symptoms
external symptoms
- Fish lose weight.
- Anal region is inflamed
- Slimy droppings
- white feces
- Abdomen is unusually fat
- Fish turn dark
- Whitish holes in the head region
Behave
- Fish do not eat food.
- Fish separate.
- Fish become calm.
- Fish swim jerkily.
internal symptoms
photos
Photo: Fritz Garritzmann
Roach with white, slimy and stringy droppings
Photo: Iris Genrich
Catfish with inflamed anus
Photos: Jenni Daus
Severely emaciated butterfly cichlid (female) with holes in the head
Photo: Christine Knopp
Goldfish, with a big bump on the hind belly. When the fish didn’t move, it was repeatedly pulled tail up, as if there was air in the bump. The droppings were long, black, and slimy. The bump may have been caused by gases given off by intestinal flagellates or worms. The fish died shortly after the recordings.
Photo: Neele Goetsch
Butterfly cichlid female with typical symptoms. It started with loss of appetite and the stool became colorless and slimy. The animal has not grown for weeks.
After treatment against intestinal flagellates, the female ate for 3 to 4 weeks, but still did not gain weight. Then it started again with loss of appetite. The female eventually had to be killed.
Photos: Petra Zinc
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Female guppy with a sunken belly and holes in the caudal fin. Of the originally three guppies, one blue female died about 4 months after being introduced after she had lost a lot of weight and was no longer able to eat. In any case, there were no changes in the tank (water parameters were as usual) except that the orange guppy lady had offspring and there were a lot of babies in the tank for a week. However, after a week they moved to a nursery tank and everything was the same as always.
As soon as the (orange) guppy lady was alone with the male, she began to hide. A new second guppy lady didn’t change that either. She then also started not to eat anymore, although she tried desperately again and again. The caudal fin also got more and more holes (see photos). This went on for a total of 4 weeks. Because she finally lay on the ground and hardly moved, she was killed.
The reason for the emaciation of both guppies may have been intestinal flagellates. Without examining it with a microscope, however, this cannot be said with certainty. The holes in the fins could have been caused by nutrient deficiencies due to the flagellates.
Photos: Petra Zinc
Butterfly cichlid female with long, white droppings. Butterfly cichlids do not usually pull long threads of excrement behind them. The female may suffer from intestinal parasites.
Photos: Matthias Modder
Scalar probably with intestinal flagellates. The scalar swam in the direction of the food, but did not eat any more. The stomach had collapsed. Two weeks previously, a scalar had died without any obvious signs. Another scalar shed white feces.
causes
Various parasites are referred to as intestinal flagellates, which are mainly found in the intestines of fish, e.g. B. Hexamita, Spironucleus, Trichomonas and Bodomonas. They are usually found in small numbers and do not harm the fish. Only when the fish are weakened due to unfavorable circumstances, e.g. B. through poor housing conditions, the parasites can multiply explosively and spread into the gallbladder and blood. The best known intestinal flagellates are the genera Hexamita and Spironucleus.
Most often, Spironucleus is the causative agent, while Hexamita is rare. Hexamita may not harm the fish at all. It may be an opportunist, feeding on bacteria that colonize wounds and the intestines of fish.
The parasites present can only be precisely determined with the help of a microscope. For this purpose, freshly deposited faeces must be collected, if possible before it lies on the ground. At 45x magnification, the fast-moving animals can be seen. When the animals become calm, do not eat and excrete white faeces, the microscope should be used to look for flagellates in the faeces. However, the flagellates are not the cause of the disease. Stress, bad water parameters, lack of vitamins and minerals, etc. trigger the disease.
As a result of an infestation with intestinal flagellates, so-called hole-in-the-hole disease can occur. The whitish holes in the head region of infested fish may be caused by vitamin or other nutrient deficiencies, often associated with intestinal flagellates. These symptoms, also known as hexamita, can occur particularly in cichlids.
Despite the name Hexamita for the symptoms, the hole disease is not exclusively caused by the Hexamita pathogen. Hexamita, like Spironucleus, is a possible culprit. Hole disease also occurs in fish that are not affected by either of these two pathogens.
Many intestinal problems suspected of having intestinal flagellates are thought to be caused by improper diet composition or consistency. A high proportion of carbohydrates or a lack of crude fiber and roughage cause the same symptoms. Because an unsuitable diet can lead to a high level of flagellate and bacterial infestation in the intestines, it is very difficult to distinguish cause and effect. As always, a balanced diet and good keeping conditions are important.
treatment suggestions
Intestinal flagellates can be successfully combated with commercially available drugs.
However, the treatment can only be successful if it has previously been ensured with the help of a microscope that the cause of the disease is actually intestinal flagellates and not e.g. B. Worm infestation.
A temperature increase of up to 35° C supports the treatment.
In some cases, the temperature increase is sufficient for treatment.
The temperature may only be raised slowly and lowered later. The temperature change should not exceed 1°C per hour.
It must be well ventilated and checked whether the respective fish stock can tolerate such high temperatures.
The holes that may appear at the same time disappear with vitamin-rich and varied food.
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Further information