My Fish Have Been Infected With Parasites!

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Shoumega

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Hello, i'm new to the forums and I have a serious issue with my 36 gallon planted aquarium...
 
How I think my tank got infected with the parasite:
Yesterday I introduced two angelfish into my tank I had purchased at an independently owned pet store (I should have known better as there was already a dead angelfish in their tank). I acclimated the fish with extreme care but I knew something was wrong with one of them when I put them in the tank. It did not eat and stayed at the corner of the tank right below the surface the whole time while the other was very active and eating. I noticed it was pooping a very thin and white feces and I was not surprised to find that it had died this morning. It was not until my dwarf gourami started pooping the same white feces today that I started researching what the causes were and found out my fish have contracted some sort of parasite (which i'm pretty positive is wasting disease). Also, a lot of them have been scratching their gills on the driftwood and plants (knowing this could be relative to an ammonia/nitrite spike, I checked my parameters today and all my levels are normal). I do believe that this angelfish was already infected when I bought it and it has spread it to my other fish. 
 
My treatment plan:
I went out and purchased API's General Cure parasitic treatment powder and a bonded filter pad (does anybody have any experience with this product?). Because I have an all in one filter cartridge, there is no way for me to separate the carbon from it. My idea was to take out my cartridge and have it placed in a bowl of tank water to preserve the beneficial bacteria until treatment is complete (would that actually work?). I will then cut out a fitted piece of carbon-less filter pad to take it's place for the time being. I have already done a 20% water change today and raised the temperature in the water to approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit. 
 
The issue(s):
The only thing stopping me from starting the treatment is the fear that it may kill some of my tank inhabitants. The product label only states that it is safe for live plants but doesn't say that it is harmful to invertebrates, shrimp or catfish? I have a Nerite snail, three South American bumble bee catfish and a bamboo shrimp that i'm not sure will be able to handle this treatment...? The informant at the Petsmart I went to said that if it was safe for live plants that it would most likely be safe for all the aquatic life in my tank but knowing the experience levels of most of these employees, i'm not completely sure if I trust her judgement or rather educated guess... 
 
This will be my first time treating this form of parasite in an aquarium. I have had experience with treating ich which was succesful. Any advice or information would be highly appreciated. Thanks for reading.
 
 
 
you may be able to remove the carbon by slitting the carbon side of the cartridge and then shaking out all the carbon granules---I did this and it worked great.
 
Being Dutch I don't know this med, but doesn't this only treat external parasites and not internal ?
 
I use a product called Prazipro  for internal parasites like flukes, worms.  it's considered very safe for all fish.   I even have used it as a preventative med with no problems.
 
DoubleDutch said:
Being Dutch I don't know this med, but doesn't this only treat external parasites and not internal ?
 
Actually, it treats both external and internal parasites but the packaging information is very vague on that I have to admit. 
 
Update:
 
I took a leap of faith this morning and decided to begin the treatment. So far all of my tank inhabitants are exhibiting normal behavior except for my dwarf gourami who now has a very swollen abdomen. I've also noticed that the gill irritation has subsided and my fish are no longer scratching against objects in the tank. I went ahead and preserved my bio filter in a pot of tank water and replaced it with the bonded filter pad I had cut to size. Informant at the Petsmart recommended I go with a half dose but I went ahead and did the full dose to ensure the elimination of the parasites. 
 
In 48 hours I will be repeating the dosage as instructed and will update again then. 
 
Fishmanic said:
I use a product called Prazipro  for internal parasites like flukes, worms.  it's considered very safe for all fish.   I even have used it as a preventative med with no problems.
 
A little on the pricey side but I do like the fact that it is a preventative product and doesn't effect the biological filtration. 
 
if you took out all your bacteria laden media,  you'll have to keep an eye on water parameters and do water changes as necessary to bring the levels down
 

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