think about.

I'm glad he came out to greet you That's a good sign. Have you tried feeding him yet?

 

A QT could be helpful to be able to keep an eye on him, but sometimes it might stress the fish. And if it's worms.....well you'll need to treat the whole tank. We are only guessing there is even a parasite problem. I don't want to interfere with anything, so it's more for you to think about.

I'm glad he came out to greet you That's a good sign. Have you tried feeding him yet?

He came out last night and ate a small amount of blood worms mixed with Metroplex. He is out again this morning looking for me. Yeah!
Seachem said not to do both (feed AND medicate the tank) so 48 hours after I finish the second dose of General Cure, if he is not 100%, I'm considering continuing the Metroplex in food (as long as he is improving). Or do you think that is over doing it? I've added no new fish to the tank since he was added so I'm thinking I didn't completely rid him of parasites the last time.

 

It's possible you didn't get all the parasites yes. If he's improving, that's great! So happy to hear! So you know that GC is PrazI and Metro right? I think it's ok to feed him Metroplex after the GC. Since you started the GC, might as well finish treatment, but next time you suspect Hex, it's better to feed the Metro. So glad he took the Metro laced food, that's a great sign

 

Acaras do better in warmer water, 80 - 83 degrees. The cooler water might be the stressor that's causing vulnerability to your EBA.
Upping the temp probably will improve the EBA's health, but might be detrimental towards the Cory Cats.
I believe most Cories can handle 80 degrees. DoubleDutch is more knowledgeable on that subject.
Sounds like you are providing your EBA a great home. Hope things get better soon.

 

It's possible you didn't get all the parasites yes. If he's improving, that's great! So happy to hear! So you know that GC is PrazI and Metro right? I think it's ok to feed him Metroplex after the GC. Since you started the GC, might as well finish treatment, but next time you suspect Hex, it's better to feed the Metro. So glad he took the Metro laced food, that's a great sign

He was out all day, not hiding and swimming around but not eating today. Holding off on medicated food until done with GC. He ignored plain blood worms with garlic guard and cichlid flakes; never could get him to eat cichlid pellets. Not discouraged as just gave the tank the second dose tonight. Last time he was sick he would except the medicated food but spit out non-medicated food which I found interesting. Hopefully I will see continued improvement. If not, I will reach out to the forum again. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your advice.

Acaras do better in warmer water, 80 - 83 degrees. The cooler water might be the stressor that's causing vulnerability to your EBA.
Upping the temp probably will improve the EBA's health, but might be detrimental towards the Cory Cats.
I believe most Cories can handle 80 degrees. DoubleDutch is more knowledgeable on that subject.
Sounds like you are providing your EBA a great home. Hope things get better soon.

Thanks! I'll increase the temp back up to 80°, it will probably be better for his immune system. It doesn't seem to stress the corys. I thought he was more active with the warmer temps. I have in my notes to keep temp around 76-78, I think it was from the breeder.

 

I just thought of something. Epsom salts in the food is an alternative treatment for Hex or when Metro fails. I know he's not eating atm, (hope he comes around) but maybe something to keep in mind. Here's some info of you want to read about it
Treating Hexamita aka Spironucleus

 

Thanks for the info. I had thought of putting him in NLS Hex Guard, which I believe contains Epsom salts, but I can't get him to accept pellets. I'll try mixing just the Epsom salts into his medicated food. Great idea, thanks!

 

Update on my EBA Finn. I finished the General Cure, did a 25% water change and ran SeaChem Matrix carbon for three days. I was still concerned that while he was more active and not hiding, he was still showing no interest in food. A friend who use to have South American cichlids, told me that I may not see an improvement in appetite until I got all the PrazI (2nd ingredient in General Cure) out of the tank with carbon and water changes as she found that it was an appetite suppressant. She was correct, as after running carbon for three days, he is now eating great and "dancing" for food at the front of the tank. What is interesting is that initially he spat out the bloodworms that I offered him (his favorite meal). I think he is turned off on them as they were the food I continually offered him when he was sick. I went out and got some frozen mysis shrimp and he pounced on them immediately. I'm holding off on further treatment as long as he continues to do well.
I did some more research on effective wormers (if I ever have that issue) and I'm finding that some fish keepers are reporting resistance to Levamisole. This doesn't appear to be true for Fenbendazole. Piperzine has been recommended as a safer alternative to the above. It can be dosed into a community tank as long as there aren't snails in the tank. I have no experience in dosing Piperzine not Fenbendazole but I did order both to have on hand.
Thanks everyone for all your good advice and support!

 

Oh so glad he is now eating! How interesting about the Prazi, I didn't know that it was an appetite suppressant. Interesting that he seems turned off by the bloodworms too, but makes a lot of sense.

As for Fenbendazole, it's best added in the food as a fish dewormer. 1/8 tsp for 2 cubes of frozen food. Add Seachem Focus to bind the dewormer in the food.

 

I'm ordering pure Fenbendazole as it's not suppose to have any binders. I have SeaChem focus and garlic guard on hand. I will definitely do the food route.
Well, this morning he's not eating again. Spoke to a gal and she said General Cure is 80% fillers so one is basically under dosing the fish. I'm doing straight Metroplex for now since I did see a response to GC. They have a pure powdered form similar to API'S GC, but without the fillers. They recommend a 10 day course of treatment with their powder. I may be wrong, but isn't PrazI mostly for tapeworms? I still haven't seen any visible sign of nematodes, nothing protruding from his vent, but it's possible he has an infection. He was pond raised. I'll do the full course of Metroplex as long as I see improvement; if not, I'll try Fenbendazole in the food. This is very frustrating. Spent the morning trying to locate my Nerites and remove them from his tank.

 

Update. 4 days without meds, after doing well, Finn started to backslide; facing back wall and refusing food.
24 hours after dosing tank with Metroplex, his activity level is back up and he's accepting food again. This morning he's acting totally normal.
The General Cure apparently wasn't strong enough to completely clear whatever is ailing him. Or, the course of treatment isn't long enough. I'm wondering if I have a chronic low grade case of heximita as seen in Angel fish. Anyway, going to continue dosing Metroplex for 3 weeks. I'm doing the lower dose of 125 mg per 10 gallons. Has anyone had experience doing the stronger dose of 250 mg per 10 gallons? SeaChem gives the option on their web site. I'm dosing lower as I do have a school of expensive gold laser corydoras in the tank.

 

Finn continues to improve on Metroplex! His anal and pelvic fins are no longer clamped. Eating more and spitting less food out. No longer facing the back wall of the tank. Saw normal poop yesterday. I'm still dosing the water column as I'm concerned about him getting enough of the meds in his food with the competition from the always ravenous tetras. I guess it's just going to take time.

 

Finn continues to improve on Metroplex! His anal and pelvic fins are no longer clamped. Eating more and spitting less food out. No longer facing the back wall of the tank. Saw normal poop yesterday. I'm still dosing the water column as I'm concerned about him getting enough of the meds in his food with the competition from the always ravenous tetras. I guess it's just going to take time.

Glad to hear! That post really helped me because my angels may have HITH and I was unsure what would work but Metroplex seems to be the best thing to get!

 

I'm also adding Epsom salts to his food as suggested by members of this forum who have been advising me. I made a 3% solution and I'm adding it to mysis shrimp, along with Cichlid flakes, Garlic Guard and Focus. He won't eat pellets which would work much better in absorbing the Magnesium. I only add enough of the solution to moisten the flakes and then add the shrimp. I do this with every meal. I'm seeing a lot of particulate in the water, which I guess is the magnesium. I'm continuing with a lower dose of Metroplex. Seachem says you can double the dose with suspected hex but I think the Epsom salt solution in the food has had a synergistic effect.

 

So glad he is improving with Metro Just a word of caution though, extended or overdose treatment with Metro is hard on the kidneys, so follow Seachem's dosing instructions to a 'T', that's very important. If you can, try the Epsom Salts in the food as well, that is, if you wish. Did you get a chance to read about it on MFK?

Definitely makes sense that the GC doesn't have enough strength. It's a one two punch 'cure all' for many ailments with similar symptoms, but not as strong dose to eradicate the issue. Since he did improve with Metro, it makes sense you are on the right path for treatment. HITH and Hex are very misunderstood, I still don't know all the differences, just that Finn is showing classic symptoms of Hex. I've noticed these symptoms a lot lately with other cichlids.

 

Glad to hear! That post really helped me because my angels may have HITH and I was unsure what would work but Metroplex seems to be the best thing to get!

Try also adding 3% solution of Epsom salts to their food. Really seems to help. There's a link on an earlier reply to my post by another member on how to prepare. Add it to every meal. Pellets work best. Just add enough to moisten.

 

Try also adding 3% solution of Epsom salts to their food. Really seems to help. There's a link on an earlier reply to my post by another member on how to prepare. Add it to every meal. Pellets work best. Just add enough to moisten.

Found it! Thanks for notifying me that it was there

 

So glad he is improving with Metro Just a word of caution though, extended or overdose treatment with Metro is hard on the kidneys, so follow Seachem's dosing instructions to a 'T', that's very important. If you can, try the Epsom Salts in the food as well, that is, if you wish. Did you get a chance to read about it on MFK?

Definitely makes sense that the GC doesn't have enough strength. It's a one two punch 'cure all' for many ailments with similar symptoms, but not as strong dose to eradicate the issue. Since he did improve with Metro, it makes sense you are on the right path for treatment. HITH and Hex are very misunderstood, I still don't know all the differences, just that Finn is showing classic symptoms of Hex. I've noticed these symptoms a lot lately with other cichlids.

Doing lowest dose recommended by SeaChem. They said I could go up to 250 mg per 10 gallons but staying at 125 mg. I'm also adding the 3% Epsom salt solution to his mysis shrimp (only thing he wants to eat) and adding some flake, garlic guard and focus to mix. I think the Epsom salt solution has make a big difference. In a day, he's not spitting out as much and is actively seeking out food.

Read somewhere (observations by a fish vet) that some experts think that low grade hex infection in the gut starts first and this creates malnutrition that leads to HITH or the fish gets full blown gut infection, stops eating and dies before symptoms of HITH appear. The white poop is result of inflammatory response to parasite. Kinda makes sense. I would definitely like to see more research into this parasite. I was concerned to read that Angelfish can carry low grade infections of hex and can get full blown infections if stressed. I have two in my other tanks. I'm going to start adding Epsom salt solution to their food as a precaution.

 

Read somewhere (observations by a fish vet) that some experts think that low grade hex infection in the gut starts first and this creates malnutrition that leads to HITH or the fish gets full blown gut infection, stops eating and dies before symptoms of HITH appear. The white poop is result of inflammatory response to parasite. Kinda makes sense. I would definitely like to see more research into this parasite. I was concerned to read that Angelfish can carry low grade infections of hex and can get full blown infections if stressed. I have two in my other tanks. I'm going to start adding Epsom salt solution to their food as a precaution.

Wow, thanks for this, I guess that's why the fishkeeper you were first talking to suggested the Furan. Personally I never use antibiotics like that myself on my fish, but hopefully the gut infection can be helped with Epsom Salts and Metro. Metro is also an antibiotic for gram negative bacteria, so I'm wishing you the best. ItI don't know much about gut infection, but it makes total sense. Epsom Salts and Metro are proven treatments for Hex and HITH though, so you're on the right path. Actually, I think I might have this with one of my own angels, she just started losing more and more weight. I think it's stress that causes it, because the other 7 angels in that tank are doing great. Interesting!