# okay this is NOT normal. white stringy poop that pulled itself back in! :o



## masshiimarro (Apr 16, 2011)

yep, it pulled itself back in. it was really long, and at one point there were two ends sticking out. and then... gradually, it snuck back in... 0_o im pretty sure its a parasite, since it looks... wormy, but what do i do?? my PK has been having cloudy eye spots again, but originally i thought it was becuase of i rearranged his plants and there was some dieoff was causing the water quality to go down. but now i have my suspicions that it has to do with these creepy white strings that came out and somehow dissappeared back in..
hes currently being quarantined in another container with some aq salt added. 
help? 

Housing 
What size is your tank? 10 gal divided 3 way
What temperature is your tank? 78-79
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? no its already hot enough here..
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? 2 divided fellow bettas, nerites and pond snails

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? pellets and occasional frozen bloodworms
How often do you feed your betta fish? 4 pellets a day or 2 pellets 2 worms 

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? prime

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia: na
Nitrite: na
Nitrate: na
pH: na
Hardness: na
Alkalinity: na 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? a cloudy spot on both eye and that creepy white string he was pooping and never came out. 
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? not really changed, still active
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 2 days ago his eyes clouded, the poop was tonight. 
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? AQ salt
Does your fish have any history of being ill? had a spot of cloudy eye that mysteriously disappeared on its own.
How old is your fish (approximately)? 1 year? 

i have crappy pictures here, but its better than nothing! sorry about the quality. in all of them, just look for the white string that hangs where he poops. :|


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## masshiimarro (Apr 16, 2011)

oh and i also saw rather big sized normal poop as well.. constipated? sigh.. 
heres another pic of those strings..


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## masshiimarro (Apr 16, 2011)

umm... anyone? its really worrying me..


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## bettaloverforever16 (Jan 14, 2011)

I really don't know, but I hope you get help soon


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

I'd pick up either Jungle Anti parasite food or get Jungle parasite clear tank buddies. But really, any antiparasite treatment from the pet store should do.

Edit - Also make sure you treat in his main tank and vacuum his gravel really well after treatment.


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## BetterBetta (Jun 13, 2011)

I'm no expert, but it does look like internal parasites, and I would go with something he can ingest to wipe the parasite out, like vaygirl said I would go with Jungle Anti Parasite Fish Food. However, I've heard these don't taste so well, and it helps to soak them in garlic juice or something like bloodworm juice sick. Ingesting it will help to clear the parasite out, as it focusing on internal parasites.

EDIT: This is from Darkmoon17's sticky:


> *Internal Parasites*
> •Symptoms: Betta is losing weight but eating normally and acting lethargic.
> He/she might dart or rub against decor.
> •Treatment: These can be hard to fight and can get confused with the fatal disease Tuberculosis. Perform daily 100% water changes (if possible, for larger aquariums change 3/4). Make sure you carefully clean the gravel to remove eggs/larva. Aq.Salt does not seem to be affective against internal parasites. I find combining ES with an anti-parasite med is best. Treat with 1-2tsp/gal Epsom Salt combined with either Jungle’s Anti-Parasite Pellets, Jungle’s Parasite Clear Fizz tabs or API General Cure. PP is also effective against internal parasites.


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## masshiimarro (Apr 16, 2011)

so do you guys think the cloudy eye had anything to do with this? this morning i checked and his fins started... deteriorating? idk how to explain this, but they were a little ragged on the edges and white.. it was a very little amount, im not so sure its fin rot. 
currently i have jungle fungus clear, and AQ salt on hand. i feel like he may have a bacterial infection as well since theres a cloudy eye spot on each eye. ive heard you can cure internal parasites just by garlic juicing their pellets, though it takes a while? i dont want to medicate unless i have to..
hes still very active and loves eating..


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## Indyfishy (May 31, 2010)

Unfortunately, you'll have to medicate to get rid of the parasites =/ I'd get the anti-parasite pellets, and soak them in garlic juice to tempt him to eat them. Since he might have some type of infection along with the parasites, I would use API General Cure instead of the Jungle parasite fizz tabs. Also, an epsom salt treatment will do him alot of good. AQ salt won't help him since the parasites are internal. The measurements are 1 tsp per gallon, but I'd up it to two or three if he's not getting any better. I see he's already in QT, which is great! Do a 100% water change everyday while he's in there, but i'm sure you know that already. Good luck, I hope he feels better soon!


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## masshiimarro (Apr 16, 2011)

hmm... so API general cure, epsom salt, and anti-parasite pellets? right now im more worried about the ragged fins. something about it doesnt seem right. if it was fin rot, i wouldnt be as worried... currently im thinking it might be the start of columnaris..? the ragged ends are WHITE, not dark discoloration...


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## BetterBetta (Jun 13, 2011)

PM Darkmoon17 or Oldfishlady... they'll know more than I do:roll: I'm sorry I couldn't help you that much


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## Indyfishy (May 31, 2010)

Hmmm i've never heard of the fins turning white with columnaris, doesn't it usually attack the mouth area??? Are they fuzzy looking or just white?? Maybe he's shedding his slime coat. I agree with betterbetta, I'd PM darkmoon17 or oldfishlady for advice on that one. I'm sorry, I've never heard of that before =/


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## masshiimarro (Apr 16, 2011)

hmm... theyr slightly fuzzy on the pectorals, but i can imagine since its deteriorating away.


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## Indyfishy (May 31, 2010)

It might be because of the parasites, he probably hasn't been getting enough nutrients since he's had them. I've heard of bettas getting paler when they have them, and I saw another thread on here a while back where the bettas fins were sort of falling off and it had internal parasites. But I'd still PM darkmoon17 or oldfishlady as i'm not 100% sure on that one =/


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Fish have internal parasites in the gut/intestines at all times....the healthy immune response along with expelling them on a regular basis keeps the fish asymptomatic...its normal in other words, however, when the fish start to become symptomatic a treatment may be needed...

I only use natural treatments for internal parasites-that being fresh crushed garlic given orally 3 times a day...but it takes 6 weeks to see any results....Epsom salt 3tsp/gal is also helpful to aid in purging the internal parasites along with the feeding of fresh garlic....

If you want medications I would contact Darkmoon....


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

My boys have had cloudy eye from time to time and it would clear up on it's on with increased water changes. Is it just like a pinpoint of a spot on his eye or is his whole eye cloudy?


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## masshiimarro (Apr 16, 2011)

@vaygirl: its only one spot/dot on both eyes. this has happened before on one eye only and it mysteriously went away. this time its both eyes..


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

For me it always came and went, like you said. Sometimes one eye, sometimes both. Only one of my bettas ever had that issue and it was always resolved with clean water and time.

I do know that pond and nerite snails can have die offs when food runs out and then they can end up rotting in the tank and spiking ammonia. I have them in all my tanks as well and I've had this happen. So if it were me, I would get a test kit (if you don't already have one). Those pinpoint white spots are usually related to water quality issues and you could be getting ammonia spikes.


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## masshiimarro (Apr 16, 2011)

for a betta to get white spots on their eyes becuase of water quality.... does that mean that the water quality has gotten really bad? i have lots of live plants in my tank that should take away some ammonia.....?


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

No, not necessarily really bad. My ammonia has never been above .50 when I checked and my water naturally has a .25 ammonia reading. And I also have planted tanks. It's just something to consider and one of the reasons to have some kind of testing kit so you know what's going on rather then having to guess. Especially if you have snails. He's QT'd right now so it might clear up in the cup with more frequent water changes.


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## masshiimarro (Apr 16, 2011)

okay, so upon closer inspection of his body, it seems like.. hes shedding his slime coat maybe?? i have no idea what shedding slime coat looks like, but he seems to have areas of the front of his body where theres noticeably an extra layer kinda floating away from him but still attached. its mostly translucent and has the texture of the jelly of pond snail egg sacs? is shedding the slime coat harmful and what does it mean?
his fins seem to have gotten better and the white ends are disappearing on his pectorals, which is good, right? his eye spots are also slightly fading.
lol the poor little bugger seemed soo very happy when i gave him his food, he jumped for it. no worries hes still in QT, but the poor guy, being floated in his tank but unable to get to it. im sure hes bugged by that. :|


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Excessive slime coat, sloughing the slime coat is usually an indication of an irritant of some type...either from the water itself, external parasites-even salt can cause this reaction.....watch for other symptoms like flashing, stops eating, hiding , becomes lethargic....etc.....if you haven't already...make a water change....


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## masshiimarro (Apr 16, 2011)

i do water changes twice a day for this guy, since hes in the little walmart cup floating in his tank right now. as to irritants, i cant imagine what would be irritating him, unless its salt. theres a bit of salt in there becuase originally i thought his fins had issues, but if it was the slime coat being irritated should i take out the salt and just leave his water as is?


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Sodium chloride (aquarium salt) is irritating to the fish-but-that is what you want it to do....this make the fish create more slime coat for protection, healing....etc.....

Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) is usually not irritating as bad as the NaCl

Heavy metals in the water can be irritating and chlorine, chloramine...all an irritant that can cause excessive slime coat...you also have external parasites but you usually will see flashing and over medicating and over use of a lot of different chemicals in the tank can cause excessive slime coat production.....

What all are you using in the water...I would not change the water more than once a day even in the small temporary container.....


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## masshiimarro (Apr 16, 2011)

currently the water is treated with aquasafe and has just a pinch of AQ salt.


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