my apistos in trouble

[Karin]

Can this be worms? A few weeks ago I lose my cacatuoides male. He seemed perfectly well but suddenly he started to hide, went pale, was afraid of the females around and lose weight (he was kind of ‘fat’ before that). He was still interested in food until he stopped eating. The last time I saw it he had a white feces hanging from its anus, he “wanted” to eat but didn’t do it and disappeared between the plants. Now one of the two females until yesterday perfectly healthy (apparently) (she had recovered from a bitten fin lately) and interested in food, is hiding. She looks dark, bloating and swimming back and forth on the same spot on the bottom… she seems to want to get out to eat but she clearly can’t. The other female and dithers look perfect for the moment. I have the feeling that there are some parasites among my fish. Could this be so? Nematodes? I can get some levimasol. How can I know if it is not a different kind of parasite (protozoa i.e)? Could I be feeding too much? I think there is a link between the apistos getting suddenly ill and dying in the last months.

thanks!!

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
It sounds like Camallanus. Levamisole should work, although it may be too late for the female.

Have a look at <"Camallanus.....">.

cheers Darrel

 

[gerald]

Maybe Camallanus or other worms, Hexamita or other protozoa, Mycobacterium or other bacteria ... there are many possibilities (or combinations of them) that could cause bloating, appetite loss, heavy breathing, pale or darkening color, and related symptoms.

 

[Karin]

Thank you guys, I am really not sure of what exactly is going on...probably this fish is not going to make it, but I want to erradicate what ever the problem is. Today my vet will get me levamisol, but is difficult to know if it will be the correct step to do. I have been reading on levamisol and looks quite safe. In the case of hexamita which is the recomended treatment? thanks for the info Darrel. In case the fish wont make it I'll try to look for the worms (camallanus) in an autopsy. What else should I look for if I opened her?

 

[gerald]

Look for granulomas in the kidney, spleen, and liver. Yellowish-tan to brown lumps, like sand grains. Healthy organs should be smooth reddish-brown, not blotchy colored. For necropsy, it's better if you kill the fish (clove oil, or cup of ice water) before it dies. Organ appearance and other things change very quickly as bacteria and fungi spread through a dying fish.

 

[Karin]

ok thanks Gerald, I have the levamisol now. I will do the treatment> i will follow your indications for the necropsy... I want to protect the other female. I have a new beutiful young male in a quarantine tank...growing really fast.

 

[rr16]

I've (my fish have) had Camallanus in the past - it killed off a few cacatoiudes which had very heavy infections with worms protruding from the anus. It was horrible, but seems to have completely disappeared now. The male lived for a while longer after successive treatments of what I think was levamisole (but it was a long time ago) but still had remaining worms, even after shedding some, and a very stretched anus. Interestingly the head and tail light tetras used to get them but would often spontaneously shed them after a garlic feed sometimes. Good luck either way.

 

[gerald]

Not sure about Camallanus, but many parasitic worms (especially flukes) are very host-specific. A species that normally infects Apistos might get eaten by a tetra and live there for awhile, but if it's not co-evolved with that host then it wont persist long term. Maybe that's what you were seeing happen; just a wild guess.