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Thread: Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

  1. #1
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    Default Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    I have read several times about fish spitting food that it indicates worms. However I have been to breeders and friends houses and seen the same behavoir from some of there fish. I have questioned the worm issue and they usualy give me the raised Eye Brow treatment!

    Here's the KICKER I have fish who hide a lot and spit there food out and then eat it again CBW's not always but a lot of the time. But I never see white fecies or any other tell tell signs. I have another tank with PB's there very happy, come out to see me will eat from my hand they also spit there food but eat t again. But in there case I did see other signs like the white fecies. But there behavoir was really friendly and vary out going no one fish acted even the least bit shy!

    So i wasn't sure if I wanted to treat for worms because I wasn't sure the fish were sick! After reading the post from Brewmaster on Metro I realized an easy way to check. I raised the temp of my tank to 90(f) and waited a day. And sure enough 8 hours later I started to see more little white critters laying at the bottom of my tank!

    So I'm preparing to treat my PB's. But I'mstill not sure if spitting food is a good indicator. I just don't want a lot people new to the hobby freakin out, if they dont have too.

    Thanks for taking the time to read this!
    Shive

  2. #2
    Registered Member Carol_Roberts's Avatar
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    Default Re:Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    Not worms - intestinal flagellates. Healthy fish only spit food out if the chunk is too big to swallow. Intestinal flagellates damage the gut . . . .maybe more like ulcers in people . . . the fish will take a small biteand spit it out Eventually they stop eating altogether.

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    Default Re:Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    Carol, will you still see the white stringy fecies if the fish have flagellates??? Or is that only if they have worms?

    Thanks
    Shive

  4. #4
    Registered Member Carol_Roberts's Avatar
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    Default Re:Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    white stringy feces is a sign of flagellates - not worms.

    Worms are white creatures (not muscus) that may be expelled through the vent. Fish with worms are hungry all the time and don't gain weight or may look bloated from worms in gut, but rest of body is thin.

  5. #5
    Administrator brewmaster15's Avatar
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    Default Re:Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    Also as an additional note to Carols. yellow Feces or hollow clear feces is a good indication that worms may be present in the intestinal track. The yellow in particular may mean capillaria . Microscope examination of this will often show small barrel shaped eggs of the worms.

    hth,
    al

  6. #6
    Registered Member bikhu's Avatar
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    Default Re:Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    So then how does one treat for this or these problems?

  7. #7
    Registered Member Carol_Roberts's Avatar
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    Default Re:Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    Intestinal flagellates is metronidazole. Directions in the "Most Common Treatments" thread this section

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    Default Re:Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    I'm with Carol for this sign of Hex..first it will start with splitting food and next is stop eating and white feces,

    Cheers,
    Preeda

  9. #9
    Registered Member April's Avatar
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    Default Re:Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    the capillaria can be treated with prazzi in the food..or flubendazole. which is a more demanding treatment.
    but.. sounds to me like these fish are more flagellates.
    if you go to the library of simplydiscus and to the medications and disease section either there or the forum..there should be articles on the signs and medications and treatments etc.

  10. #10
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    Default Re:Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    Man, all my fish must be just sickly things........ I've got to disagree, spitting food isn't a sign of a sick fish. However, sick fish will spit their food back out. What I'm saying is spitting food will increase if your fish are sick but spitting food doesn't indicate they are sick. So, I wouldn't use spitting food as a sign your fish are sick......Ya know, "crap my fish are spitting food......They must be sick" but at the same time if they are acting sick, craping white, and hiding and ALSO spitting all food, then you have a problem

  11. #11
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    Default Re:Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    I don't know much about discus, that's why I'm here, but it seems to me that my fish taste food and if they are unsure or don't like it they spit it back out. When I started them on BH they would spit it out over and over but now it'd gone in one bite. CBW always dissappear so fast it's unbelievable, no spitting out there. But tetra bits are 100% spite out, over and over, they just don't like it.

    Am sure if they had worms, etc. they would also spite food out.

  12. #12
    alex_m
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    Default Re:Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    Hi,

    I agree with Rick.

    Discus spit the food but then they eat it again.

    In other words if your fish are spitting the food and they don't

    eat it at all, you have a problem.


    You say that your fish are hiding, that's not good.

    Discus should be jumping out of the tank begging for food when they see you.

    Also, discus spit food when there is heavy infesteation with gill

    worms.

    good luck

    alex




  13. #13
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    Default Re:Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    Rick I agree with you...I think at least from juviniles which is all I have been around so far! That they spit there food out a lot but are not sick. In my case I had a tank of Juvies that acted perfeclty except for the fact that they would play with there food and had some white fecies. They turned out to have tape worm's which I suspected and treated. The tank with the shy juvies came out of a bad situation in the first place. I thought that they would be the sick ones they displayed more symptoms. But they were fine I treated them anyways to be sure! I used this stuff called Parasite Clear it's like a coktail approach it has Fubenzol,Prazzi,and Metro all combined. My fish showed no ill effects unlike the other fish I treated so I think they are fine. So there you go! I woudn't get to concerned if they spit the food and play with it but I would look for the other tell tale signs listed in the above post!

    Shive



  14. #14
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    Default Re: Does fish spitting food really mean worms?

    This is an old post, curious if there has been a change of opinions, or treatments.

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