I think my cichlid has bloat?

Question

i have a 20 gal aquarium that i just upgraded from a 10 gal i did that 3 days ago. i have 8 assorted african cichlids in the tank. tonight i noticed that one of them has a very fat stomache. from my experience i think it is bloat. but only one of them is showing signs at all. i believe it is because i put all the salt in the tank at once. or could be stress from changing tanks. but i am wondering if it could go away on its own, or if i should take him out and treat him?

Answer 1

If what you're dealing with is bloat (dropsy), you'll need to identify the cause to treat it effectively. Unfortunately, there can be several causes, so you may need a trial-and-error approach to eliminate them to find the true cause for your fish's condition.

1) salt - this should be mixed with water prior to adding it to the tank; if your water was drawn down considerably (a 25% water change is usually enough for each regular cleaning) and you added the salt to the tank before the replacement water, it's conceivable that one fish had a bad reaction to the increased salinity; the salt you're using may also be a factor - Africans should have a salt that balances electrolyes (not just NaCl/table salt) and that raises the pH to the proper level for the species you're keeping

2) poor water conditions - this could occur if the new tank wasn't cycled before adding the fish, or the previous substrate and filter weren't used to seed the new tank - have you tested for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate? Eight Africans in a 20 gallon tank could produce considerable ammonia in three days. I'm going to assume here these are still juveniles, since you had the eight in a 10 gallon tank until recently and are planning to upgrade their tank again in the future. For water quality to be an issue, the length of time the fish have been in poor conditions would be a factor. Here, only you would know what your past tank maintenance has been like.

3) diet - are you feeding a diet that is suited to the fish you're keeping? There are differences in the digestive tracts of herbivores and carnivores, and if your affected fish has a different dietary requirement than the others, be sure his needs are being met. Soft foods (bloodworms, brine shrimp) should be given more as a treat and harder foods used as an everyday staple. Also, overfeeding can cause water quality problems that go back to possibility 2.

4) infection (bacterial or parasite) affecting internal organs

5) tumor affecting internal organs

The outcome for your fish will depend largely on the cause of the problem, how long he's exposed to the cause, and the amount of any organ damage done. I would say to remove the fish and put him back in the 10 gallon with good filtration and aeration, keeping any lights off (just make certain that any salt used is the proper type and mixed beforehand). If the cause is infection, it will isolate him from the other fish, and will reduce the bioload for him and the others in their respective tanks. Fast him for a few days, then give the proper food for his species. You might want to try adding some Epsom salt to the tank as well - this can help relieve the excess water he's having trouble eliminating.

As far as infection, this is a tough call without being able to identify the organism causing the infection, or even if there is one present. Medications containing Metronidazole have been used for bacterial infection, but this may not "cure" the infected fish, only prevent the spread to other fish if all are treated in the same tank. Clout is effective against parasitic infection and may cure your fish if parasites are the cause. I've also used nitrofurazone once with good results.

Good luck with this. If you have any additional info or questions, please post an edit to your question above - I'll check back tomorrow to see if there's anything.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Is it Malawi Bloat?

If this is the case the fish won't poop, or if it does it would be white and stringy. The fish would also not eat, even if it might try, and will usually appear fairly listless.

If you diagnose that it is, then salt or peas won't work. You would need to set up that 10 gallon again and use a strong medication like Clout to treat the fish or it will die.

Malawi bloat can be caused by poor water quality and stress as well, but more often its from being fed inappropriate foods (these cichlids should not be getting worms, bloodworms, or fish, and many 'assorted' africans need a high veggie content in their diet).

The truth is even a 20 gallon tank isn't big enough to keep these fish and as they grow up you'll more likely then not find yoru tank a war zone, with casualties from stress and aggression.

Answer 4

The salt would not hurt the fish unless you added more then a tea spoon. if its bloat im sure you've heard of the feeding it with pees treatment. Lol since you have assorted African cichlids.. which are cheap and usually not very well taken care of.. bloat is kinda hard to cure.. sorry i love cichlids i have spent over 3000 dollars on them

Answer 5

If you get an "intestinal parasite" medicine that comes in food form it will act as a laxative and flush the cichlid of its bloating issue.

Answer 6

hmmmmmmmm. very interesting. he could be having anxiety attacks from the stress levels. maybe some repressed memories from his early fishlyhood are coming back to haunt him, did his mother leave him abandoned in a bowl when he was just a fishlet. (thats my scientific name for a juvenille fish.)

Answer 7

if you suspect its bloat it will kill the fish, you should get some Malafix and that should treat it.