Hexamita??? Advice

[Hero782]

1 month ago I purchased a flowerhorn from my lfs. I saw him eat pellets at the fish store. Since the month that I’ve had him, he hasn’t ate pellets only thing he’ll eat is bloodworms. I’ve tried starving him for a couple days, then introduce pellets and nothing. I did see white poop anc right away I thought about hexamita. I asked advice from a Facebook group and they advice that it was probably from him acclimating and not eating. He is starting to be less shy but still won’t eat. Color wise he looks ok, should I treat him for hexamita or give him more time. Thanks in advance

 

[kno4te]

I’d try and feed hex shield. Mix with blood worm juice and see if it’ll take it. If still not then add some api general cure and hope it starts to develop an appetite. Then directly feed hex shield. Hope it gets better.

 

[Ruturaj]

Water parameters?

 

[Hero782]

Water parameters?

75 gallon tank divided. Other side has a female flowerhorn that I’ve had for almost 3 years.
PH 8.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
Temp 84
This is my 3rd flowerhorn and all 3 have gone through the same issue. 1st one took 2 months to eat, but even after that it would spit out most. It even had a sunken stomach and never really recovered. 2nd one stop eating for about a week then started eating. Both were in the same tank but with divider. I still have the 2nd, and now it’s in the tank with the new one separated by a divider.

 

[maxstillen]

This is one of the main issues with newly bought flowerhorns. With all the inbreeding and cross breeding thru the years that it made these fishes immune system so weak. One of the reasons I got away from them.

If he still eats them try to put mediation on his food. I usually soak talapia chunks into straight metro and feed. But if he stopped eating then I would use the medication call "clear" for the white stringy poop.

 

[Rocksor]

CZ Clear has about 10 pellets of yellow and 10 pellets of white. If the fish is over 6", you need to force feed 2 or each every day, so basically 5 doses. If less than that length, then you will have enough for 10 doses.

 

[Man-made Monsters]

You could also find out exactly what pellet brand the shop that sold you the fish is feeding and then fed him that same pellet. You could also get the same pellet and soak it in epsom salt to help clear out his stomach. As long as it isn't a garbage pellet. As another member suggested, soaking New Life Spectrum Hex shield in Bloodworm is another great idea, if your Flowerhorn will eat it. My flowerhorns would never eat NLS. My viejas, carpintis, and bifasciatus all eat NLS.

 

[Ruturaj]

The white poop seems just from the fasting. I would not worry about it and focus on getting your fish to eat pellets.

 

[Hero782]

Here’s a little update.

I first tried feeding him a mix off metro plex, focus, garlic with some bloodworms. Wouldn’t take them. After that I decided to add a blood parrot to act as a dither fish, since he was very skittish. At first my FH tried to assert his dominance, but nothing crazy. After that he would just chilled at the bottom of the aquarium in a corner all day.

I decided to try a epsom salt bath, also force feed him a mixture of epsom salt and general cure directly into his stomach. I dip him for about 10 minutes. On the 3rd of doing this, I did noticed a lot of white fuzz all over him and in the water. Did not look like ick. I put him back in the aquarium and he would always go to his corner and stay there all day long.

Honestly started to give up hope. Decided to let him rest. After a day I decided to give one last effort, and force feed Clear medication. That day I also noticed he had cloudy eyes on his right eye.
Last night was his second Clear treatment, and he started swimming a little more. Seems to be working, I’ve added aquarium salt and temp is at 86 degrees. After every treatment have been doing 50% water change.

 

[C. Breeze]

Looks like velvet and an opportunistic fungal or bacterial infection on his eyes. Aquarium salt and heat as per ich are your friends- as your already seeing.

The switching back and forth from tank to epsom bath attempting to treat the intestinal tract was an additional stressor in this case im saying, which allowed the velvet to advance and the weakened/ taxed immune system was unable to cope and the subsequent eye infection resulted.