Symptoms and Treatment Methods of Enteritis in Parrot Fish

The parrot fish is a tropical fish that lives in coral reefs. Many people keep it in their homes as a feng shui fish, as it is believed to have a good fortune-bringing effect. However, enteritis often occurs during keeping, and many fish lose their lives because of this disease. Below let us take a look at the symptoms and treatment methods of enteritis in parrot fish.

Causes of Enteritis in Parrot Fish

There are many causes of enteritis in parrot fish, such as unclean or sharp food cutting the intestinal tract and allowing bacteria to invade and infect, improper feeding or uneven meal sizes, and infection by intestinal parasites. These are all causes of enteritis. It is precisely because the causes of enteritis in parrot fish differ that the types of enteritis disease triggered also differ. Common ones include enteritis caused by bacterial infection, enteritis caused by internal parasites, enteritis caused by excessive water quality changes, and enteritis caused by indigestion. The symptoms of different types of enteritis are also different, and the treatment methods required for this common disease of parrot fish are also different.

Symptoms of Enteritis in Parrot Fish

1. Enteritis caused by bacterial infection: The manifestations of enteritis caused by bacterial infection include darkening, clamped fins and clustering, and the biggest feature is abdominal swelling. It is the type of enteritis most likely to kill fish. The feces are mostly purulent white droppings, and there may also be trailing feces.

2. Enteritis caused by internal parasites: Internal parasites are one of the causes of enteritis in parrot fish. It is usually difficult to distinguish from internal parasites alone. The eyes, body color and demeanor are almost the same as with internal parasites. It can only be distinguished by appetite and feces. Fish with internal parasites do not show reduced appetite, while those with enteritis are mostly anorexic or refuse food. The feces of internal parasites are usually hollow or segmented white droppings, while fish with enteritis seldom have feces or have purulent white droppings.

3. Enteritis caused by excessive water quality changes: The manifestations of enteritis caused by excessive water quality changes are dark body color, clamped fins and clustering. The feces are mostly trailing, up to about 10 cm long.

4. Enteritis caused by indigestion: The manifestations of enteritis caused by indigestion are anorexia or refusal to eat, dull demeanor, sometimes accompanied by darkened or blackened body color, and most of the time showing separation from the group and facing the wall. The feces are mostly loose droppings or purulent white droppings.

Treatment of Enteritis in Parrot Fish

1. Enteritis caused by bacterial infection: Enteritis caused by bacterial infection is the most troublesome to treat. If the body color has not changed, a bath with norfloxacin can be used, 4-6 capsules per 100 liters of water, bathing for 3-6 days. Once the abdominal swelling disappears, stop the medication and change the water. During the bath, fasting is required. If the body color has turned black and is accompanied by clamped fins and rotten tail, oxytetracycline, copper sulfate and salt can first be used to reduce inflammation, and norfloxacin can also be added at the same time. The best method is to mix oxytetracycline or norfloxacin into hamburger and feed it while the fish can still eat. The effect appears relatively quickly. Give it once a day for three consecutive days, or stop the medication when purulent white droppings are seen being expelled. The dosage is one tablet per kilogram of hamburger.

2. Enteritis caused by internal parasites: Enteritis caused by internal parasites is relatively stubborn and needs to be taken seriously, otherwise it can easily threaten the life of the parrot fish. Generally, the treatment of parrot fish enteritis caused by internal parasites focuses on deworming. Since it is caused by internal parasites, once the internal parasites are cured, the enteritis problem is also solved, and dual treatment is the key. There are now many medications with dual effects that can treat both internal parasites and enteritis, but everyone must choose the right medicine bottle. Commonly used medications for treating enteritis are as follows.

① Treatment with metronidazole plus furazolidone: Suitable for enteritis caused by small internal parasites in fish. It is manifested as solid white droppings or trailing feces in parrot fish. Generally, treatment with metronidazole plus furazolidone is relatively effective. Add 4-6 tablets of each per 100 liters of water, bath for three days, or stop the medication and change the water once a large amount of white droppings is seen being expelled. There is no temperature requirement.

② Bath with albendazole: One tablet per 800 liters of water. Note that one tablet here refers to two half-tablets, because the two tablets of albendazole have different medicinal properties, and one of them is a buffer. Many fish keepers do not understand this, and as a result many cases of poisoning occur. The bath is also for three days, or stop the medication and change the water after a large amount of white droppings is expelled. There is no temperature requirement.

③ Treatment with levamisole hydrochloride and robenidine hydrochloride tablets: Suitable for enteritis caused by large parasites. Generally, there are many finished medications for treating large parasites, but they are expensive. Here it is recommended to use veterinary drugs, levamisole hydrochloride and robenidine hydrochloride tablets. Bath 4-6 tablets per 100 liters of water for three days, or stop the medication and change the water once parasite bodies are seen being expelled. There is also no temperature requirement. It should be noted that once parasite bodies are seen, they should preferably be removed immediately to avoid secondary infection after being eaten by other fish.

3. Enteritis caused by water quality changes: Enteritis caused by water quality changes almost does not need treatment. By adjusting the water quality and resting the fish for a few days, it can recover without treatment. In fact, if you want parrot fish to be healthy, the key is still water quality. Good water produces good fish. This is an unchanging rule through the ages.

4. Enteritis caused by indigestion: Enteritis caused by indigestion is relatively simple to treat. Furazolidone can handle it. Use 4-6 tablets per 100 liters of water and bath for three days, or stop the medication and change the water when seeking food and normal feces are observed.