fishmaven
09-17-2007, 9:20 AM
Sometimes your fish
will have distended bellies, they've quit eating and you realize you should have done something
about this days ago. It happens. Sometimes it's the fish that has a tendency to hide. Sometimes
it's your prize show fish and you didn't make an effort to find him last time... The
symptoms may be similar to bloat.
Whatever the reason, you've got to do something
quick. As usual, I recommend a water change. I know, but the water condition may be the problem.
You can do the tests or just do the water change. If after the water change you have time to do a
test, if the water is bad, it was worse before the water change.
From your freshly
changed tank draw two buckets of water. Stir into one of the buckets rock salt or aquarium salt, a
sea mix would be okay too. Stir in as much as can be dissolved. Yes, it'll leave a little salt
on the bottom of the bucket.
In the other bucket we'll throw in an antibiotic. We
want something that will get sucked into the fish through it's gills. If there's
hemorrhaging, (you really should have done something sooner) the meds will also go through the
wounds. My choice would either be Kanamycin or Furanace. Don't worry about the label
instructions, we're going to use one tablet or one capsule for the bucket. Doubling up on the
meds would be okay if you'd like.
Now, we're going to pull the sick fish from
the tank. Pull the usual problem decorations first. This will give you an opportunity to examine
your other fish in the tank for similar problems. Drop the sick fish into the salt solution. If you
hear a sharp intake of breathe, it's your kid, or your partner, fish don't do that. They
might if they could, but they can't. Leave him in there until he shows signs of distress,
usually 2-3 minutes. Now, catch him and throw him in the medicine bath. Leave him there for about
5 minutes. You're going to repeat this process several times. If after a few times the swelling
seems to be going down, great, that's the idea. Do the procedure at least a couple more times,
until either you or the fish are exhausted.
Now, you can throw him back in the tank. In
a few minutes his activity level will increase then settle down. Trash the water in the buckets and
rinse them. You may need to repeat the process again in a couple of days. Top up the tank and check
your sick fish afterward. He'll probably be listless but sometimes there's an immediate
change in behavior. You might try my green bean treat for a few days too.
<!--quoteo--
><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>A simple food that can
be frozen and used regularly- green beans. I use the Del Monte brand French Cut green beans.
(French cut beans are slivered, exposing the meaty parts of the bean) I open the can, drain the
liquid, spread it on a cookie sheet and freeze. When frozen, remove the tray and place the frozen
beans in freezer bags and return it to the freezer. This way the beans can be easily removed in
small quantities. Unlike frozen peas even small fish can attack and devour the beans.<!--
QuoteEnd--></div>
If you normally keep some salt in your tank, (I always
do, about 1 heaping tablespoon per 5 gallons of water, NOT the tank capacity) you might consider
doubling the salt for a while, gradually lowering the level by doing water changes. Dan
will have distended bellies, they've quit eating and you realize you should have done something
about this days ago. It happens. Sometimes it's the fish that has a tendency to hide. Sometimes
it's your prize show fish and you didn't make an effort to find him last time... The
symptoms may be similar to bloat.
Whatever the reason, you've got to do something
quick. As usual, I recommend a water change. I know, but the water condition may be the problem.
You can do the tests or just do the water change. If after the water change you have time to do a
test, if the water is bad, it was worse before the water change.
From your freshly
changed tank draw two buckets of water. Stir into one of the buckets rock salt or aquarium salt, a
sea mix would be okay too. Stir in as much as can be dissolved. Yes, it'll leave a little salt
on the bottom of the bucket.
In the other bucket we'll throw in an antibiotic. We
want something that will get sucked into the fish through it's gills. If there's
hemorrhaging, (you really should have done something sooner) the meds will also go through the
wounds. My choice would either be Kanamycin or Furanace. Don't worry about the label
instructions, we're going to use one tablet or one capsule for the bucket. Doubling up on the
meds would be okay if you'd like.
Now, we're going to pull the sick fish from
the tank. Pull the usual problem decorations first. This will give you an opportunity to examine
your other fish in the tank for similar problems. Drop the sick fish into the salt solution. If you
hear a sharp intake of breathe, it's your kid, or your partner, fish don't do that. They
might if they could, but they can't. Leave him in there until he shows signs of distress,
usually 2-3 minutes. Now, catch him and throw him in the medicine bath. Leave him there for about
5 minutes. You're going to repeat this process several times. If after a few times the swelling
seems to be going down, great, that's the idea. Do the procedure at least a couple more times,
until either you or the fish are exhausted.
Now, you can throw him back in the tank. In
a few minutes his activity level will increase then settle down. Trash the water in the buckets and
rinse them. You may need to repeat the process again in a couple of days. Top up the tank and check
your sick fish afterward. He'll probably be listless but sometimes there's an immediate
change in behavior. You might try my green bean treat for a few days too.
<!--quoteo--
><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>A simple food that can
be frozen and used regularly- green beans. I use the Del Monte brand French Cut green beans.
(French cut beans are slivered, exposing the meaty parts of the bean) I open the can, drain the
liquid, spread it on a cookie sheet and freeze. When frozen, remove the tray and place the frozen
beans in freezer bags and return it to the freezer. This way the beans can be easily removed in
small quantities. Unlike frozen peas even small fish can attack and devour the beans.<!--
QuoteEnd--></div>
If you normally keep some salt in your tank, (I always
do, about 1 heaping tablespoon per 5 gallons of water, NOT the tank capacity) you might consider
doubling the salt for a while, gradually lowering the level by doing water changes. Dan