It looks almost like an egg sac. I really don't know much about the breeding of these fish, but I know they are mouth breeders, so don't quite know what is going on. It started with what almost looked like a prolapse coming out, now is white and dark and looks like little tiny marbles. Is that what it is?
2007-07-01 10:17:59 · 6 answers · asked by Donna D 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
Thanks for the kind words Jon.
While a tumor or a prolapsed intestine are possible, It's a long shot. My first bet would be poop with a touch of an intestinal bacterial infection. I would watch the fish for a day or so to see if it clears up and if not begin a treatment with medicated food for bacterial infections and Furanace or tetracycline.
MM
2007-07-01 16:01:09 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sexing very young mbuna is difficult, because the juvenile fish will all initially look like the mother.Males will also be more generally aggressive and territorial. The first indication of spawning behaviour is likely to be increased aggression from the male.He may then appear to coax the female over to his chosen spot and shake his body violently in front of her. Mbuna are mouthbrooders, and the female will hold the eggs and then fry in her mouth after spawning for around 21-40 days. During this time she may become quite thin, as she will eat little or no food. The throat of the female will have an obvious bulge due to the fry, and dark spots due to the eyes of the fry can often be seen. A method might be to catch and isolate the female to her own small tank, and allow her to release the fry naturally. By the time they are released from the mother's mouth, mbuna fry are a lot larger than the fry of many species, and therefore easier to feed. Some algae covering on the rocks will be a useful supplement. As with other fry, baby brine shrimp are an excellent food for young cichlid fry, they can also be given crushed flake and other small foods.
2007-07-01 17:30:03 · answer #2 · answered by ali n 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Might be prolapsed intestines.
Add 2 tablespoons of plain epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) per 10gal of tank volume (dissolve the the epsom salt in a container of tank water first then add that to the tank), so if you have a 55gal tank you want to add about 11 tablespoons of epsom salt.
If this is a prolapsed intenstine, it should retract within a day or two (I also advise fasting the fish for at least two days).
2007-07-01 18:02:50 · answer #3 · answered by Kay B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think it's eggs to be honest. This might sound off the wall, and I hope 8 in the corner, magicman, or copperhead step in, but if I had to make a guess, don't get alarmed, but that sounds like a tumor. And this does happen to fish. Copperhead actually posted a link earlier in the week I looked over, showing what certain symptoms and condtions of afflictions looked like, and they did show fish having tumors. I am not a disease expert by any means, but that's my guess. Pictures, as well as the species you have will help us get a better diagnosis.
JV
2007-07-01 17:23:52 · answer #4 · answered by I am Legend 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Any possibility of a photo so we can see what this looks like? If you can take a digital photo showing this, you can use photosharing software like photobucket and post the URL to the photo as an "add details" to this question. If you're not sure how to do this, email me (use the link in my profile) and I can walk you through the steps.
2007-07-01 23:15:34 · answer #5 · answered by copperhead 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
sounds like parasites in the guts. I know there is a parasite in some fish where the breathers of the parasite hang out of the anus in fish; this could be it.
2007-07-01 18:42:54 · answer #6 · answered by Buslady 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋