White string coming from a new platy's "butt"

[ceci]

Yesterday, I got 2 new platys and a plecostamous, they were put into a 30 gallon tank. This morning when I checked on my fish I noticed a white string coming from one of my platy's butt (Place where poop comes out). Will this harm my the fish, especially if it falls of and the bottom feeder eat it.

( Walmart is the only store around with fish so that's where I get them)

the fish seems to act the same as normal and is very active. could it just be poop. The fish loves to hang out with the other one too

 

[ceci]

update: a while later, the fish is hanging near the top and looks like it's mouth is out of the water

 

[Colin_T]

Stringy white poop can be caused by intestinal worms or an internal protozoan or bacterial infection.

Fish with intestinal worms eat normally but usually lose weight. Fish that are heavily infested with worms can look fat like a pregnant livebearer.

Praziquantel can be used to treat fish for tapeworm.
Levamisole can be used to treat fish for thread/ round worms.

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Fish with an internal bacterial infection generally swell up, do stringy white poop, stop eating, breath heavily near a filter outlet or under the surface, and usually die within 24 hours of showing these symptoms.

There is no cure for internal bacterial infections when they show these symptoms.

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Internal protozoan infections cause stringy white poop, the fish normally keep eating but lose weight rapidly over a few days to a week, and generally die a week or so after showing these symptoms.

Metronidazole (Flagyl) can be used to treat internal protozoan infections.

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Livebearers are regularly infected with intestinal worms and I would start by treating all the fish for tapeworm and then thread worms.

You treat the fish once a week for 3 weeks, and do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean 24 hours after treatment.

Praziquantel and Levamisole are both safe for all fishes and do not affect plants or filter bacteria.

 

[ceci]

A couple f hours later the fish seems fine, could it just have been something it ate?

 

[Fishmanic]

do you treat with Praziquantel by putting it in food or do you just treat tank?

 

[ceci]

do you treat with Praziquantel by putting it in food or do you just treat tank?

What?

 

[Colin_T]

You can either feed Praziquantel to the fish or add it to the tank. It's easier to simply treat all the tanks at the same time.

If the fish is doing stringy white poop on any regularly basis, then it has an internal issue listed above. Monitor the fish and if it continues then deworm the fish and see if it helps.

 

[Jeremy180]

Was it gasping in the morning, and improved later in the day?

Asking because issues related to ability to use oxygen, including low dissolved oxygen, high ammonia or nitrite, and gill parasites often at their worst in the morning., when oxygen content is generally at it's lowest.

EDIT: Walmart often only sell several similar species together as common Plecos, these can often eventually outgrow even a 75 gallon tank.

PS: Walmart fish are often typhoid marys at best, if it were me, I would seriously consider looking into a good mail order company.