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My most lovely and biggest pleco seems suffering from internal flagellated parasitic disease. This disease has been with him for 9 months since he was introduced to my tank. The symptoms are no appetite and white excrements. Below are some photos of its excrements:

http://tinypic.com/5ckqz7
http://tinypic.com/5ckr6d

I treated the disease with two separate treatments, one was Octozin treatment for 2 weeks, and the other was Metronidazole treatment at 7mg/L for 2 weeks. The results of them were negative, and found that
- upon the end of each treatment, the excrements were a bit normal (some part white and some part black), and the appetite was poor;
- one week after the end of each treatment, the excrements were white and stringy, and the appetite was poor.

I am doubting that the medicines used (Octozin and Metronidazole) couldn't be well absorbed by its gill or skin, so the results were negative.

Now I am considering JBL Spirohexol. Any one used Spirohexol to treat this disease on plecos before? Is it safe for plecos? Any other treatment advices? Any other diagnosis advices? Many thanks!

Hi Plecolover,
I have used Metronidazol 400mg for 50 ltr which is not too diferent to your dosage and was effective (in Discus).
Metronidazol can also be used in the food, which is more effective. I cannot remember the exact dosage but think it might me 100mg to 100gm food.
According to reports on the net, Flubenol(Flubendazole) has also been used successfully.It appears that although it is a wormer ,it also treats flaggellates.

Regards,
Des.

Why don't you try soaking your fish foods in garlic extract for a two week coarse .
Regards Chris

Hi Des and Chris, thanks for your advices. As my pleco always has no appetite, so drug feeding method is not applicable in him.

Hi Des, regarding the treatment using Metronidazole bathing method effective for the treatment of the internal flagellated disease in your Discus you mentioned, would you mind to tell me how you used Metronidazole in this treatment (dosage, dosing frequency, % of water change before each dosing, treatment lenght, and treatment temperature etc.)?

For your information, below is the information about the use of Metronidazole in the last treatment of the disease in my pleco:
Dosage: 7mg of Metronidazole for each litre of water
Dosing frequency: dose every two days
% of water change before each dosing: 80%
Treatment lenght: 2 weeks
Treatment temperature: 32 degree celsius or 90F

Plecolover,

I used a 400mg Metronidazol tablet( ground up) in a 10gal(50ltr) quarantine tank, left for a week ,a small water change than the same dose repeated for a second week,normal temp was increased by 4F.
90F is a bit high for a pleco.
I think,this will increase its metabolic rate, not good, if it is not eating.

Des

Hi Des, thanks for the advices and detailed information of the use of Metronidazole. Regards, Peter