Is this Stringy Poo?

[BSej]

Hello,

I saw this on my clown fish today. Is this a cause for concern? It kind of looks like a piece of hair.
Clown Fish Stringy Poo

 

[paragrouper]

Sure looks like stringy poo to me. What’s their diet like?

 

[BSej]

Sure looks like stringy poo to me. What’s their diet like?

I only feed frozen (it's mixed with mostly mysis/brine, and I also feed purple/green nori but the clowns don't eat much of that.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Don’t believe so but rather excess mucus in the stomach lining especially if you find you’re feeding brine shrimp and/or mysis shrimp

 

[BSej]

Don’t believe so but rather excess mucus in the stomach lining especially if you find you’re feeding brine shrimp and/or mysis shrimp

Okay, should I be feeding other foods? Do you have recommendations?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Okay, should I be feeding other foods? Do you have recommendations?

I feed New Life Spectrum marine fish pellets, 1 to 1.5 mm size.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Okay, should I be feeding other foods? Do you have recommendations?

In addition to pellets mentioned by jay, formula 1 flakes and LRS fish frenzy and even plankton

 

[BSej]

I’ve been feeding mostly pellets now. I haven’t picked up flakes. Saw another white stringy poo today. Should I add flakes to their diet?

 

[cloak]

more veggies

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I’ve been feeding mostly pellets now. I haven’t picked up flakes. Saw another white stringy poo today. Should I add flakes to their diet?

There are a few different issues that can cause white feces in fish. Some are treatable, some are not an issue, but there are some causes that are not really treatable, and can be serious. I had posted an article on "fish mucus" here. This is an excerpt about mucus in feces:

Excess mucus in fish feces:

This will present as white or light colored, stringy fecal material that often hangs from the fish’s anus for a longer than normal period. There are a number of different causes for this, some benign, others very serious. Without access to a microscope, there is little that can be done to diagnose this issue effectively.

Idiopathic mucus feces: this fancy term is just to describe white mucoid bulky feces of no serious consequence, but of an unknown cause. Some suspicion is that this can be caused by changes in diet or diets high in fats.

Starvation: Fish that have no food moving through their bowels may excrete white mucoid feces with little bulk to them. The primary diagnostic for this issue is evident in that the fish won’t been seen to be eating. Resolving the anorexia is of course the prime focus to resolve this issue.

Bacterial infection: internal bacterial infections can cause stringy feces as well. While some of these may resolve on their own, medicated foods containing a broad spectrum, gram negative oral antibiotic may be required.

Metazoan infections: multicellular worms are often blamed for mucoid feces, but in reality, they are almost never the root cause for this, and really, can only be diagnosed through looking for their ova in fecal samples. Fish can harbor tapeworms and nematodes without producing mucoid feces.

Protozoan infection: Hexamita and related diplomonad flagellate protozoans very frequently cause white stringy feces, especially in newly acquired clownfish. Metronidazole is the most frequent treatment for this issue. It can be dosed orally at 25 mg per kg of fish body weight, or 5 g in a kg of food. However, it is a very bitter medication, and some fish will refuse to feed on food containing it. It can be dosed in the water at 25 mg/l, but this is more effective in treating marine fishes, as freshwater fish do not “drink” aquarium water.

Coccidia: These microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled parasites are common diseases in dogs and cats. In fish, they cause epithelial necrosis of the gut, enteritis and the copious production of mucus (Noga 2010). These cannot be diagnosed without microscopic examination, and there is no well researched cure for this in fishes, although Toltrazuril has been tested.

Constipation: This malady is often given as a cause for stringy feces, but it is not as common as one would think. When it is seen, the feces are usually dark, not light in color. Often touted as a “cure for constipation”, many aquarists add Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to the aquarium’s water – do not do this in marine aquariums, its use is primarily as a tonic/dip for freshwater fish. Seawater formulas already contain between 7 and 19 grams of magnesium sulfate per gallon (depending on the recipe). NSW magnesium level is around 1200 ppm and sulfur is around 840 ppm. Some benefit might be seen using it as a dip in additional concentrations, but adding a small amount to a marine aquarium itself has no benefit. Epsom salts do have some possible benefit when mixed into the food as a 3% by weight adjunct. Another commonly heard remedy for constipation is; “feed fresh peas”. This is an effective cure for fancy goldfish and Malawi cichlids that develop constipation and bloating. Again, overextrapolation has marine aquarists trying to feed peas to carnivorous fish, etc. The best method to enhance gut motility in fish is to feed frozen adult brine shrimp – not as a permanent diet, just long enough to get the constipation resolved.

 

[BSej]

I lost a clown fish today. I'm not sure if this is one that had stringy poo. This morning he was looking good, swimming well, and eating a lot. I found him just now being eaten by the clean up crew. I understand these things just happen sometimes, but I am wondering if I should take any action. Thanks guys.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I lost a clown fish today. I'm not sure if this is one that had stringy poo. This morning he was looking good, swimming well, and eating a lot. I found him just now being eaten by the clean up crew. I understand these things just happen sometimes, but I am wondering if I should take any action. Thanks guys.

Well, any fish loss needs to be fully evaluated to ensure the cause doesn’t spread to other fish. Trouble is, there isn’t much to go on here in regards to symptoms - how do the other fish look/act today?

 

[BSej]

Well, any fish loss needs to be fully evaluated to ensure the cause doesn’t spread to other fish. Trouble is, there isn’t much to go on here in regards to symptoms - how do the other fish look/act today?

I haven't noticed any differences. They all look healthy and are eating / swimming fine. One thing I have considered is this -
I was out of town for 1 week and put a family member in charge of feeding. They disregarded my suggestion for me to turn off the gyre from my app before they feed. I noticed when I tried to feed with the pump on, the fish aren't able to get much of the food before it blows away. Is it possible it starved in that time? He was feeding twice a day so I'm not sure how likely that is. The clown that died also ate yesterday when I returned and again this morning.

 

[BSej]

This fish was also among the few (5 / 20) survivors of hyposalinity after ich and suspected flukes. It also got stuck in the sump for several days. I'm not sure if these things would shorten its lifespan. It was only about 1 year old maybe 1.5.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I haven't noticed any differences. They all look healthy and are eating / swimming fine. One thing I have considered is this -
I was out of town for 1 week and put a family member in charge of feeding. They disregarded my suggestion for me to turn off the gyre from my app before they feed. I noticed when I tried to feed with the pump on, the fish aren't able to get much of the food before it blows away. Is it possible it starved in that time? He was feeding twice a day so I'm not sure how likely that is. The clown that died also ate yesterday when I returned and again this morning.

Unlikely - a healthy fish can survive for a week with no food at all.

 

[BSej]

Unlikely - a healthy fish can survive for a week with no food at all.

I'm also pretty sure it was the only fish that had stringy poo. I will continue to watch the other fish, but they all seem okay. Perhaps what was giving him the stringy poo eventually killed him?

 

[BSej]

I've got some fish coming out of quarantine soon. Would it be unwise to add them to DT without concluding anything about the death of the clown? Or is it safe if the other fish look and act healthy?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I've got some fish coming out of quarantine soon. Would it be unwise to add them to DT without concluding anything about the death of the clown? Or is it safe if the other fish look and act healthy?

IDK - I always wait a minimum of 14 days (30 is better) before moving fish into a tank with any that have had fish loss from an unknown cause.

 

[BSej]

I noticed today another clown fish has stringy poo. Not sure what to do. It still eats well and looks healthy. Do these internal problems spread?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I noticed today another clown fish has stringy poo. Not sure what to do. It still eats well and looks healthy. Do these internal problems spread?

Viruses, coccidea and flagellates can all spread and can all cause white stringy feces. However, so can a fatty diet.

You could try metronidazole in the food at 1% by weight. You’d need a gram scale to do that though, plus Focus to bind that up to the food.