What is happening to my discus fish?

[gcalberto]

So one of my discus wasn't eating as well as the others, so I put it in a quarantine tank and started feeding it daphnia, which it will eat.
After a few hours, it made a huge, stringy, white poop, which as far as I know is indicative of internal parasites.
The thing is, about two months ago it went through a complete 12 day metronidazole treatment, and about a month ago I dewormed it with prazipro. It hasn't come in contact with any other fish. In fact, I did this treatment in all 3 tanks in my house and haven't gotten any new fish since.
Does anyone know what could it be? It was fine, up until a week or two ago

[HH Morant]

Looks like internal parasites to me. Will he eat medicated food? If so try food medicated with metronidazole.

[gcalberto]

On 7/15/2021 at 5:40 PM, HH Morant said:

Looks like internal parasites to me. Will he eat medicated food? If so try food medicated with metronidazole.

I've already done that, as explained in the post. 

After it's metronidazole treatment, it didn't have any contact with non treated fish 

[HH Morant]

Sorry, wasn't aware that you used medicated food. Assumed you dosed the water column.

[HH Morant]

If he has already had food medicated with metronidazole and then praziquantel, that leaves levamisole.

[Guppysnail]

Dewormer must be done in two separate doses sometimes three. It helps them pass the adult parasite but does not affect the eggs

[gcalberto]

On 7/15/2021 at 10:00 PM, Guppysnail said:

Dewormer must be done in two separate doses sometimes three. It helps them pass the adult parasite but does not affect the eggs

I did that with prazipro. 2 doses 1 week apart from the other 

[gcalberto]

On 7/15/2021 at 6:24 PM, HH Morant said:

If he has already had food medicated with metronidazole and then praziquantel, that leaves levamisole.

Are you sure that's what's wrong with the discus? I mean, the chance of it having a particular worm, not called callamarus, and that is resistant to praziquantel is pretty low. 

In my opinion it could be something other than internal parasites, though I have no idea what 

[HH Morant]

I don't think there is any way to be sure. 

But I understand that hexamita, a kind of internal parasite, is very common in Discus. The usual treatment is metronidazole. Medicated food is generally recognized to be more effective than dosing the water column, so if the fish is eating, that is the way to go.

Of course, if the fish was treated with metronidazole a month ago, hexamita would be less likely. I am not sure whether that treatment was with medicated food (more effective) or dosing the water column (less effective).

If a bacterial infection is suspected and the fish is still eating, antibiotics can also be administered more effectively through medicated food.

There are different methods of medicating the food:

1. Using Seachem Metroplex and Seachem Focus, with Garlic-Guard as a flavor enhancer. There are videos on YouTube showing how to do this. The Focus is said to "bind" the medication to the food. I have used this method with Metroplex, metronidazole powder, and also with Paracleanse, API General Cure, praziquantel, and levamisole.

2. Using the medication and Garlic-Guard or water without Focus. There are Jack Wattley Discus videos on YouTube showing how they do this with "100%" metronidazole powder that they sell. The guy who does the video for Jack Wattley Discus does not think Focus is needed. He says ingesting the medication is 10 times stronger than putting it into the water. I have also used this method (with Garlic-Guard, not water) of making medicated food with all of the medications mentioned above. 

3. On the aquariumscience.org website under the title "Making Medicated Food"  a method of making medicated food is described using hot water and gelatin. I have not used this method yet, but I intend to try it. The author of this website does not believe that dosing the water column has any effect on internal parasites (see his article "Fish Don't Drink" on the website), so he says the only effective way to kill internal parasites is with medicated food.

I'm sure those are not the only ways to make medicated food, but they are the ones I know of.

I feed medicated food as a prophylactic to protect against internal parasites. I have not been able to save fish which have stopped eating by dosing the water column. Generally, not eating is the first symptom I notice, and it is already too late.

[Colu]

It's could passing the dead parasites what I would is add a small amount of aquarium salt 1 table spoon for 3 gallons monitor if your discus is eating well and putting on weight I wouldn't worry if it start to lose weight I would treat again for parasites  it can take two to three treatments two weeks a part to get rid of internal parasites paracleanse or general cure is what I would treat with

Edited July 17, 2021 by Colu