Thank you for explaining that
I had no idea the scales/skin could look that way from the head going down.HELP ME
- Thread starter R Estrella
- Start date
Thank you for explaining that
I had no idea the scales/skin could look that way from the head going down.
Looks like the start if an internal parasite, usually makes color go away and the hump go down in size, I would do a 30 % water change every second day for the next 2 weeks and increase the heat ( even if you already come from a warm climate) also try starving him a few days
Thank you thank you! Will start treatment with epsom salt right away. He seemed to love the shrimp thoughI can see why you'd ask that but no, that's not dropsy -- it's common for flowerhorns with shrunken heads to look like that, it's more like shriveled skin. When its hump begins to return to normal size it'll go away.
OP if you're seeing white stringy stuff then yes it's assuredly his poo, and in that case your fish likely has Hexamita. Here is a Sticky thread with suggested treatment using epsom salt. Start first with this, and then if doesn't produce any positive results you'd probably need to medicate with Metronidazole.
Treating Hexamita aka Spironucleus
Treating Hexamita aka Spironucleus with Epsom Salt Solution This is a rather safe way to treat any newly imported fish, as a prophylactic, just as one would use a de-wormer. It's not only an extremely cheap way to treat fish, the active ingredients are readily available world-wide, and it's...www.monsterfishkeepers.com
Also try soaking his pellets in garlic it may increase the chance he doesn't spit them out. I'd also try to wean him off the shrimp (but not right away, get some epsom salt into his belly any way you can for now while's he still eating) -- too much shrimp really isn't good for FH's (too high protein).
Good luck and keep us updated.
There are many types of parasites that can cause stringy white poop, and each of them requires a different medication (to treat spironucleus and hexamita: metronidazole / to treat nematodes: levamisole, fenbendazole, flubendazole or nematol / to treat tapeworms: praziquantel). So the best way to treat internal parasites is to first examine his feces with a microscope to identify which parasite he has. Otherwise, you will have to try each type of medication one by one. You can be lucky and see improvement on your first try, but if not, it can take a long time before you find the right medication using that method. What's worse, some strains of parasites have developped resistance to certain drugs, so you can't rule out a parasite based on the fish not getting better after using the appropriate medication for that parasite. And stringy white poop is also sometimes caused by bacterial infection. So the most important step right now is to correctly identify what you're dealing with, using a microscope.
Thank you thank you! Will start treatment with epsom salt right away. He seemed to love the shrimp though
Yeah they do love shrimp and krill, but it's kind of like kids loving McDonald's but most responsible parents wouldn't give it to them every day. Dietary wise all a Flowerhorn needs is some good quality pellets with protein levels of about 35%-40%.
