Long poops.. What next?
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Jay Hemdal
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If a fish has long poops how do you evaluate if it's problematic and what next steps should be taken? Could it simply be over feeding?
Tough to see in the picture - is that feces behind the fish, going over its top?
Feces in fish can be a symptom of disease, or nothing at all. If the feces are tan/brown, I don't worry about it. If it is white, like mucus, it can be an issue. Here is a write-up I did on the topic:
Excess mucus in fish feces:
This will present as white or light colored, stringy fecal material that often hangs from the fish’s anus for a longer than normal period. There are a number of different causes for this, some benign, others very serious. Without access to a microscope, there is little that can be done to diagnose this issue effectively.
Idiopathic mucus feces: this fancy term is just to describe white mucoid bulky feces of no serious consequence, but of an unknown cause. Some suspicion is that this can be caused by changes in diet or diets high in fats.
Starvation: Fish that have no food moving through their bowels may excrete white mucoid feces with little bulk to them. The primary diagnostic for this issue is evident in that the fish won’t been seen to be eating. Resolving the anorexia is of course the prime focus to resolve this issue.
Bacterial infection: internal bacterial infections can cause stringy feces as well. While some of these may resolve on their own, medicated foods containing a broad spectrum, gram negative oral antibiotic may be required.
Metazoan infections: multicellular worms are often blamed for mucoid feces, but in reality, they are almost never the root cause for this, and really, can only be diagnosed through looking for their ova in fecal samples. Fish can harbor tapeworms and nematodes without producing mucoid feces.
Protozoan infection: Hexamita and related diplomonad flagellate protozoans very frequently cause white stringy feces, especially in newly acquired clownfish. Metronidazole is the most frequent treatment for this issue. It can be dosed orally at 25 mg per kg of fish body weight, or 5 g in a kg of food. However, it is a very bitter medication, and some fish will refuse to feed on food containing it. It can be dosed in the water at 25 mg/l, but this is more effective in treating marine fishes, as freshwater fish do not “drink” aquarium water.
Coccidia: These microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled parasites are common diseases in dogs and cats. In fish, they cause epithelial necrosis of the gut, enteritis and the copious production of mucus (Noga 2010). These cannot be diagnosed without microscopic examination, and there is no well researched cure for this in fishes, although Toltrazuril has been tested.
Constipation: This malady is often given as a cause for stringy feces, but it is not as common as one would think. When it is seen, the feces are usually dark, not light in color. Often touted as a “cure for constipation”, many aquarists add Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to the aquarium’s water – do not do this in marine aquariums, its use is primarily as a tonic/dip for freshwater fish. Seawater formulas already contain between 7 and 19 grams of magnesium sulfate per gallon (depending on the recipe). NSW magnesium level is around 1200 ppm and sulfur is around 840 ppm. Some benefit might be seen using it as a dip in additional concentrations, but adding a small amount to a marine aquarium itself has no benefit. Epsom salts do have some possible benefit when mixed into the food as a 3% by weight adjunct. Another commonly heard remedy for constipation is; “feed fresh peas”. This is an effective cure for fancy goldfish and Malawi cichlids that develop constipation and bloating. Again, overextrapolation has marine aquarists trying to feed peas to carnivorous fish, etc. The best method to enhance gut motility in fish is to feed frozen adult brine shrimp – not as a permanent diet, just long enough to get the constipation resolved.
Jay
Red2143
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Thanks for the quick response. Yes it was so long it wrapped up over the fish.
Given all the different options of what could be a problem or begnin, what do you recommend as a course of action? Fish are in a reef tank.
Given all the different options of what could be a problem or begnin, what do you recommend as a course of action? Fish are in a reef tank.
Jay Hemdal
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Jay Hemdal
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Can you get it to eat more vegetable matter? Algae, nori things like that? If the mucus is from to high of a fat diet, that will help. Also, if the issue is from protozoans, adding more plant material in the diet provides roughage that helps flush those out.
Jay
Red2143
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Thank you. I can try. At what point do you dose the tank or remove to QT? I think people commonly use prazi?
Jay Hemdal
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So - people use prazi, but they are wrong (grin). Prazi only controls external flukes and internal tapeworms. Internal tapeworms are not a cause of white feces.
Metronidazole/Metroplex has some benefit if the issue is protozoal.
I wouldn't move the fish for treatment as long as the only symptom is mucus feces. If it goes off feed or starts to breath fast or becomes lethargic, then consider treatment.
Jay
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Jay Hemdal
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The goby is a bit thin, is it eating well?Similar issue with a Bella goby in QT. Has gone through copper/metro phase. Moved to new tank and just received second dose of praziquantel. First pick with fish and second one when most fell off fish and I siphoned out with airhose. Looks like intestines??
The color of the feces is good (not white or clear). The shape might worry you, but that’s normal. The length is the only issue, and may not be a real problem, what food are you feeding it?
Jay
