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Wasting disease ?

yukondog

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5 Year Member
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N.W. Fl.
I have a agassizii female that is mabe a year old and she is just wasting away, her head is wide as normal but her body is very thin, I have been trying to put weight back on her but no luck, she eats frozen food and live readily but flake no so much. Is it a worm or parasite? If so what med. would be best? At this point I dont think she'll make but I'll try anyway, and for future reference in case this happens again I'll know what to do. Are any live [for me mosquito larva, BBS, blackworms and bloodworms] or frozen better for putting weight back on, I have brine shrimp,cyclops and black worms. I know if worms or parasites it wont stop with just feeding, but my hopes are with a little weight gain and meds. she be a little stronger to fight this, but if she gets to far I'll put her down. I have a agassizii female that is mabe a year old and she is just wasting away, she eats frozen food and live readily but flake no so much. Is it a worm or parasite? If so what med. would be best? At this point I dont think she'll make but I'll try.
 

Mike Wise

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This could be any of several parasites or diseases - or it could just be old age. Worms have a higher fat content and best for conditioning fish. Also realize that aquatic worms can carry fish parasites and diseases. Terrestrial worms, like white- and Grindal worms, are safer.
 

yukondog

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5 Year Member
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664
Location
N.W. Fl.
Thanks Mike, if it helps any I just noticed her poop is mostly white with some flake food color [very little, but it's there], she eats flake but only pecks at it, frozen brine shrimp no problem.
AS far as age she is probably about a year give or take a little, I'll try and get a picture.
Prazipro or Flubendazole 10 % powder has been recommended, does this sound about right?
When it comes to diseases unless it's ick I'm in the dark. I did have enough of the Prazipro left for one treatment on the 10gl. last night.
 

yukondog

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664
Location
N.W. Fl.
Also realize that aquatic worms can carry fish parasites and diseases. Terrestrial worms, like white- and Grindal worms, are safer.

Because of covid-19 all my LFS are out of any live food and dont know when they'll be seeing any again.
 

Mike Wise

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Unless it's some species that has been gone from the hobby, I don't medicate for something I don't know the cause. I typically just try good food, good water, and a quiet environment and let the fish's immune system do its best. I find that medicating often is more expensive the replacing a fish. That being said, your medication can't hurt and, hopefully, may help.
 

yukondog

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5 Year Member
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664
Location
N.W. Fl.
I agree with you on the fish compared to the price of meds. and normally I can't justify spending 20.00 for meds. for a 5.00 fish, she is my last female aggi. The only thing I can find local is Prazipro, at this point I would normally cull the fish [big head, paper thin body] and chances are I will still lose her at this point, so I figure I have nothing to lose but the 15.00 but at least I'll have it on hand.

I don't medicate for something I don't know the cause. I typically just try good food, good water, and a quiet environment and let the fish's immune system do its best.
That's pretty much what I've been doing but to no avail, WC every other day [with no meds.],she'll readily eat any live food I give her but no weight gain only loss.
 

Miss ATV

Member
Messages
58
Jumping on this thread, are there any signs other than the fish getting skinnier to look for in wasting disease?

My cacatuoides female is refusing to eat anything I give her at the moment, I tried live/frozen/gel/pellets/flakes and nothing. For the last week I have not seen her eating properly. At first I thought she looks skinnier because the male was chasing her and she was hiding all the time but now she's been alone in the tank just her and 5 fry and she still hides a lot and only comes out at feeding times and forages around but not actually eating. I did see her snacking on 1-2 detritus worms this week but yesterday and today not.

She looks extremely skinny and much darker in colour than usual, has long almost translucent faeces, rests a lot on the bottom and the backdrop when she swims and her eyes look slighly glassy?

Could it be this disease? She is not interested in the fry anymore and they are not interested in her.

20200805_171137.jpg
 

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Miss ATV

Member
Messages
58
What live food have you tried? Mosquito larva are the go to for me.
How old is she?


I gave daphnia and bbs, daphnia was all I managed to get hold of at a local pet store. She's about 8 months, never had her refusing food, male sometimes refuses the usual food so I alternate but she was ok until now. I tried frozen mosquito larvae but no she doesnt even go near them.
 

yukondog

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5 Year Member
Messages
664
Location
N.W. Fl.
At this point I start cultivating live mosquito and bloodworm larvae, to see if I can trigger the attack and eat mode, some would say you might need to worry about parasites, but the way I see it I need to worry about keeping her alive. Depending on where your at in the world, I'm sure you have mosquito and maybe bloodworms you can cultivate.
 

Miss ATV

Member
Messages
58
At this point I start cultivating live mosquito and bloodworm larvae, to see if I can trigger the attack and eat mode, some would say you might need to worry about parasites, but the way I see it I need to worry about keeping her alive. Depending on where your at in the world, I'm sure you have mosquito and maybe bloodworms you can cultivate.


Thank you, I just tried with bloodworms and she is not interested. Actually today she doesn't seem interested into foraging anymore just resting on the bottom or hiding. Whatever she's got, it has completely killed her appetite. I wish I would know what it is so I could at least attempt to help her.

Would adding a UV light help in anyway? I read on another website something about if it is fish TB then UV light and over filtration would help? I could add an additional filter as well if needed?
 

Mike Wise

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5 Year Member
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11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
UV will sterilize free bacteria in the water, but do nothing for internal diseases. For a UV system that could sterilize your tank you could buy a dozen or more apistos.
 

Miss ATV

Member
Messages
58
UV will sterilize free bacteria in the water, but do nothing for internal diseases. For a UV system that could sterilize your tank you could buy a dozen or more apistos.

Thanks Mike, I didn't even get a chance to look at the prices to be honest in the end because she was so poorly yesterday that I had to put her down. Paper thin, barely swimming at the surface resting on the filter and all dark almost black. I assume it had to be something internal as she was trailing clear faeces 3 times her body length.
 

Yvonne G

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193
Location
Clovis, CA
More spam.:mad:
I only log onto the Forum once a day, first thing in the a.m. and I read every new post. So I'll catch 'em and deal with 'em daily. You can ignore them, or 'report' them. I'll get them daily. This one was a little different because he wrote the word 'scam' in his post. It had me scratching my head. ??? But he's gone til next time!
 

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