Need help!!!! We think our albino oscar fish has a tape worm. The belly has enlarged/swollen quite a bit and she has a white string thing coming out of it's butt. We tried feeding her anti-parasite food but she wont eat. We are not sure if we could use halo shield since we are already using the food and primafix. I need help please, we have had olivia for years I dont want her to die.

It sounds like you have an internal parasite... Have you fed Olivia anything lately that is white? IE: mealworms, shrimp, or the like???

Can you please post your water readings for Ammonia, NItrite, Nitrate, and PH?

Jungle parasite clear is a great medication for treating this, Dissolve the tablets in a container and poor into the tank...

Please get back to us with the answers!

Ammonia - 0
Ph - 6
Nitrate - dont know at the moment..
Temp - 79
Nltrite - Not sure what this is

I forgot to add. We have not feed her anything white. Her tummy is very bloated...mainly on her right side but both sides are swollen..

Also thank you very much for helping me out

Are you testing with strips? or a liquid kit?

I would get that Jungle Parasite clear from Petco, or Petsmart and treat according to the directions...

We are using the liquid kit? Have you had any of your fish with this...a guy told us that most probably my fish was going to die....

The guy is an idiot!!!! I have had a tank full of African cichlids with this and they are all fine!

Go tomorrow and get the meds, treat the tank, it may take several treatments to clear it, but as long as she is eating, and acting normally she should be fine!

It is called Jungle Parasite Clear... They are BIG tablets, and they should fix her up!

Just for the record, what is in the tank with her?
How big is her tank?
And How big is her filter?

We have her in a 75 gallon tank at the moment. We were going to transfer her into our 350 gallon tank but we noticed her tummy and now the white string. She has one cleaner fish with her and her boyfriend Oscar with her (he is red and black) we want to treat the whole tank is that going to be ok. We went to Petsmart and they recommended we start by feeding her antiparasite medicated fish food but the pellets are so tiny she won't even touch them. Is it ok to add in the Jungle Parasite clear even though we have fed her this food and added some pimafix to the tank??

I would go ahead and add the Jungle to the entire tank, I would also STOP listening to the idiots at Petsmart... (I have those idiots too)

Your tank is a bit over stocked... I would do a 30% water change with a good gravel vac before you treat the tank, and then when the directions tell you to!

Please check in and keep us posted... I will be thinking of her!

Thank you so much for all your help. we will buy the jungle parasite clear tomorrow and follow your instructions. I really appreciate all your help and I will definetly keep you posted on her status. I'm just glad she is still swimming around for now. The plan was to move everyone to the 350 gallon tank but being that she is sick I figured a tank change would be too much for her. Again thank you so much... we were really scared and thought she was going to pass away. But thanks to you we know better now

welcome to the site agutierrez.

You are in good hands with Nicky-Sue. Just do as she says and your Oscar will have a good shot at survival.

Keep us posted on your fish.