Medication For Internal Parasites?

[Mark Z.]

Hi all,
 
Can anyone tell me what kind of medication to get for internal parasites for freshwater fish?
 
One of my fish has what I believe may be internal parasites. It is a female Congo tetra with string-like poop. She also has reddish areas around her pelvic fins and through her skin, her intestine area appears reddish compared to the others.
 
Over the past year, I have lost four fish to this, I think. They all seem to have had the clearish string-like poop and also sometimes the reddish areas around their pelvic fins and reddish intestine area. In the case of the Congo tetras, they also seemed to not close their mouths all the way. In the later stages, the fish seemed to go after the food, but they did not eat it. I have tried feeding them peas, in case it is just constipation, but the infected fish never eats the peas!
 
I have five fish stores within driving distance, and none of them have medication for internal parasites. Most are for external parasites. I'm tired of running around! Right now, I am treating the tank with Kordon Rapid Cure. I am not sure if that will help, but the guy at the fish store said it will. Nothing I have tried in the past has helped. I think I need to find something online, but I am not sure what to get. From past experience, it seems like this fish is doomed.
 
I have a 48-gallon community aquarium with live plants and mostly tetras, corys, torpedo barbs, a keyhole ciclid and an angelfish.
 
Any suggestions?
 
Thanks,
Mark
 
 

 

[Akasha72]

Hi, you can hit this with a two pronged attack and I've found this to work the best. Firstly get a good quality medication for internal parasites - I use Waterlife Octozin for things like this as it contains an anti-biotic. Next get yourself some Epsom Salts from the pharmacy. DO NOT add epson salt to the tank though!
 
So here's what to do with the epsom salt:
 
Add 500ml of water to a jug (tap water is fine) and to that add a tablespoon of epsom salt. Mix it well as it takes a bit to dissolve. At feeding time add some of your food to a net (I've found it's the easiest way) and dunk the net into the salt water mix a few times and then feed it to the fish. Repeat this process twice a day for 7 to 10 days and monitor the fish.
 
The medication will kill the infection and the epsom salt should help to push the parasites out of the gut (epsom salt is used for constipation in humans and it has the same effects on fish!). 
 
Hope that helps

 

[WILDER]

The medication you are using says in more for external parasites and not internal.
What is your location?
 
These are the signs of internal parasites.
Signs of internal parasites are-
Long stringy white waste, or clear mucas waste.
Worms sticking out of the anus.
Swollen anus, or enlarged anus.
Fish will look skinny, have a sunken in belly region, or look bloated.
Bent spine sometimes.
Fish will sometimes swim on it's side.
Spitting food out.

 

[Mark Z.]

THANK YOU!
 
I have just ordered the Waterlife Octozin online. It says it won't be delivered until April 28! Hopefully, it will be sooner than that. Until then, I will begin the treatment with the epsom salt.
 
Mark

 

[Akasha72]

 
The epsom salt won't cure it but it's something whilst you wait for the meds. Waterlife don't do a med specifically for internal parasites - this is why I use the Octozin as it can be used to treat things not mentioned in the instructions. My lfs once told me "if we don't know what's wrong and nothing else has worked we always chuck in octozin and it works every time" I'm inclined to agree with them!
 
Octozin comes as a white tablet that you dissolve in tank water before adding to the tank. It looks a mess on the substrate to begin with but it soon disappears so don't worry about that
 
As for the delivery - the Easter holidays will slow things down so they're probably just covering their backs

 

[Mark Z.]

Hi Wilder,
 
I live in New Jersey, USA! Just ordered medicine online.
 
This fish has the stringy white waste. One other in the past has had the bent spine, but not all. And yes, they have gone after food, but then spit it out, not eating it. Also, reddish around pelvic fins and sometimes anus. 
 
Hopefully, I will get this medicine sooner rather than later and finally have something I am confident to treat them with. I will stop with the Rapid Cure. I didn't think that would help anyway, but that is what the "fish expert" at the store suggested.
 
Thanks for the reply,
Mark

 

[WILDER]

You can get alot better medications in the US than In the UK.
I would cancel the waterlife medication as it's not very good and I have used it in the past.
 
You need a medication that treats a wide variety of internal parasites.
 
Need to go and look one up for you.

 

[Mark Z.]

Thanks again Akasha!
 
I have tried many things in the past, but never felt confident...and with good reason. At least now I feel I will be doing something constructive!
 
I can't imagine it will take a month for this to arrive. I wouldn't be surprised if I got it next week. 
 
Mark

 

[WILDER]

fenbendazole, and praziquantel.

 

[WILDER]

You can order this medication online but not sure if you can get it.
 Kursuri wormer

 

[Wildbetta]

I recommend Praziquantel and Metronidazole for internal parasites as both these medications can be added to food or the tank.    Although depending on what exactly you are dealing with, you might need something a bit different.  Example:  if you were dealing with callamus worms -- you would need Flubendazole or Levamisole because the other medications normally do not really treat callamus worms.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Have a read here http/www.inkmkr.com/Fish/FlubendazoleTreatment.pdf
 
He sells both Flubendazole and Levamisole HCL here http/www.inkmkr.com/Fish/ItemsForSale.html
 
I have both the above drugs in my med box as well as metrodinazole.
 
You might want to have a read here as well http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/other-medications

 

[Akasha72]

I wish the U.K had such a good range of meds! I know when my fish had Hexamita I was recommended a medicated fish food on another forum but it was only available in the U.S so it was of no use to me what-so-ever 

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Not only can we find a great assortment of meds intended for use with fish, but we can also find those which are not intended for fish use but, ebcause they work and are available under different names, we can also find them. Look into Dimlin aka diflubenzuron for example.