Hoplo Catfish Possible Internal Parasite?

[Christhefishman]

Hey guys! New member here but long time viewer and supporter of Aquarium co op. I come to you guys with something I’m kind of freaking out about the past few days. I noticed my albino hoplo catfish had something white and worm looking hanging out of its anus about 3/4 of an inch long. I noticed it 3 days ago and it’s still there looking exactly the same. Photos are a bit blurry since it was so close up but it’s there. Can anyone tell me exactly what I’m dealing with here? Tapeworm partially hanging out? Something else? He’s acting normal and eating fine but yet that’s been sticking out for days.. any help would be GREATLY appreciated! 

[Colu]

What have you been feed him as his poop will be the same colour as his food and have you noticed any rapid breathing hanging near the surface flashing any bloating 

[Christhefishman]

On 6/26/2022 at 10:17 AM, Colu said:

What have you been feed him as his poop will be the same colour as his food and have you noticed any rapid breathing hanging near the surface flashing any bloating 

He eats all kinds of things but mainly frozen brine, mysis, xtreme pellets, bloodworms, ect. Not a picky eater in the slightest and I haven’t noticed any odd behavior from him but it’s now day 4 that white thing has been hanging out. I’m worried because I haven’t seen him pass any normal poo in days now. I soaked food in Epsom salt multiple times for the laxative effect but It hasn’t seemed to do much. He otherwise looks healthy all except for that white thing hanging out. Here’s a full photo of him he looks healthy to me I just don’t know what the deal is with the worm looking thing 

[Christhefishman]

I just netted him and took a pair of tweezers to gently see if I could pull it out but it wouldn’t budge and I didn’t want to hurt him so I only tugged a little but if this was poo wouldn’t it have come out? 

[Waterlife]

So sorry to see this, I love mine too.  Have you tried paracleanse from Aquarium coop?  Kill the parasite and he will flush them out naturally over time.  

[Christhefishman]

On 6/26/2022 at 12:21 PM, Waterlife said:

So sorry to see this, I love mine too.  Have you tried paracleanse from Aquarium coop?  Kill the parasite and he will flush them out naturally over time.  

They’re such amazing fish! He’s my favorite catfish I’ve personally kept so I reallyyyy want to help him out. I have ParaCleanse and expel p coming in the mail should be arriving this week. My understanding is expel p (levamisole) is geared towards things like camallanus which thank god I haven’t spotted or had to deal with in years but I went into panic mode and bought both just to have but I’m planning on using the ParaCleanse. So this deff sounds like he got worms?? Ugh He’s been in the main tank for a few months so guess it would be smart to treat the whole tank 

[Waterlife]

Maybe the whole tank but sometimes it’s an isolated event.  Hard to say, just watch the others or simply do the whole tank.  

[Christhefishman]

On 6/26/2022 at 12:40 PM, Waterlife said:

Maybe the whole tank but sometimes it’s an isolated event.  Hard to say, just watch the others or simply do the whole tank.  

Gotcha, how is this product on beneficial bacteria? I’ve used PraziPro in the past and it didn’t cause any issues but I know ParaCleanse also has metro in it as well and I’ve heard mixed things on how that effects the BB in the tank 

[Waterlife]

I don’t think it hurts.  But good question, all I ever hear is that it’s safe for fish and plants etc, but if concerned, ring your sponge fitter out, save the bacteria until meds are clear and then pour it back into the tank to restock bacteria.  Sounds like a bit much so I you could use fritz zydeco from A-Coop

 

[Christhefishman]

On 6/26/2022 at 12:54 PM, Waterlife said:

I don’t think it hurts.  But good question, all I ever hear is that it’s safe for fish and plants etc, but if concerned, ring your sponge fitter out, save the bacteria until meds are clear and then pour it back into the tank to restock bacteria.  Sounds like a bit much so I you could use fritz zydeco from A-Coop

 

Okay excellent, I’ll pick up some fritz Zyme as well. Also I found something interesting while googling around for people who’s had hoplo problems and found on another forum someone posted a few pictures with the EXACT same thing (same color same size) hanging out of its vent area for months. A few people said it looked like a prolapse? I screenshot the pics. Looks identical to my hoplo situation

[Colu]

It's difficult to tell weather it parasites off your pictures and the fact your getting no odd behaviour if it were I prolapse you would want do Epsom salt baths 1 table spoon for 3 gallons for no more than 15 minutes for a couple of days as catfish are more sensitive to salt I would maybe start at a low dose 1 table spoon for 5 gallons and see how well he tolerates it if you notice any signs of de-stress remove him from the bath straight away 

[Christhefishman]

On 6/26/2022 at 4:15 PM, Colu said:

It's difficult to tell weather it parasites off your pictures and the fact your getting no odd behaviour if it were I prolapse you would want do Epsom salt baths 1 table spoon for 3 gallons for no more than 15 minutes for a couple of days as catfish are more sensitive to salt I would maybe start at a low dose 1 table spoon for 5 gallons and see how well he tolerates it if you notice any signs of de-stress remove him from the bath straight away 

Great thank Colu! And waterlife as well I appreciate the assistance thank you both. I’m going to try the Epsom salt baths first to see how that goes since the meds won’t be here till mid week anyway. I’ll keep ya posted, thanks again wish me luck!

[Brandon p]

I’m not sure I would do much. Move it to the hospital tank and watch.