Parasite Cleanse FAQ:
Im asking because Im just curious. If one Cichlid has a parasite what are the signs? Is there **** a different color? What color should the **** be? Also if One Cichlid has a parasite does that mean a healthy cichlid in the same tank will get a parasite too
Im asking because Im just curious. If one Cichlid has a parasite what are the signs? Is there **** a different color? What color should the **** be? Also if One Cichlid has a parasite does that mean a healthy cichlid in the same tank will get a parasite too
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No i don’t think the **** is different in color but what I’ve noticed in that a Cichlid (African in my case) well stop eating or eat barely and its stomach will start to shrink, you’ll notice right away. To prevent parasites do regular water changes and NEVER OVERFEED YOUR FISH, probably the biggest reason for parasites. Anyway also i don’t think it will transfer but if kept in unclean water conditions and overfed it may develop a parasite too. Hope this helps good luck!
If one cichlid has a parasite it absolutely can and will pass it to other tankmates, particularly those with depressed immune systems caused by fighting, injury, illness, or poor water quality. Even with healthy specimens in excellent water quality, they may still kick a parasite back and forth. Picture grade school children passing around head lice. Same concept.
Depending on the parasite will determine what your outward symptoms are.
If an internal parasite, you may see your fish be a ravenous eater who is still slowly wasting away, their stomach receding until concave. This is because, just those dieters from the early 1900s who intentionally gave themselves tapeworms, the internal parasites are sapping all the nutritional and caloric value of the food, leaving the fish little to nothing left.
Ich is a parasite, as are several flatworms and other protists/inverts, that will present themselves with external symptoms. Ich, for example, is diagnosed by the presence of small, white pustules upon the fish where the parasite has latched on, while you can sometimes spot parasites clinging to the gills beneath the opercula.
Poop color can be vastly affected by the foods you feed. If you feed something righ in carotenoids, expect a reddish ****. Look for excrements that are solid, not stringy and mucous-y. Healthy ****.
Yes parasites can be passed from one fish to the next. Fish which are suspected of having any type of parasite be it internal or external should never be removed from the tank. The entire tank needs to be treated. Some parasites will infact change the color of the fish poo and in some cases pass larve parasites thru the waste into the tank.
Fish poo can be many colors, usually it is a dark gray or black. However if you are feeding color enhancing foods, it could be red (maroon) or even blue depending on the dyes in the food.
there are many types of parasites. Healthy fish rarely contract ich (an external parasite) however even healthy fish can have internal parasites.
If you suspect internal parasites feeding antiparasidic foods is the best way to rid them if they are external, treating the entire tank is the best thing to do.