The Puffer Forum

For the past month I have been battling internal parasites with my MBU puffer, BeeBoo, as well as some of my other puffers too (I guess that's what it is, the more research I do, the more confused I become in some ways). At one time, most of my puffers had the white stringy poo, and I can only guess that I must have trasmitted it from one tank to the other when I was doing my vacuuming. However, all the other puffers have gotten over it and are back to having normal poo again. BeeBoo has not.

I just recently had an interesting conversation with Neale Monks, in hoping I could narrow down what could be ailing poor BeeBoo, and I do believe I know what it is -- or at least I suspect this is what it is. Hexamita. All the symptoms sound like what BeeBoo is going through. His loss of colour, his loss of appetite, and the white stringy poo.

At first I thought the loss of colour was due to him sleeping, or relaxing, and it did seem that once he livened up a little the colour improved, and even now, if he gets excited -- say I'm vacuuming his tank and I get too close to him with the vacuum, his colour changes and becomes more intense, but the colouring soon goes back to that drab look. He seemed to have a pretty good appetite and then it went to him not eating one day, but eating the following day, and now he's gone 3 days without eating at all (that I've noticed, although I think he may be picking at the bloodworm later in the evening). Now last night I decided to try something, so I took some snails out of my snail-tank and I let them sink right in front of BeeBoo. At first, he just watched it drop ... but then he went over and he ate it. So I fed him about 6-7 more snails. His belly looked nice and full when he was done, and strangely this morning, it's still looking a good belly, not sunken-in or anything.

So thinking that it is Hexamita that I'm dealing with, I've ordered metronidazole, and just waiting for the tablets to come. Strangely enough, I have a skin condition that requires me to put a clear gel on my face, and when I went to use it the other night, I thought the name of the active ingredient seemed familiar -- that's because my medication has metronidazole in it too!! I wonder if I could use the gel?? I mean, if it's the same medication, would it matter? I haven't done anything .... but thing is, I feel that each day BeeBoo is getting worse, and I have a sinking feeling, and just hope I can turn this around and get him better. Unless someone thinks I can use the gel medication to treat BeeBoo, I will wait until the tablets come in the post.

It just sucks because BeeBoo is starting to grow, and he's always here by the computer desk watching me. I'd hate to have anything happen to him. I don't know what else to do other than to wait until the meds arrive. I'm sure someone on the forum has used metronidazole before .... can someone give me an idea about dosing. I have read what's in the library, but I prefer to talk to someone that's actually used it because I almost always have questions, and it's nice to have a person to answer those.

I feel so sorry for poor BeeBoo ..... he's so cute and I feel so helpless!

Poor BeeBoo, man I wish I could help you out, but I had no chance of fight with Hexamita and hope I never have to, How long be for mads get to you?

pufferpuggirl wrote:So thinking that it is Hexamita that I'm dealing with, I've ordered metronidazole, and just waiting for the tablets to come. Strangely enough, I have a skin condition that requires me to put a clear gel on my face, and when I went to use it the other night, I thought the name of the active ingredient seemed familiar -- that's because my medication has metronidazole in it too!! I wonder if I could use the gel?? I mean, if it's the same medication, would it matter? I haven't done anything .... but thing is, I feel that each day BeeBoo is getting worse, and I have a sinking feeling, and just hope I can turn this around and get him better. Unless someone thinks I can use the gel medication to treat BeeBoo, I will wait until the tablets come in the post.

I understand your urge to use what you have on hand but, the gel contains propylene glycol as a drying agent/carrier of the gel. Propylene glycol is highly toxic when ingested and will attack the kidneys and liver (mainly damage the nephrons in the kidneys), this is the same stuff used in anti-freeze and is a form of alcohol (for lack of an easier way to describe it). It's safe on the skin in the gel form because there is very little absorption and minuscule uptake in to the capillary bed. The main purpose of it is to help keep the gel in a gelatinous state and then to evaporate after it is exposed to air, leaving some of the metronidazole on the skin along with some components of the gel to keep it in place. Also the dosages of Metronidazole topical and orally would be vastly different.

I would hold out for the powered form (?) that you ordered.

Yeah, actually I wasn't really considering using the gel unless someone happened to know for sure that it would be okay. I realise that meds meant for people aren't always safe for other animals .... I just thought it was odd that I need metronidazole and my skin medication happens to be the same thing, very odd.

I think what I am waiting for is going to be tablets ... and I hope it's got some directions with it because I don't like using medications on fish, or any other animal for that matter. I am hoping the meds get here either tomorrow, or Tuesday at latest, so I can start getting BeeBoo better (if it works at all).

In the meantime I'm going to do a 50% water change tonight on the tank because I've read that water parameters have alot to do with the causes of Hexamita, and I want to do as much as I possibly can to make things better for BeeBoo. I just feel so sorry for him, the poor little guy.

I just saw a really gross Youtube about a fellow with worms coming out of his face. Maybe your med would help him.

Yeah, PPG, I didn't think you would use it but this is a great time to show why not. The same drug can be carried by various methods and I have heard people trying things like this.....

From a PM conversation PPG and I had that I think should make it out here:

"Easiest way to dose metronidazole is it 1% in food and feed as much as possible, the way I have done it is to mix 100 mg metronidazole to 10g food. Does he eat prepared foods like chopped shrimp? There is a trick to getting the food boluses mixed so they stay together long enough (I'll look for my recipe for the shrimp paste I used), if not you can soak in solution. I also agree with the parziquintel on the basis that you really want to take a two pronged attack on flagellates that and the fact that you're not 100% sure what the parasite actually is, even though you are pretty certain there is always that slim percent of uncertainty."

I haven't found the shrimp paste recipe yet, but it wasn't difficult to get my fish to take it.

What about pumkin seeds as treatment...I read somewhere that it could help????? Just a thought.....

I never got that one...

I've heard this too...

Ah ha! library/hospital/internal-parasites-pre ... treatment/

So sorry to hear that.

I recently lost a oscar to that disease. It's a pig to get rid of, at least in oscars.

Tried everything suggested (this was a cichlid, not a puffer) lots of changes so the water conditions were perfect, large enough tank, good varied diet. Those were actually the main suggested strategies.

Also tried Octazin courses and tea tree.

He was hanging on until a heater failed and that was too much

I used Octozin several times with no success, and when I talked to Neale Monks about using it, he said it was a waste, so I won't be using it anymore.

It just seems that this internal parasite situation is so difficult and complex. I just hope I can get BeeBoo past it. I did a 50% water change last night, even put another internal filter on the tank, for extra filtration, and I was surprised that he was up zipping around last night, begging for food. Well he completely ignored the food when I tried to feed him earlier ... so I ended up putting snails into the tank and he was eating them. At least he's eating something because last night was day 4 without any regular food. I don't know if he's eating the bloodworm that I put in for the other puffers .... I know he used to pick at it, so that's a possibility. His colouring is still very subdued though.
I don't know how I will get the meds into him, when they finally do arrive.

Fingers crossed! I hope BeeBoo pulls through

Thank you so much Tara, I really appreciate that. I will be heart-broken if anything happens to BeeBoo, so I'm really hoping that I can get him back to his normal self again.

That Metronidazole sounds like powerful medicine. I'd have tried it on the oscar if I'd have known about it. With my fish, all seems well for years then crash bang wallop with disease - it's quite odd.

Just wondering if BeeBoo likes whole king prawns as a treat? Hope he does take something medicated before too long. Again, I'm not qualified to advise you but maybe a little help from dosing the tank (if you can) would help him turn the corner enough to eat?

Fingers crossed...