Force feeding and gill flukes

[Shobert]

hi all,

One of my juvenile discus has stopped eating and I am thinking of force feeding him. He's turned really thin, darkened, hanging out in the bottom of the tank (but still swims out occasionally) and has these kind of ripped areas in his fin. I think he's got hexamita but I haven't seen him poo for quite awhile so I wouldn't know what colour it is.

Does anybody know how I go about forcefeeding, like the dosages and what the procedure is? It's my last resort but I think he might die if I don't do something.

Also I think he has gill flukes as well - he seems to have one gill clamped and is just breathing on one side. One of the other discus also does this and rubs against objects in the tank. They seem to be breathing fast but I don't know what the normal rate is to compare. They breathe about the same rate as the other discus in the tank which breathe through both gills.
I have some Sterazin but I've read that gill flukes are really hard to get rid of. Haven't used any medication yet, I was wondering if the flukes can go away by themselves without treatment if I do massive water changes???

If anyone has any answers please let me know.

Thanks,

Jess

[wifey of axelfaz]

Hey there Jess

Can you post you water parameters.

I don't think I have heard of anyone force feeding fish. I think it would cause more stress to them.

It sounds like you have flukes, flukes won't just go away with water changes. We used Praziquantel. This is a Aqua Master product.

I am sure one of the Advisors will help you soon...

Best of Luck

Kerry & Cameron

[Shobert]

Just checked the water parameters, they are:

Temperature: 30 degrees celsius
Ph: 6.6
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm

[Benny]

What about nitrates...

Sounds like hex to me, has 2 of the critical symtoms

[Merrilyn]

HI Jess, it sounds like Hex to me. You need to treat that with metro. There is a sticky post in this forum about the treatment. That's the first thing that needs to be treated.

Then you can attend to the gill and body flukes with the appropriate fluke and tape worm treatment.

I really wouldn't like to try force feeding a fish. I think the possibility of causing more harm than good is very real. Once you start addressing the problems, and the fish is beginning to feel better, he should start eating by himself.

Good luck, and keep us updated.

[Shobert]

I don't know, do I just dump the metro in the water? Does that actually do anything? I mean the parasites are in his stomach and he's not eating so I can't get any metro in there.
He hasn't been eating for like a month or something. How long can discus last without food?

[Merrilyn]

If the fish hasn't eaten in a month, then I'm afraid to say, the chances of recovery are pretty slim.

You dissolve the metro tablets in about half a cup of aquarium water, and then pour the mixture into the tank. I have read that the antibiotic is absorbed via the membrane of the gills, and enters the bloodstream that way.

Naturally, if the fish is eating, then soaking food in concentrated metro before adding it to the water, is the ideal treatment, as it goes straight into the gut, where it does the most good.

Unfortunately, once a fish stops eating, dosing the tank water is the only method left.

[dreamer]

i have done force feeding to 2 of my discus they both still alive and well now

[kalebjarrod]

how did you force feed your fish?

[dreamer]

crushed some tetrabit mixed with metro and water inject with syringe (one without needle obviously)

[Squid]

Hey guys - my wife (Dr Ursula Norton) will force feed if all else fails. She would use a bird feeding seringe to inject some good stuff into the gullet but would discontinue ASAP after they begin eating. Its a last resort I guess. Sorry I cant get her to answer this as she is over in the UK doing some 'stuff'. It can either will or lose in some cases. I do have a troublsome wild blue that comes good for months after this, but then goes into the doldroms again. He is a repeat offender and sometimes I wonder whether he is worth it (death by refridgerator i reckon!) It does stress them somewhat though - not the fridge! but the force feeding