Yeah, I'm only saying that now, because I had no idea what this fish had been treated for since you purchased it? In fact, I don't know any history on this particular fish, other than what I have gathered along the way here and there in various threads that you have started. Which is precisely why I asked whether he had been dewormed, or not, in one of your other threads. No one here has a crystal ball, which is why it is always uber important to post as much history and detailed information as possible, and keep everything in one thread, not several threads, where information can become mixed up or completely missed. What may not seem important to one person, can ultimately become very important when "guesstimating" a diagnosis from afar. Does that make sense?
As an example, your fish was shedding intestinal lining twice a day (clear feces), or more, every day - but you initially left that detail out - making it sound like it wasn't all the time. That was a pretty important detail, and Mike (Tarheel) and I picked up on that straight away. Treating for S. vorten was important, it wasn't the wrong medicine, you still would have had to treat with Metro, The fact that you still saw "some" S. vortens in your initial smear probably means it was/is still lingering in the background, but deworming was/is also important, which clearly got missed along the way. Live and learn.
In one of your more recent threads you listed what his diet was, I also suggested dropping worms from his diet, because I know from experience that this species can have a somewhat sensitive gastrointestinal system, and meaty foods are probably best avoided. Other experienced GT keepers on MFK agree. Also, foods such as this have the *potential* to introduce pathogens/bacteria/worms. I have no idea how many red worms you have fed this fish since you purchased it, or where these worms were sourced, or handled. If there was a dietary issue, this is where I would start. And I would still highly recommend dropping worms from his diet.
There is a practical way to approach most of these kinds of issues (gastrointestinal) and when performed early on, as in not months after the symptoms surface, they can usually be easily resolved. Typically I approach all new fish in QT, as in fresh from a LFS as carrying something, then I take a wait and see approach & treat accordingly. So gastrointestinal issues are treated for S. vortens, and if that is not 100% effective and I suspect worms, I treat with Levamisole and/or Praziquantel. I haven't had to use a dewormer in several years, the former I have been lucky enough to resolve by feeding metro soaked food, or more recently, NLS Hex-Shield.
Certainly a microscope helps pinpoint the type of problem, but from what you described you had more than one issue, which again is why I suspected worms and in a different recent thread asked about whether this fish had ever been dewormed? I'm not that good at guessing games. How you treated this fish, and its duration and quantity, was your choice, and your choice only. Again, live and learn.
As an example, your fish was shedding intestinal lining twice a day (clear feces), or more, every day - but you initially left that detail out - making it sound like it wasn't all the time. That was a pretty important detail, and Mike (Tarheel) and I picked up on that straight away. Treating for S. vorten was important, it wasn't the wrong medicine, you still would have had to treat with Metro, The fact that you still saw "some" S. vortens in your initial smear probably means it was/is still lingering in the background, but deworming was/is also important, which clearly got missed along the way. Live and learn.
In one of your more recent threads you listed what his diet was, I also suggested dropping worms from his diet, because I know from experience that this species can have a somewhat sensitive gastrointestinal system, and meaty foods are probably best avoided. Other experienced GT keepers on MFK agree. Also, foods such as this have the *potential* to introduce pathogens/bacteria/worms. I have no idea how many red worms you have fed this fish since you purchased it, or where these worms were sourced, or handled. If there was a dietary issue, this is where I would start. And I would still highly recommend dropping worms from his diet.
There is a practical way to approach most of these kinds of issues (gastrointestinal) and when performed early on, as in not months after the symptoms surface, they can usually be easily resolved. Typically I approach all new fish in QT, as in fresh from a LFS as carrying something, then I take a wait and see approach & treat accordingly. So gastrointestinal issues are treated for S. vortens, and if that is not 100% effective and I suspect worms, I treat with Levamisole and/or Praziquantel. I haven't had to use a dewormer in several years, the former I have been lucky enough to resolve by feeding metro soaked food, or more recently, NLS Hex-Shield.
Certainly a microscope helps pinpoint the type of problem, but from what you described you had more than one issue, which again is why I suspected worms and in a different recent thread asked about whether this fish had ever been dewormed? I'm not that good at guessing games. How you treated this fish, and its duration and quantity, was your choice, and your choice only. Again, live and learn.
