ok. i wrote earlier about having a problem with my fantails. They have long trails of poop following them. I tired peas as a laxative, varying their diet, a water change...I think they might have parasites or something, because this isn't stopping. It's ALL THE TIME! Every time i leave and come back their tails have just gotten longer. This is really worrying me. Any help at all, please! Thanks so much.

Stringy white poo is definitely a sign of parasites. Do you have any Anti Parasite food? Jungle Labs makes one. Also can you give your water params for ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and pH? How many fish in the tank and the tank size? Any signs on the outside of the fish of parasites? Clamped fins, bottom sitting, anything out of the ordinary besides the poo?

Sorry for all the questions but any info you can provide will help us try to pinpoint the problem.

ummm. well there are two fish in a three gallon tank. Which, i KNOW is too small, but i got it as a gift. I"m working on replacing it with something bigger, but that's kinda hard in a dorm room. When i came in this morning they were both sitting on the bottom, but they seem to be a little bit more active now. But not a lot. They both look like they have missing scales. That's the only way i can think to describe it. They have kind of blank patches on their bodies. I"ve been monitering the ammonia and it's fine. I did a rather large water change last night and added something to clean the tap water. i have no idea what the pH is. Also, one of them has a rather swollen lower body-could this also indicate parasites? Blech. This is so hard. Thanks for your help!

try posting in the disease section, along with your water parameters and answers to the questions listed in the overhead box.

Your post has now been moved to the diagnosis section. At the top there is a box for you to fill in. If you dont ahve test kits then a pet store can test a sample of the water for you, but ask them to write down what they get so you can post back here.
Is the poo white or dark? Try fasting your fish for 3 days to see if that helps.

You didn't mention what color the poo is. If it is a dark color or similar to the color of the food, it's less of a problem than white or clear poo. Stringy darker poo is just an indicator of some level of constipation. As others have indicated peas do help. Daphnia also works but if you're new to this, you may not wish to use.

If it's white or clear poo then it's a sign of sickness. Personally, I like to monitor for a few days if it happens. Most healthy/strong fish will recover from a bout of illness like that. However, if the illness is caused by poor water conditions then the fish is likely weak. Isolate and administer medication as appropriate.