# ahhh i need your help .. thanks for replies



## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

okay i posted the other week about my pseudotropheus bumble bee having ? bloated? stomach.. then lead to just enlarged anus. eating normally yet staying hid until feeding. okay now her stomach is HUGE , larger than before and it looks like a protrusion out of her anus.. possible ?!?!?!?intestines?!?!?! i love my ol crabbro hussy and would love for her to be ok.. she is 7 inches long and i am running a 150 tall with sump uv sterilizer and using epsom and reduced feeding .. any info would be helpful.. i love this ol gal and would love to save her ..thanks ahead of time for any replies and help.


----------



## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Okay just so we're clear: reduced feeding is no more than one small feeding a day and only as much food as she can consume in less than a minute. Right? Right.

If she's still eating everyday then we're not looking at bloat. Sounds more like some kind of intestinal blockage. Could also be a bacterial infection.

Try this:

Fast the fish for 48 hours and simoultaneosly treat with either Kanamycin *or* a combination of Maracyn and Maracyn-two. 
Keep the Epsom salt going at the rate of 1 tablespoon per five gallons.

Robin


----------



## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

thanks so much, i have done the jungle anti bacterial treatments to no avail.. i only feed once a day and what is consumed literally in less than 30 seconds.. i will make a trip for either maracyn or kanamycin.. i have not had any experience with kanamycin.. either better than the other


----------



## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Maracyn/Maracyn-two
----------------
Kanamycin

Both treatments do the same thing. Where we don't know what sort of bacteria we could be dealing with we're using meds that cast a wide net so to speak. Both of these treatments treat a wide variety of bacteria.

Robin


----------



## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

ok i am on day 3 of my maracyn one , which imo is WAY better than maracyn two.. the belly is almost back to normal , again except for the anus.. it is still swollen.. my crabbro is still eating and swimming, but her belly is BLACK where the swelling was.. any thoughts??


----------



## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

jfly said:


> ok i am on day 3 of my maracyn one , which imo is WAY better than maracyn two..


Its not better, they are just different medications and since we could not culture the bacteria to figure out exactly which ones were involved using both covers a broader spectrum. Yours just happened to resopnd better to the Maracyn.

Maracyn=erythromycin
Maracyn 2=minocycline


----------



## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

okay malawi lover.. um thanks, well for this specific incident the maracyn worked way better.. okay since you have read this post do you care to contribute some information on why the belly has a black patch on it, or why the anus is still swollen,, thanks for any help


----------



## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

I didn't mean to sound snarky, just making a clarification. The two meds can be expensive and if judt the single one worked for you, great.

Unfortunately black patches on the belly might indicate an internal bleed or bruising probably from being so distended. If the original problem was a blockage there could be some physical damage to the intestines or abdominal wall. Swollen anus could be contstipation causing the rectum to distend or posibly prolapse slightly. I have seen it a lot in oscars who get feed lots of feeder fish and hard shelled insects. (not that that is what you have been feeding)

Keep up with the epsom salts and if she is eating try to swicth her over to some veggies and other fiber filled foods (if only we could get them eat bran flakes) for a while. The other option is to fast her and let her digestions calm it self down.


----------



## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

i didnt think you were :snarky: lmao did i sound that way.. hmm if you take out the um, it doesnt but i can see where you read it that way,, anyhoo nah i just wanted you to give some helpful info if you were in here reading.. your info sounds great!! this is just a repeat of what keeps happening she'll swell, ill treat, then black belly with swollen anus.. hmm i am doing everything and only feeding frozen spirulina,, *** heard peas, does that sound reasonable.. thanks again for keeping the discussion alive i hope my ol girl keeps healing.. :thumb:


----------



## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

It actually may be the spirulina. I have read several papers stating that a diet of any more than 49% spirulina is actually harmful. And high spirulina diets have been linked to black spots and patches on the skin.

Ps. crabro (aka bumble bees) are not strict herbivores. They are omnivores and require some animal protiens. I would switch to a good quality complete diest like NLS, Hikari or Dianichi cichlid formulas. It may solve all the problems.

Shelled peas can be fed as a supliment to more herbivorous cichlids as added fiber, but they are not a complete diet on their own


----------



## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

thanks malawilover, before the incident i was feeding a flake staple, when this second batch of heck came back around i switched to the spirulina.. good call ill use my nls again. i appreciate the information and hopefully we can save my lil beauty, well HUGE beauty. she's the biggest malawi that i have. thanks again , ill keep the post updated


----------



## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

Good luck.

Yeah those crabro do get quite huge and at least the females stay attractive.


----------



## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

thank you sir.. yea she's a beauty and nipples my fingers.. fingers crossed... opcorn:


----------



## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

oops nibbles.. wow my bad!!!  freudian slip.. anyhoo i have finished my treatment with maracyn and also have done about 70 water change.. the enlarged anus is still the same.. black spots on belly has faded. i have continued treatment with epsom.. no changes.. anyone have any advice or has been through anything similar


----------



## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

hmmm.. belly still has large "blockage" or "tumor" anyone willing to help me out here with an opinion or advice opcorn:


----------



## twatkins (Oct 27, 2009)

Hi JFLy,

Got the same thing, without the black spots and backside issues... My jewel really seriously looks like she swallowed a perfectly round marble. Her eyes sortof look like they are trying to face forward her belly is so big. She eats tho and swims ok. That's it! Just this 9 mos pregnant looking fish!!!! I have swept the web for pics that look like her "issue" and nothing compares. The local fish dude thinks she may have a tumor.??? I'm not sure I'm buying that as it showed up kindof suddenly. She has been this way for more than a month.

Hex I dunno...I just watch her and we bought some veggie pellets. I have all the meds listed. I will probably med her but I don't have much faith in them. I was told to give them to my Gold that DID die of Dropsy a couple of years ago. Not too sure what finally killed that fish...Dropsy or the meds.....

Good luck! I will watch your post for more info too

TWATKINS


----------



## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

my bumble bee is free of black spots.. im assuming internal bruising. . *** still had no luck and YES EXACTlY like i fed here a marble.. *** dosed with meds, tons of epsom salt and water changes and NO luck i have her in a solitary tank and almost NO poo.. very very little nuggets.. i am so frustrated


----------

