Concerned About White Stringy Feces in My Aquarium

[smoosh]

Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing well. I'm reaching out for some advice and insight regarding an issue I've noticed in my 75-gallon aquarium. Here's the breakdown of my tank's inhabitants and water parameters:

• Tank Size: 75 gallons
• Fish:
  • 6 x Oto (Otocinclus vittatus)
  • 10 x Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi)
  • 7 x Cherry Barb (Puntius titteya)
  • 9 x Boesemans Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemani)
  • 6 x Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecox)
  • 1 x Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)
  • 1x German Blue Ram
• Invertebrate:
  • 1 x Mystery Snail (Pomacea cuprina)
• Water Parameters:
  • Ammonia: 0 ppm
  • Nitrite: 0 ppm
  • Nitrate: 10 ppm
  • Temperature: 80°F

My concern arises from the observation of white stringy feces appearing every other day in the tank. This issue began about a week ago when I introduced a koi angelfish to the tank. Since that introduction, I've noticed these white stringy feces, and I suspect that they may be coming from my angelfish.

I feed my fish a varied diet twice a day, including a mix of Tetra Min flakes, granules, Tetra blood worms, and bug bites for cichlids. Additionally, I provide frozen brine shrimp as a treat once a week. Despite this diet, the white stringy feces continue to appear.

I conducted some research and came across an article (link provided: Aquarium Science Article) suggesting that white stringy feces in fish are usually not a sign of disease. It can be mucus from severely infected intestines, but most of the time it means nothing.

However, since I've been noticing it every other day for the past week, I want to be cautious and make sure it's not a sign of an underlying issue. It's worth noting that none of my fish, including the angelfish, have displayed any other alarming symptoms or behavioral changes.

I haven't been able to confirm if the white stringy feces are indeed coming from the angelfish since I haven't observed it directly. To provide a clearer picture, I've attached 3 photos of the feces for reference.

I would greatly appreciate any insights or experiences you can share regarding this matter. Should I be concerned about the recurring white stringy feces, or is it likely just a normal occurrence as mentioned in the article I found?

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[PygmyPepperJulli]

Not a pro, but I think it’s worms (from what other people have said on this forum). See this link
https://www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-has-stringy-white-poop.466276/

Might not be an immediate problem if they all seem healthy, but probably should be dealt with. then again, might just be an angelfish thing (I know literally nothing about angelfish)

 

[GaryE]

See if there is a food to feces correlation. It's not something I would worry about, but I'd watch it.

 

[Colin_T]

See the link posted by PygmyPepperJulii.

If the fish are eating well and producing strong white poop, it's normally intestinal worms.

 

[smoosh]

Today, I noticed my angelfish poop is kind of dark, which makes it a bit confusing regarding those weird white stringy ones in my tank. I'm not sure which fish is making those them. Your explanation about worms and fish behavior helps a lot.

I'm now curious about how to treat my aquarium. Could you recommend any medicines that I can find on Amazon in the US to deal with this issue? Any tips you have would be super helpful as I want to make sure my fish are healthy.

 

[Colin_T]

section 3 of the link above, and now below as well, has all the info you need to deworm fish.

What to do if your fish has Stringy White Poop.

Fish do a stringy white poop for several reasons. 1) Internal Bacterial Infections causes the fish to stop eating, swell up like a balloon, breath heavily at the surface or near a filter outlet, do stringy white poop, and die within 24-48 hours of showing these symptoms. This cannot normally be...

www.fishforums.net

 

[smoosh]

section 3 of the link above, and now below as well, has all the info you need to deworm fish.

What to do if your fish has Stringy White Poop.

Fish do a stringy white poop for several reasons. 1) Internal Bacterial Infections causes the fish to stop eating, swell up like a balloon, breath heavily at the surface or near a filter outlet, do stringy white poop, and die within 24-48 hours of showing these symptoms. This cannot normally be...

www.fishforums.net

For the intestinal worms, should I get API General Cure or Hikari Prazi Pro?

 

[Colin_T]

General Cure contains Metronidazole and Praziquantel.
Metronidazole is an antibiotic and should not be added to aquariums unless the fish have an internal protozoan infection.

Praziquantel treats tapeworm and gill flukes.

PraziPro contains Praziquantel.

 

[smoosh]

I got Prazi Pro today and performed a 50% water change along with filter maintenance. I plan to start treating the tank tomorrow to minimize stress for the rest of tonight. However, while observing my fish today, I noticed a couple of concerning things. One of my Boesemani Rainbowfish has one gray missing scale, and 2-3 Cherry Barbs have developed some greyish-white patches along their sides. Interestingly, I observed that one male Cherry Barb had popeye, which lasted for just about 2 hours. After setting up a quarantine tank and re-checking, none of them had popeye anymore. Could all of these issues potentially be linked to the intestinal worms?

 

[Colin_T]

The boesemani could have lost a scale or it has the start of an ulcer, which is often associated with Fish TB.

The cherry barbs could be colouration or excess mucous but if it's gone, then don't worry about it.

These have nothing to do with worms.

 

[smoosh]

Hi! I just wanted to give an update on my aquarium so far. Yesterday, I noticed that one of my neon tetras had died, and today one of my dwarf neon rainbowfish died. Both fish were lying on the sand, and when I took them out, they looked perfectly fine. I think they may have gotten stressed from the Prazipro treatment.

All of my other fish seem to be doing well, I haven't seen any signs of stress, and their poop looks normal in color. I also haven't noticed any white poop.

I'm wondering if I should dose the prazipro again tomorrow after I do a weekly 40% water change. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Colin_T]

Section 3 of stringy white poop article tells you how long you should treat the fish for and the water changes between treatments.

-----------------

You treat the fish once a week for 3-4 weeks. The first treatment will kill any worms in the fish. The second, third and forth treatments kill any baby worms that hatch from eggs inside the fish's digestive tract.

Treat every fish tank in the house at the same time to prevent cross contamination.

You do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean 24-48 hours after treatment. Clean the filter 24-48 hours after treatment too.

 

[TNG]

Hi! I just wanted to give an update on my aquarium so far. Yesterday, I noticed that one of my neon tetras had died, and today one of my dwarf neon rainbowfish died. Both fish were lying on the sand, and when I took them out, they looked perfectly fine. I think they may have gotten stressed from the Prazipro treatment.

All of my other fish seem to be doing well, I haven't seen any signs of stress, and their poop looks normal in color. I also haven't noticed any white poop.

I'm wondering if I should dose the prazipro again tomorrow after I do a weekly 40% water change. Any advice is appreciated.

It’s possible that the 2 fish were adversely affected by the treatment.
The praziquantel med readily available here is made by Blue Planet, and it’s quite potent. Each tablet contains 100mg of Prazi and the recommended dose is one tablet per 20 litres !
I only used 2/3rd of the recommended dose as the fish being treated became lethargic when the full dose was applied - I’m sure they would die.
Observe your fish for a couple of hours after you apply the treatment, remove any fish that show adverse reaction and dilute the dosage for them. If they are OK for the first couple of hours they will be OK.

 

[smoosh]

It’s possible that the 2 fish were adversely affected by the treatment.
The praziquantel med readily available here is made by Blue Planet, and it’s quite potent. Each tablet contains 100mg of Prazi and the recommended dose is one tablet per 20 litres !
I only used 2/3rd of the recommended dose as the fish being treated became lethargic when the full dose was applied - I’m sure they would die.
Observe your fish for a couple of hours after you apply the treatment, remove any fish that show adverse reaction and dilute the dosage for them. If they are OK for the first couple of hours they will be OK.

Hi! Is it okay to use activated carbon in between treatments to remove the prazipro and then take out the activated carbon before dosing it again?

 

[TNG]

Hi! Is it okay to use activated carbon in between treatments to remove the prazipro and then take out the activated carbon before dosing it again?

Yes, that's what I do if I need to appply different treatment.