My Fish Haven't Ate In Weeks

barb-e

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My fish have not been eating for quite some time. At first I thought they were constipated so I feed them some peas and some of the fish that hadn't shown in a very long time showed some interest but when I gave them peas a few days later they didn't eat them, just like there other food. I usually either give them flakes or freeze dried bloodworms. Some of them don't even attempt to eat. Others appear to have an appetite but when they eat the food they spit it right back out. They are five cherry barbs. All of my water stats are fine. I'm starting to worry because even the fish that used to be my giant is dangerously thin. Someone please help me out.
 
Water stats would be good.
Spitting food out can be a sign of gill flukes, and internal parasites.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing against objects.
Check the gills over to see if there inflamed, or pale with excess mucas on them.
Any sores on the fish.
What's it look like when the fish go to the toilet.
Is the anus enlarged, or red and inflamed.
 
I don't know about anal inflamation but sometimes when they use the toilet there will be a little sting of waste kind of habging out. I've noticed that their gills look kind of red. One of the fish is so skinny it's like you can see through her. What else should I be looking for?
 
Sounds like you have a parasite flukes can get them internally as well as externally.
The string was it red or white.

Clout
Manufacturer: Aquarium Products
A very strong and effective medication for parasitic and protozoan infestations. Treats: Ich, Hydra, leeches, Planaria, Epistylis, Trichodina, Hexamita,Tetrahy-mena, body fungus, digenetic flukes, parasitic copepods, monogenetic flukes and anchor worms.
 
Just want to look at your stats as bad water quality can cause red inflamed gills.
 
I just read something about gill flukes and it talked about one fish isolating themself and hiding in the bottom corner with their fins clamped, which is exactly what one of my male fish did. Also according to what I read the parasite is in a very advanced stage. I'd say over a period of 3 weeks the parasite has probably reproduces a zillion times. What should I do?
 
Look under flukes yes they mulitply fast.
There nasty as in there hooks they carry a nasty bacteria which enter the fish when the fluke pierce the skin.
Get a gill fluke med fast, also you will need a bacterial med afterwards.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FA041

Taken from the link.
MONOGENEAN TREMATODES
Monogenean trematodes, also called flatworms or flukes, commonly invade the gills, skin, and fins of fish. Monogeneans have a direct life cycle (no intermediate host) and are host- and site-specific. In fact, some adults will remain permanently attached to a single site on the host.
Freshwater fish infested with skin-inhabiting flukes become lethargic, swim near the surface, seek the sides of the pool or pond, and their appetite dwindles. They may be seen rubbing the bottom or sides of the holding facility (flashing). The skin where the flukes are attached shows areas of scale loss and may ooze a pinkish fluid. Gills may be swollen and pale, respiration rate may be increased, and fish will be less tolerant of low oxygen conditions. "Piping", gulping air at the water surface, may be observed in severe respiratory distress. Large numbers (>10 organisms per low power field) of monogeneans on either the skin or gills may result in significant damage and mortality. Secondary infection by bacteria and fungus is common on tissue with monogenean damage.

Gyrodactylus and Dactylogyrus are the two most common genera of monogeneans that infect freshwater fish ( Figure 17 ). They differ in their reproductive strategies and their method of attachment to the host fish. Gyrodactylus have no eyespots, two pairs of anchor hooks, and are generally found on the skin and fins of fish. They are live bearers (viviparous) in which the adult parasite can be seen with a fully developed embryo inside the adult's reproductive tract. This reproductive strategy allows populations of Gyrodactylus to multiply quickly, particularly in closed systems where water exchange is minimal.




Figure 17.

Dactylogyrus prefers to attach to gills. They have two to four eyespots, one pair of large anchor hooks, and are egg layers. The eggs hatch into free-swimming larvae and are carried to a new host by water currents and their own ciliated movement. The eggs can be resilient to chemical treatment, and multiple applications of a treatment are usually recommended to control this group of organisms.
Treatment of monogeneans is usually not satisfactory unless the primary cause of increased fluke infestations is found and alleviated. The treatment of choice for freshwater fish is formalin, administered as a short-term or prolonged bath ( Table 1 ). Fish that are sick do not tolerate formalin well, so they need to be carefully monitored during treatment. Potassium permanganate can also

http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/treatments/potass...ermanganate.htm
 
Hows the fish doing.
 

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