Stephen & Cayley Posted June 21, 2010 Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 Hi, I would love some advice from all you experienced fish keepers!! last week we lost our girl BN for no apparent reason, our big boy is now starting to look swollen and i'm worried that its bloat that got our girl too. We isolated the boy last night in a large breeding box so we can see if he's pooping ok - no signs yet :-? He is showing what I as a new fish keeper am guessing is a swollen/protruding anus? the girl had a similar condition before we lost her but I thought it might have been related to spawning preparation (we got them as older mature BNs fully grown) I cant bare to see them suffer and don't want to loose another, I've gotten quite attached to these funny little fish!! please help! Cayley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firenzenz Posted June 21, 2010 Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 Good water changes and raise the temp a degree or two. Obviously no food. Hard to say how well meds work for these guys in such a case. They and other plecs can get intestinal parasites, but it might be a food thing. would do you normally feed them feed? If they have cleaned up the tank algae, some vege based food or even odd piece in the tank is good for them. Foods high in proteins can clog them up as they aren't designed for it. Hang in there, they are sturdy wee creatures and I've had fancy plecs come back from the brink when it looked hopeless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen & Cayley Posted June 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 Thanks firenzenz, They have 2 large bits of wood in the tank. have been monitoring the water toxins all reading 0 as its a large tank with hardy any fish. did a reasonable water change last night. there has been a lot of algae, both green and brown as we recently got lights for the tank, we got a new little girl in the weekend and she's been doing an amazing job cleaning it up. normally feed flakes for the other fish, and vegies and fruit to the plecos. I got them spirilina discs but after a debate with our LFS fish guy decided they are just fussy as they dont touch them. so they are feed broccoli which he normally loves, and sometimes a bit of apple, haven't given him much zucchini with it not in season. I did notice a large increase in pleco poop when we got the new little girl, so they might not have been pooping for a while. tank temp is normally 25 deg C. at least we now have him separated so we can monitor poop levels if any, and no food. will try raising the temp a little tonight. many many thanks Cayley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted June 21, 2010 Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 l...our big boy is now starting to look swollen... If it is generalised swelling (all over the body) it may be a result of organ failure. Try searching the term "dropsy" for more information. We isolated the boy last night in a large breeding box so we can see if he's pooping ok - no signs yet .....He is showing what I as a new fish keeper am guessing is a swollen/protruding anus? Some possible causes could be constipation (uncommon in BNs) or lower intestinal impaction related to worms or intestinal impaction related to something it has eaten. The most common culprit of intestinal impaction or straining to defecate (which produces the vent prolapse you are describing) are nematodes which can be treated with levamisole or fenbendazole (you can get both medications from a vet without a prescription). Keep in mind that severe infestations can kill. It may also be intestinal impaction related to diet, but this doesn't usually produce the vent prolapse. There is nothing you can do for a true intestinal impaction but if it is constipation you can try feeding easily digested foods (like cucumber). Fruit can cause diarrhoea in some fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen & Cayley Posted June 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 If it is generalised swelling (all over the body) it may be a result of organ failure. Try searching the term "dropsy" for more information have been reading on dropsy and i'm fairly sure i'ts not that. swelling is definitely abdominal and there are no signs of scales sitting up. if it is constipation you can try feeding easily digested foods (like cucumber). Fruit can cause diarrhoea in some fish. so should we be starving him or trying to get some fruit into him? the vegies I've been giving him have been blanched so shouldn't have been too tough :-? but i'm new to this Cayley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 If there is a complete intestinal blockage, then offering food can cause further problems (it can't come out as it normally would), however if there is complete intestinal blockage, there isn't much you can do anyway so offering food is not going to be a determining factor for recovery. Truthfully, I wouldn't worry about it right now. If he perks up in a day or so, you can offer him some cucumber. With that in mind, I would deworm him as soon as possible (Levamisole would be a good drug to use since he can be dosed in his tank water and will not have to eat the medication in food). It may not help, but it is one of the easiest and safest treatments you can try. You can also try Furan in case it is a bacterial problem, but that is really just another stab in the dark as to the cause of the problem. You can get levamisole from a vet clinic under the trade name of Aviverm. The dose rate is 2 milligrams per litre of tank water (or 0.1 mililitre of medication per 15 litres of tank water). You can dose the entire tank safely or place him into his own tank to dose him separately. Make sure there is no carbon in your filter as that will absorb the medication. After 24 hours with the medication in the tank you can then do a large partial water change (about 50%). If you see evidence that he has worms coming out, then add the medication again for a second day of treatment and then carry out another water change afterward. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen & Cayley Posted June 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 final update... got home and he was still with us, looking a little sluggish. he somehow moved onto his back and couldn't turn over... at that point started up the pc to read an article i had spotted on fish euthanasia but before we could do anything he passed. at lest he is now with his girl and no longer in any pain. Thanks to everyone's support and advice RIP Lily and Marshal -Cayley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firenzenz Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Sorry to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisP Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 RIP Lily and Marshal :lol: Love that show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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