Tapeworm? Suggestions please.

[Redox600]

Hey y'all!
I'm posting to get opinions on how to treat one of my sick discus. I currently have 5 small discus in a 55G planted tank with 4 corys and a black ghost knife. They have been in the tank with no issues for about 3 months. My pH is 7, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10.
A few days ago I noticed 'Finigan' (a discus) hiding in the corner, not eating tetra bits or frozen blood worm, dark in color, fins twitching once in a while. Then this morning his feces was long, white and somewhat segmented. From what I have read this could be due to internal parasites such as tapeworms. I have increased the water temp to 85 degrees (from 82) and am considering getting some 'Praziquantel' to treat his condition. Should I move 'Finigan' to his own hospital tank for treatment, or treat the entire tank and all the inhabitants (scaleless Black Ghost Knife included)?
Any other thoughts or suggestions would be greatly apprecated.
Thanks.
Tad.

[Don Trinko]

If it is tapeworms Prazi pro ( or other prazi products) is ussualy a 100% cure.
Don T.

[ShinShin]

Proper treatment depends on accurate diagnosis. Sort of segmented? Tapeworms are opaque white, uniformly flat, and uniformly segmented. Their shape is consistant, resembling a narrow ribbon. Prazi will kill tapeworms 100%.

Sometimes a discus will pass translusant white, ununiformly roundish masses which are not tapeworms an require a whole different treatment. Prazi is useless here. Can you say for certain which your discus passed? Some people often confuse the two, but are both easily recognizable once you have seen them both. This could be either a bacterial infection ot a flagellate protozoan infestation.

From your symptoms posted, I go with either of the last two, and not tapeworms. Other than slow growth, discus show no real symptoms from tapeworms unless an absolutely huge infestation is occuring in which cae they will be swollen in the abdomen. But normally, they appear quite natural and healthy.

Mat

[MostlyDiscus]

sounds like some kind of irratation of the gut to me. Out of all the treatments done for tapeworms my fish had them once. That was when I brought some wilds in from a friend. Those fish btw were heathly and hugh and ate as much as I would feed them. If I had to guess I would say its hex. Metro over 10 days were be the course of action for me for hex. Just a note,,, all of my tanks are bare bottom and that makes it easy to clean. Gl GD(good luck good discus) Ed

[1077]

You may wish to google info on Jungle Labs anti- parasite medicated fish food. I have used it to treat for worms and it contains the proper medicines. I disagree with all due respect that fish with worms show no sign unless heavily infested. One indicator at least for me is fish that continues to eat yet fails to gain weight in comparrison to its tank mates. This usually happens long before worms actually appear. The above food has worked for me with not only worms but other parasites as well.:) P.S. my apologies to shinshin, slow growth was mentioned as symptom.

[ShinShin]

Tapeworms can only survive for long durations in an otherwise healthy fish. Once a fish can no longer sustain itself in a healthy manner from other infections and infestations, a tapeworm will leave its host. Tapeworms in the wild are more common than in domestic fish, unless the domestic fish has been fed tubifeds that are know to carry tapeworms. That is one reason large wild fish harbor them.

Mat