I read through the Dendrobatesworld.com website, but was unable to find a quote about all frogs having parasites. Perhaps if you could point me to the quote, that would be great. Regardless of whether it was said or not, that is an untrue statement, as I have seen several fecals done that indicated no parasites . . . and I think Dr. Frye will attest to the fact that he has run fecals that indicate no parasites.



With regard to Dr. Monk's statement, I believe you are taking it the wrong way. A histopathology is a tissue examination that is taken on dead frogs when parasites are suspected as the cause. So, the frogs tested in histopath were already showing signs of parasitism, and actually died from it. That does not mean that all frogs have parasites. Further, consider that Dr. Frye's percentage comes from fecals that have been submitted to a vet. Most people are not going to submit a fecal unless they think their frog is sick. That is like saying that 90% of humans are ill because 90% of those tested in an emergency room have the flu.



"'and removing them from the tank/source of infection) if the fecals come back positive. ' So if i had a new aquarium, unused, and i set it up with live plants, moss and such. Then i had a frog that was possitive for worms. (but this was the first fecal check) what would you think?"



I'm not sure I understand your question here, but it seems to me that you have two potential origins of the parasites: (1) the frogs already had the parasites before you added them to your tank, or (2) something you put in your new aquarium introduced the parasites. Regardless of where the infection originated, the new aquarium would almost certainly now be contaminated. My statement was indicating that you would not want to put a treated frog back into an environment that is contaminated (i.e. your tank).



As for whether Coccidia is curable in darts, I am not certain that is well documented. Further, I have seen fecals run on animals previously diagnosed with Coccidia, and neither I nor the vet (a small animal vet specializing in reptiles and amphibia) running the fecals could find any sign of Coccidia.



Regarding your friend's deaths, yes, there is the chance that medicating even a healthy animal will lead to its death. Is there the possibility that the death your friend experienced was from the parasites? Sure. However, acurately dosing a medication by simply dusting fruit flies is impossible for the average hobbyist. Overdosing can occur, and is a real threat.



As for adding wild moss, etc., I don't recommend that for some of the reasons Rich states. However, I will admit that it is simply my own personal desire to be on the safe side. However, I also boil my substrate and soak my plants, rocks, and wood in a mild bleach solution (rinsed very well and soaked in RO water for days thereafter. Several people do use such things as sheet moss and wild moss with no apparent problems. I think Patty does this.



You will find people with widely varying opinions on this matter, and all successful in the hobby. That is why I think it is important that you know WHY someone does something before you decide for yourself how you will approach a particular problem. Ask around and get different opinions and decide for yourself.
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Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

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