Does my clownfish have worms?

[Ingasar]

I noticed what looked like white stringy stool tonight coming from my clownfish. He is currently in a qt and being treated with copper from having an ich breakout.

If this is worms, is the stool actually part of the worm?

Is it ok to dose prazipro in my qt with the copper already in there?

How dangerous is the worm to the fish? So far he is eating great and looks great. He has been in the qt for 2.5 weeks.

Thanks

 

[alprazo]

It would be highly unusual for a captive raised fish to have worms. That said, they rarely kill their host. I don't know what it is, but if it is a worm, they are often self limited in the aquarium and the fish will pass them. The lifecycle requires an intermediate host like a crustacean or a snail that would then have to be eaten by the fish to complete.

 

[Ingasar]

It would be highly unusual for a captive raised fish to have worms. That said, they rarely kill their host. I don't know what it is, but if it is a worm, they are often self limited in the aquarium and the fish will pass them. The lifecycle requires an intermediate host like a crustacean or a snail that would then have to be eaten by the fish to complete.

So your telling me that as long as I dont ha e a crustacean in my tank then I'm ok? How long will it take to pass the worm?

How does the lifecycle require a crustacean?

 

[alprazo]

First, catch the fish, catch the fish and see if it is a worm. It is pretty easy.

Lifecycle of flukes often require snails.

Lifecycle of fish tapeworms often requie a crustacean

If I could tell you why, I'd be doing something else.

 

[Ingasar]

If it is a worm, what should I do?

Will it move to other fish?

 

[Ingasar]

Can anyone please confirm that prazipro is ok to use with Mardel coppersafe?

 

[alprazo]

Safe. But praziquantel has limited efficacy for internal worms.

 

[Tarawa]

supposedly if you soak food in prazi, it works really well

 

[Ingasar]

I tried the pellets soaked in Prazi and she would not eat them. If these are tank raised clowns then wouldn't the chances be unlikely that it's a parasite?

How can one distinguish white stringy stool from a parasite?

 

[ThRoewer]

How can one distinguish white stringy stool from a parasite?

Collect it and put it under a microscope.

 

[Ingasar]

I don't have a microscope. Would a magnifying glass work?

 

[alprazo]

Yes. For a worm that size it would. Or take a pic with phone, then zoom in

 

[Ingasar]

I switched her over to pellets and now the stool is long stringy brown. She still looks great and is eating. She seems to like the pellets much better than the pe mysis.

I am now thinking that this is all just dietary.