True Perc with internal parasite?

falco · #1 08/05/2006, 07:31 AM

Hello all,
I recently purchased a pair of true perxs from SI. At first they both jumped right into my RBTA and doing great. Now, about one week later, the femake is staying in the top corner of the tank. The male is still in my RBTA, but the female now for 2 days she just hangs in the corner. My wife said that she saw a white stringy thing hanging out of her last night and this morning she didn't even move from the corner for food? She shows no signs of brook or ich. She has nothing that you can see wrong from the outside, no spots, bumps, swelling...Do you think it is some type of internal parasite? If so how sould I treat?
Thanks in advance,
Jack

Nikon_Guy · #2 08/05/2006, 08:43 AM

According to your description and if these perc's were wild caught I would lean toward the problem being Nematodes.

A quality medicated food that contains praziquantel, levamisole and metrodinazole would be effective against those internal worms. Or you could use a hospital tank and treat the water, however be aware that levamisole is inert at the ph we run in marine tanks.

HTH

falco · #3 08/05/2006, 08:47 AM

correct they are WC. They are from the Solomon Islands.
Thank you for your response.

TCU Reefer · #4 08/05/2006, 09:56 AM

I've had two separate percs (onyx and true) that have stayed in the top corner of the tank when showing signs of internal parasites. Why do they tend to do that?

I can tell because both had white, stringy feces.

The true, currently in a 10g QT does not swim around at all and just stays in the top corner of the tank. Is that a normal behavior for percs?

Nikon_Guy · #5 08/05/2006, 01:13 PM

In my experience perc’s tend to stay pretty close to the object they have decided to host in. True, they will swim to the top of the tank when I approach because they think it’s feeding time or if something new is placed into the tank they will check it out. But for the most part they will stay in one spot bobbing up and down.

If your specimen was wild caught the likelihood of a worm is very good. However, it should also be said that if your perc’s are getting a diet too high in vegetable matter it could cause stringy feces too.

Being as your perc is in quarantine it probably wouldn’t hurt to treat it for worms.

HTH