# Bloating won't go away!



## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

So Mister Fishy became bloated on Sunday. 

I've been fasting him, and he's been in a bowl that is in his heated tank (quarantine cause he also has a slight bit of fin rot and cleaning that is 10 times easier than his tank) with epsom salt to help the bloating since last night.

However, it doesn't seem to be helping. He's still bloated, and doesn't look any better. I can't get any daphnia, so what should I do?

Please help, I'm super worried about him


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## Chard56 (Jan 22, 2011)

I don't have all the answers for bloating or dropsy but I get about half of them to get over it. If I catch it early I jave pretty good results with treatment but if they've had it for a while and their scales are sticking out like a pinecone the chances of recovery are slim. I add a teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon and a half teaspoon of epsom salts with a combination of a half dose each of tetracycline and ampicillan. Try feeding small pieces of a deskinned green pea after a few days. That will get their stomach contents moving through their digestive system.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Other than the bloat what are his other symptoms...has he stopped eating, not pooping, lethargic, scales sticking up...etc....

What is your water temp and how much Epsom salt are you using.....also, it can take several days for the Epsom salt to work-depending on how long he has been impacted.


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

The water stays at 81 degrees. I used to keep it at 79 but then I discovered he's happiest at about 81 degrees.

I'm using about 1 tsp/gallon of epsom salt. He'll eat if you drop food in, and he's not swimming around as much, but I blame that on the bowl because he was moving around when he was in his tank, and last time I had him in QT he didn't swim much either. He's not pineconing, and he won't poop.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Can you post a pic....how long have you had him and when was the last time you seen him poop...this can be hard since we don't sit and watch them all day...lol.....what kind and how much food do you feed....

It sounds like he just needs more time in the Epsom salt and if he hasn't pooped by tomorrow water change- I would increase the Epsom salt 2tsp/gal along with the 100% daily water changes...it takes time...


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

It's a little blurry but you can see how distended his stomach is 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5419464192/in/photostream/

I don't know when the last time he pooped was, but from the looks of things, it wasn't any time soon. When I cleaned his tank yesterday before putting him in his bowl, I didn't see much of anything in the water that I took out with the gravel vacuum, and I vacuumed the whole tank really well.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

He looks more like he has a big tummy than really bloated per se....is he begging for food or responding to you when he see you......

How much and how often do you normally feed and what kind of food....normally how much and how often do you make water changes in his regular tank before you QT'd him?


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

Normally I feed him 2 pellets twice a day (Morning/Evening), and switch it up for bloodworms or flakes a few times a week, and I fast him on Sundays.

And it's usually 25-50% of the water every time I make a change (He's in a 10 gallon with a filter by himself), and I change it once a week.


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

This is what he looked like before I noticed issues (Except for the popeye that he had which did heal, he was 100% normal in those, if a bit skinny from his "I don't feel good so I won't eat" phase): http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157625882930181/

This is him now. He's lost a lot of color (Although he does have some new healthy red growth on the end of his fins): http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157626008232256/


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

Anyoneeeee? His color is improving, thankfully. His bloat hasn't changed though.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Did you increase the Epsom salt to 2tsp/gal with his water change today...he doesn't look that bloated...is he begging for food and/or responding to you when you go to the tank...you are keeping him in the Epsom salt (Not aquarium salt)all the time and making water changes with the Epsom salt water...correct?..just want to make sure you are doing a treatment and not a bath

Have you seen any poop while he is in the QT for treatment?


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

No poop  I have no gravel in there so I'd see it.

I do keep him in it, I do daily 100% changes and add new salt every time, yesterday I increased it to 1.5 tsp/gallon of the epsom but I'll increase it to two.

I dropped a teeny tiny itty bitty bloodworm in there the other day just to make sure he'd eat and he will, but he hasn't pooped since I put him in the QT.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Is he responding to you-begging for food?......when was the last time he had any pellets? How many days has he been in the bare bottom QT with the Epsom salt (Not aquarium salt)?


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

He's been in the QT since Sunday, and he doesn't outright look for food, he never did, but if I pick up the container of food he gets excited.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

That is good...he is responding to you......when was the last time you gave him any pellets or his staple diet....he has a round tummy- but he may not be truly bloated or sick per se and he may not poop until he has had something to eat/digest and help to get his system moving....especially since he responding to the sight of the food container and you.....and started to color up....


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

Last he ate was Saturday, because I fast him on Sundays. He had the bit of bloodworm yesterday but that's it.

The thing that's so strange for me and why I think he's bloated is that his color is getting normal everywhere on his body, but he's really pale on his stomach like he's stretched, and also his stomach has NEVER been that big.

Should I give him a couple pellets and see what happens, or what?


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

I just took his bowl out of his tank to change the water- He pooped. Not much, it's teeny, but he did. It's definitely recent, because there was nothing there when I got home about an hour ago.

His fins still don't look so good though. His body is coloring up but his fins don't look so good. What should I do about them? If it's just a matter of water changes I think I'll leave him in the QT bowl because his tank is too much work to change every day, being that to change a reasonable amount of the water I'm taking out 5-7 gallons.


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