Ahh! White poop and lethargic??

Rava

Rava

Betta Babe
Dec 26, 2002
223
0
16
CA
So I've just come home from a two and a half week vacation. Mom took care of the bettas for me while I was gone, feeding once in the morning. And I gave her instructions on how to do water changes and how often. About a week into my vacation, the fish changed hands and we had a family friend feeding them once daily. I don't know if she did any water changes. The fish were at my house, where they normally are, the whole time. And this isn't the first time I've had this family friend take care of them.

So I come home, and Vitara seemed pretty lifeless. She's not a wild fish anyway, so I didn't worry too much. But for the last several days she's barely moved from the surface of the tank, didn't eat when I fed her, and has had white poop (??). She doesn't even move when I accidentally startle her by bumping into the dresser the tank's on, and she always darts whenever I do that! I did the usual water change (30% or a little more, this time) yesterday, and she's still not looking any better. She's not acting wierd like she does when it's time for a water change, she just isn't moving or eating.

Any ideas what the problem is? I'm worried. :( Paris is doing fine, thank goodness!
 
Hi there,
is it stringy and white? That's often an indication of internal parasitic infection, such as Hexamita. If she's not eating, she's really not feeling well and you need to find out what's wrong as quickly as you can. I'd make sure the water parameters are as close to perfect as you can get them, keep the temperature very stable and try not to disturb her. If she's not eating at all, don't bother feeding her, it will only pollute the water. If you do a little research on fishyfarmacy.com and discover that she's got the symptoms of internal parasites you could try medicating with Metronidazole (mild antibiotic, very good but gentle anti parasitic medication, the med of choice for Hexamita) for 10 days (change the water every day and remedicate).
I hope that helps a bit.
 
http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquasource/ipmetro.html

I found this article- so I'll probably go with that. But I'm really wondering how she would've gotten an internal parasite... I've had her for nearly 2 years now, I moved her into a new tank around June 11th, and I thoroughly washed the tank and 2 plants (and plastic rock) that came with it before adding. How would she of obtained the parasite after all this time?!

Thanks for your help, Blinky! Much appreciated. :)
 
You're very welcome.
Most fish (so I've read) have SOME Hexamita or other flagellate parasites in their intestines. Much like the ecoli bacteria in our own, these little guys don't cause trouble most of the time. When fish are stressed by something, the parasites can take over and cause illness. Parasites can also come from sources of water, live plants, live foods, you name it. There's really no such thing as completely preventing all bacteria/fungus/parasitic life in an aquarium, the key is to provide a stable, clean environment and limit stress on the fish - that way, they'll fight off infection just like a healthy person can fight off a cold virus or germs from a scraped knee.
There are a few medications on the market that are good for fighting off intestinal parasites, I'd use what your LFS recommends. If in doubt, Metronidazole is the medication of choice, IMHO. If your fish will eat at all, you can soak its food in some of the Metro and a little tank water - this will get medication into the fish where it will work much better than just adding it to the water.
 
Thanks again! I wondered if that was the case... So I'll try and get some meds ASAP! She was sitting in a funny position today, which tells me she really doesn't feel good. :( Fingers crossed for her recovery! Thanks again, Blinky!
 
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