Parasites???? Help

[ellner357]

Well It looks like It's coming out of where he poops, It's very long. Probably the same lenght of him, I've had a couple of unexplainled mollie deaths in the tank too. I'm worried, do I have parasites? I've got some ghost shrimp in the tank too. So I don't know what meds to use? I don't want my fish to kick the bucket. What should I do?
Pics were hard to get. Won't come out but this is the best I can get. What should I do!
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r232/ellner357/DSCN1073.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r232/ellner357/DSCN1074.jpg

[blainep]

Hey ellner,

Are you sure it's not just poop ?

I remember my old pleco, that fish would have a string of poop hanging out of him about 2 feet long ! It was nasty !

I certainly don't know everything, but I've never heard of a parasite of that size in the aquarium, with the possible exception of a tapeworn, but I think they generally live inside the fish.

[Melody]

If its stringy and white it may be internal parasites, otherwise its just the Pleco poop machine.

[ellner357]

It's defintealy not pleco poop, I know what that looks like. You said it he's a poop machine, It's exceptionaly long probably 8" the last one I saw and it was a long white string attached to a pice of pleco poop. I picked up some parasite meds for the tank today. Should I do anything with my filter media???

[CACAdmin]

Most meds say to remove any carbon (if that's what you're using in your filter).

[Melody]

Pretty much the only thing that will work on internals is Garlic, PraziPro or food soaked in meds. Any parasite med with Praziquantel (sp?) should do the trick, but internals are not easy to get rid of.:no:

[ellner357]

I got some prazi pro, should I soak food in the meds?

[Melody]

Nope, that one works in the water column and I doubt they'd eat food soaked in it. Follow the directions to the letter - its highly concentrated and potent stuff. Good luck!

[ellner357]

So I've dossed with Prazi Pro, now I tool my active carbon out of one filter and unpluged the other, now the important question. How the **** do I know when these little *******s are dead? I don't want to stress and over dose my fish but I don't want to not kill the parasites either?

[Melody]

Follow the directions and don't go over the recommended dose. The feces should improve and you can go by that, then the fish will gain weight. You can dose again after a big waterchange or two if you think they aren't gone, but give it the full term first.