# Jack Dempsey losing scales?



## jbourke367 (Dec 31, 2019)

Hi All,
My Jack Dempsey has been slowly going downhill the last two months. I think he has some kind of nasty internal parasite that I cannot seem to treat. He had stringy white poop which I thought that I cured by making medicated food with epsom slats and API general cure. He poop was normal yesterday but today it is back to being white and stringy. I also dosed the tank with PraziPro 4 days ago. Today I discovered what looks to be a loss of scales by his belly. I have attached a video via a YouTube link below. Does a treatment for this jump out at anyone or is there not much that I can do at this point? I am running out of ideas. He gets very excited when I show him his pellets and has a fantastic appetite. He breathes very heavy. It REALLY bums be out to see him like this since I have had him since 2012. Although I know he is definitely getting up there in age I am trying my best to do everything I can.






The tank parameters are as follows: 
pH: 7.4
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 10 ppm


----------



## Ichthys (Apr 21, 2016)

White stringy poop is a classic symptom of intestinal worms, Capillaria. Flashing, scratching the belly is also a symptom, and maybe the cause of the lost scales...

You'll need a full course of Prazipro (if it treats them... I always use Sterazin).


----------



## jbourke367 (Dec 31, 2019)

Ichthys said:


> White stringy poop is a classic symptom of intestinal worms, Capillaria. Flashing, scratching the belly is also a symptom, and maybe the cause of the lost scales...
> 
> You'll need a full course of Prazipro (if it treats them... I always use Sterazin).


Thank you for your reply. Is PraziPro the same as Sterazin? It looks like Sterazin is only available in Europe. When you say "full course" do you just mean the standard dose that the directions on the bottle say to do?


----------



## Ichthys (Apr 21, 2016)

Yes as directed on the bottle. I've never used it but I believe it's a 4 day course, or something like that...?

Sterazin contains Piperazine, not Praziquantel, so no, not the same.


----------

