I noticed my cichlids, specifically, my green terror, pooping clear, squiggly poo. I automatically knew that this was a sign of internal parasites. As time passed and I searched for a remedy, he became unusually shy, and passive. He seemed ready to eat at feeding time, but he would grab a bite, chew on it, then spit it out. Many times, he would back away from the fish that would eat and turn his nose up at what food floated by. This made it clear that something was wrong, because he was always the healthiest eater in the tank!
I came across several options: medicated food, Q-tank treatments, and entire tank treating. The medicated food option sounded great, but how would that do any good when my fish is not eating? The Q-tank was my next option, but if one fish has internal parasites, the others will eventually get them as well. I decided to treat the entire 100 gallon tank. Finding a medication powerful enough would be difficult without spending some serious money. I was exhausting every possible website and option I had until I ran across a site that mentioned Seachem made medications. I never knew that Seachem made medications available! So I got on their website and checked it out. I found Metronidazole in a very pure powder form! Before I got too excited, I needed to get a price. I looked up on Drs. Foster & Smith website and low and behold, $4.99 per vial, with a quantity discount at 3 or more! Three vials was all I needed to effectively treat a 100 gallon tank!
After the 3rd treatment (1.5 vials @ .5 vial each treatment every other day), my GT's poop was almost back to normal, and his appetite has picked up dramatically! While feeding bloodworms, he chose the largest chunk and ran to the other side of the tank to his 'eating spot' like he has always done! It has been weeks since he has done this! He has become more aggressive, but not mean--he never has been mean. He has also developed his appetite back for his favorite flake food, TetraMin Pro. He won't eat anything else.
My other fish still seem to be the same. I think my new Jack Dempsey's had the parasites to begin with. I will be monitoring them closely to see how their behavior changes. I think that they are becoming a bit more agressive at feeding time, but nothing like my GT.
Please keep this post in this forum, as it is not targeting a specific disease, only a general diagnosis and remedy. I hope that others will pick up on the HUGE problem of internal parasites, and that they will treat them in a Q-tank before introducing new fish immediately to a show tank.