Banggai Cardinal not eating

[simonfchr]

So two weeks ago i bought two banggai cardinals and a gramma loreto. After a day the first one of them wouldnt eat. It didnt really show any interest in food. The next day it had stringy white poop hanging from it and it would just stay in a corner of the aquarium. On day three i found it dead. Then yesterday i noticed the same behavior from the other one: showing disinterest in food.. and today, as i feared, i saw the same stringy white poop hanging from it. It also seems to be heavy breathing.
So my question is if theres something i can do (or have done wrong) or if ive just been unlucky? My lfs said that it sounded like stress when i told them about the first one, and that i could get a new one cheap, but now im not even sure if i want another cardinal Every other fish and coral seem to be doing fine

 

[TheEngineer]

Welcome to R2R! Sorry to hear about your troubles. White stringy poop is a sign of an intestinal parasite. Here's the details for how to treat:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/internal-pathogens.267419/

You need to get moving quickly!

 

[Brew12]

So two weeks ago i bought two banggai cardinals and a gramma loreto. After a day the first one of them wouldnt eat. It didnt really show any interest in food. The next day it had stringy white poop hanging from it and it would just stay in a corner of the aquarium. On day three i found it dead. Then yesterday i noticed the same behavior from the other one: showing disinterest in food.. and today, as i feared, i saw the same stringy white poop hanging from it. It also seems to be heavy breathing.
So my question is if theres something i can do (or have done wrong) or if ive just been unlucky? My lfs said that it sounded like stress when i told them about the first one, and that i could get a new one cheap, but now im not even sure if i want another cardinal Every other fish and coral seem to be doing fine

Stringy white poo is the sign of internal parasites. Typically to treat it you would use metroplex bound to food with Focus as long as they are eating. If they are not eating, they need to be put in a QT with metroplex in the water. My experience is that survival rates are poor once they stop eating.

Keep a close eye on your other fish. If they ate any of the stringy white poo from the cardinals they will likely have caught the internal parasites and need treatment.

 

[Big G]

You can try adding a bit of plain epsom salts (one tablespoon per 5 gallons) to the QT once you have dosed with Metro. The salts help move the dead parasites through the fish's digestive system.

 

[simonfchr]

Thank you. Will look into it and get it treated. Hopefully i will make it in time. I read somewhere that it had something to do with iridovirus and there was no hope. He was eating and behaving normally just a day ago so i dont know how i should have spotted it earlier

 

[simonfchr]

Oh and how do i know that it is parasites and not worms? Seems like same symptoms. Will have to look into where i can buy medication here in Denmark..

 

[Brew12]

Oh and how do i know that it is parasites and not worms? Seems like same symptoms. Will have to look into where i can buy medication here in Denmark..

Worms are the most common types of internal parasite.

 

[simonfchr]

Do you know if hyposalinity treatment Can help? We cant buy medication for pets in Denmark so i dont really have that option. I will look into getting some imported so i Can treat my other fish, but it will take atleast a week for it to ship

 

[TheEngineer]

@Humblefish ?

 

[JRAD]

Hypo is good for ich but not for internal parasites. Really need medicated food. Metronidazole +focus is very common.

 

[Brew12]

Hypo is good for ich but not for internal parasites. Really need medicated food. Metronidazole +focus is very common.

Agreed that Hypo won't work. I have no idea what is commonly available in Europe that can treat internal parasites. Maybe @Lasse or @Sallstrom can help.

 

[Lasse]

Hello to you, neighbour to the west

First I will stress that stringy white poo not always is a sign of internal parasites. The stringy white probably consist of the intestinal layer of the intestine and you can often see this after starvation. A newly transported fish has often become starving prior to transport (if it has been shipped properly), hence you can often see this stringy white poo in newly imported fishes.

However - this type of stringy white poo together with refusal to eat can be a sign of something going on in the digestive tract. I have no experiences with this and saltwater fish but in some African cichlids this is - combined with dark colouration and shyness - a symptom of African bloat. A disease probably caused by small flagellates. If you treat this in early stages it can work out very well. You can treat it by mixing the medicine into the water and the medicine is based on metronidazole or its derivates. There is one European product that I have test together with African cichlids and that works very well. It is Waterlife Octozin. However it is on the list of forbidden products from the Danish medicines agency - selling it in Denmark can give imprisonment of up to 1.5 years. Some Europan laws of these types of products are very strict. The laws is basically the same in the whole EU but the authorities in some countries has not yet imply the rules in the aquarium industry. Surprisingly, if you turn eastward - this products is still on the shelfs. An this in a country that Danish people believe is the most regulated and bureaucratic country in the world IMO - It is illegal to sell it without a description even in this country but the industry has not understood it yet, but it will come - be sure of that

Because of that this drug works against flagellates - it is not sure that it is reef safe - especially for corals - the zooxanthella is a type of flagellate too.

And of cause - Welcome to R2R

Sincerely Lasse