# Tropheus sick



## Kingsix67 (Aug 29, 2014)

Hi,

I have a wild caught tropheus illangi which is pictured in my profile pic. The other day I noticed some white stringy poop (usually meaning trouble) and he of course is not eating and has been resting quite a bit. He is still active and comes out with other fish. He has always been dominate and is not being chased at all. Besides the poop color and not eating he looks normal. Any ideas on what I should do? I tested water and did a 50% water change and added some salt 1tbsp per 5 gallons.

The tank is a 75 gallon tank running several months with mixed male stocking. Water test 0 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 40ppm nitrate before water change.

I'm pretty sure he is sick and need to know if I should treat with meds or just keep an eye on him. I do have a 10 gallon hospital tank if need be.

Thanks,

Jared


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Sounds like bloat. Read this thread. You should treat the whole tank. If you can't find Clout use Metro. What kind of salt did you use? Only epsom salts are recommended for bloat and it's debatable if using them makes a difference once the fish have white stringy poop.

Tropheus need to be with other tropheus. They don't do well as singles.


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## Kingsix67 (Aug 29, 2014)

Thanks for the reply. I read the article and bought some clout. I moved him to 10 gallon quarantine tank and added the first dose. I'm going to follow the instructions on that thread and do a half dose tonight and than nothing tomorrow and a 80% water change with another full dose the following day and see how it goes. His color was a little pale this morning but he was up and around exploring the small tank decorations.

I was thinking about adding more tropheus but didn't think more male tropheus would be a good idea. He has always been the most dominate fish in the tank and has never had any issues getting picked on. Even now his fins are all still in perfect condition and his color looks good.

I will update you and let you know how it goes. Thanks again.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Good luck with it. Tropheus can be prone to bloat, especially wild caught ones. How long have you had him?


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## Kingsix67 (Aug 29, 2014)

I've had him almost a year. Probably my favorite fish in my 75G. He looks good today. Color is back. He is swimming around. He was very shy to people when I got him but has never been shy to other fish. He warmed up a few weeks after I got him to being fed and was always eating with the others and searches for food after every feeding in the gravel. I hope he makes it and am doing my best. Again I really appreciate your help.


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## Kingsix67 (Aug 29, 2014)

Just an update we are on day 4 and he seems to be doing ok. Still hiding a lot but looks ok when he is out. Everytime I have seen him though he has white/clear stringy poop with clear clumps in different sections of it that look like small fluid filled sacs. I do not know if this is good or bad but will be doing a large water change and dosing with clout again tomorrow.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Is he still not eating?


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## wortel87 (Apr 15, 2014)

Remember flagellats can leave behind a bacterial infection.

So when you completed your full bloat treatment. And things still arent looking good. Go the antibiotic route.

For bloat the best treatment is always combining metro with a compatible antibiotic.


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## Kingsix67 (Aug 29, 2014)

I honestly haven't tried to feed him. He is still hiding. Just finished the last dose of clout. What company makes metro and should I start dosing with that. Last night he still had white stringy poop. Really long with some thicker spots in it.

I was going to attempt to feed him today and maybe another large water change. I can also go buy and add some other meds if you guys have recommendations.

Thanks!


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Kingsix67 said:


> I honestly haven't tried to feed him. He is still hiding. Just finished the last dose of clout. What company makes metro and should I start dosing with that. Last night he still had white stringy poop. Really long with some thicker spots in it.
> 
> I was going to attempt to feed him today and maybe another large water change. I can also go buy and add some other meds if you guys have recommendations.


Sorry to hear your troph is still not doing well. Bloat often has to be treated before the fish start having white stringy poop. The white stringy stuff is the lining of their intestines coming out and it's hard for them to recover from that stage.

I don't think I would treat with Metro at this point as you've already tried Clout. It may be worth trying the approach outlined below. I've soaked food in epsom salts and fed fish showing signs of bloat with good results but have not tried the more extreme approach described. I've cut and paste it from a post by someone named RD from MFK (another forum). The key point is to get the medication into the fish. PM me if you want the link.

I would consider treating your main tank also as bloat usually affects all the fish in the tank even if only one is showing signs. Soaking the food in epsom salts before feeding the fish in your main tank would be a good step. You can also try it with your troph. If he eats, great. If he doesn't, then the approach for more extreme cases may be worth considering.

Keep us posted on what happens.

*For a 3% solution of Magnesium sulphate, add 1 level tablespoon (15 grams) magnesium sulphate to 500 milliliters of distilled water. Stir, and it's good to go.

Use an eye dropper or pipette to add to pellet food (or any other food that will readily absorb it), and stop dripping water once the pellets become saturated. Use only enough water to saturate the food, with no excess water, so that the water soluble vitamins in the food remain intact. Feed twice a day, for 3-5 days. (I went with 5 days)

In extreme cases, the oral solution could be administered to a fish via a pipette.Just make sure to use a flexible tip so as not to damage the fishes esophagus when squirting the solution down the fishes throat. Only a small amount is required, but repeat daily until the fish is accepting pre-soaked pellets, and continue treatment for 5 days.

My own experience with this treatment ........ so far it's proven to be a life saver, where all other previous 'textbook' methods of treatment for internal parasites have failed, including several days of treating with 500mg Metro per 10 gallons, while feeding Metro soaked food at the same time. (fish was chewing & spitting, but was eating some food twice a day)

In less than 48 hrs of the 3% Magnesium sulphate treatment, for the first time in 30 days the fish was no longer shedding the mucous lining of his intestine. (white/clear feces) After 5 days of feeding the 3% solution via pellets, the fish had made a complete recovery & was back eating like gang busters.

Hopefully some members here will find this information useful*


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## Kingsix67 (Aug 29, 2014)

I could try but he is not eating. I thought about doing a second round of clout. He still has white stringy poop. Belly is not bloated and honestly I'm surprised he's made it this long. His color is a little lighter now and he has been resting in a rock more. What do you think about dosing with clout again?


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

I don't think another round of clout is going to make a difference at this point. If it was me, I'd go the extreme measure route and carefully squirt the solution down the fish's throat.


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## Kingsix67 (Aug 29, 2014)

I haven't taken the extreme measure of squirting meds in the fish yet but did treat with Epsom salt last night and he was out and swimming around before I left for work which is more than he has done past few days.


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## wortel87 (Apr 15, 2014)

You should give the fish a chance to heal 

People always think after treatment everything should be ok. Thats not the case. The parasites can be dead but the wounds left behind need to heal. The parasite doesnt cause the fish to die. The wounds created by them do.


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## Kingsix67 (Aug 29, 2014)

Thanks wortel. You are completely right. I haven't done a second round of clout but as I said I added Epsom salt last night. I turned the lights on and he was out swimming around. I put a few small flakes in there and he was super aggressive like normal but he did eat them. I am hoping we are on the road to recovery. Going to keep up water changes every few days in the hospital tank and keep an eye on him. No sign of stringy poop anymore. Will keep you guys up to date. Thanks for all your help zimmy.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

That's great to hear that your fish is recovering. The other thing to consider is that the medication is tough on the fish and it takes them time to recover from the treatment.

There isn't a lot of evidence that putting epsom salts in the tank actually makes a difference. There is evidence to support that it has benefit if you can get it into the fish. Since your fish is eating, I would put half a teaspoon of distilled water in a cup and add some epsom salt to it. Then add it to the fish food in a spoon just enough to saturate it, not so the food is floating in water. Feed the fish this treated food.

I used to keep a colony of tropheus and I'm convinced that the epsom treated food method is the reason why I never lost one.


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## Kingsix67 (Aug 29, 2014)

Everything seems to be working. Poop looks funny but is getting more solid. Going to try to feed him just regular food again today after work and see how that goes.


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## wortel87 (Apr 15, 2014)

Also give him deshelled peas. Like 2 times a week. Will help a great deal to move things allong.

You can also put a certain ammount of epsom salt in your tank after each water change. Some prevent bloat in tropheus doing this. The ammount i dont know.


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## Kingsix67 (Aug 29, 2014)

He is looking good and eating. I'm thinking its time to move him back to the 75G since the 10G is looking a little cramp. Thanks for the help guys!


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