# My yellow lab.



## stellarbabe316 (Oct 12, 2008)

I just wanted an opinion...as I see this little guy every day and to me, he looks the same. The first picture is a picture of my yellow lab approximately a month ago when I bought him. The second picture is one I took just yesterday. I was wondering if he looks like he is in better condition now than he was when i first got him.

Thanks!!










A month ago.










Yesterday.

Thanks again!!!

Josie


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## mtber (Apr 8, 2005)

You might want to post/move this query to the illness category. Could be an internal parasite, but I'm not an expert. I had a yellow lab that looked like that and it basically wasted away until I put it out of its misery. If you can put yours in a hospital tank and feed it anti-parisitics, you may have a chance. (but again, ask the experts) I don't know if I could have saved mine if I had treated it aggessively early on, but didn't.

John


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## Cardiff (Jun 2, 2008)

its got sunken belly, might be a parasite or i have had it from new fish i have bought and they just needed some decent feeding up


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## stellarbabe316 (Oct 12, 2008)

Thanks. I got him like this new, also....but after a month he still looks like this...and he EATS!! He is the first at the top to eat.

Would the moderators be able to move this post to the illness/health section, please?

Thanks much!

Josie


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## LuciousLeftFoot (Jan 27, 2008)

I am actually nursing a yellow lab back to health right now that looked very similar until I put it in a QT tank and treated the water three times with Jungle Parasite tablets. It's been a couple weeks since I finished the treatment and it's starting to look healthier but I am still apprehensive until I see some out right growth. I would put it in a tank by itself and give it some sort of internal parasite medication. If for nothing else than a precaution, you don't want the rest of your fish getting the same thing if it is a parasite.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

He not only looks ill, he also appears to be very stressed out.

Is he/she in a main tank?

How long has the tank been set up?

What are the water parameters on the tank?

What is your normal tank maintenance routine?

What size tank is this? What is the full stock list?

Have you lost any fish recently?

It's impossible to say whether it is parasitic or not. Sometimes fish just fail to thrive. Since you say he is eating, I doubt that it is bloat, since he would have shown more symptoms within a months time, most likely. It could be "skinny" or "wasting" disease, or fish tuberculosis. (This is why you should be very careful what you add to your main tank.)

I would isolate this fish immediately, and feed the main tank with medicated antiparasitic food, as well as this guy. You might also try treating the water in the hospital tank for parasites. Clout, metronidazole or Jungle Parasite Clear would be good choices. You can follow the instructions for bloat treatment in the links below. (Again, I don't think it's bloat but parasites are parasites, so it's worth a try.)


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

That fish was in VERY poor shape when you got it. To me it does appear to look a little better in the second pic (wish I could see the tail and other fins better though). The dorsal (top) fin looks a little better and appears to be getting more black on it. The tip of the pelvic fin looks some better too, from what I can see. I even think the upwards curve in the belly looks a little less pronounced but in one months time I would expect it to look alot better if it was just underfed.

I would do as Kim (cichlidaholic) suggested and you might be able to save this fish.

In the future don't buy fish that look that bad (ragged fins and or sunken belly). If it's in with other fish, I would treat them with antiparasite food too because it could have easily passed it on to your other fish. Good luck :thumb:


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## stellarbabe316 (Oct 12, 2008)

This is not the best picture, but the little bugger wouldn't stay still so I could get a good shot. I just wanted to show everyone how my little yellow lab is doing. His belly does not look as suken in at all. He moves around a whole lot and seems to be just generally doing better. I wound up treating the entire tank as a precaution, in case the other fish had also caught whatever it was he had. They are all doing well, barring a fight between my maingano and my red zebra.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

He/she does look a bit better, Josie, but the fins are still off...I can't tell if they are clamped or deteriorated???

And, I don't think this is a pure Yellow lab. I'm not seeing any black on the dorsal, and alot of orange in the fish.

What size tank are these fish in, by the way?


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## stellarbabe316 (Oct 12, 2008)

They are in a 20 gal. It was this biggest tank I could get for my current living space. I am looking to rearrange some things in my home and get a much bigger tank. I'm looking to get a 55 gal.

The fins are clamped in that picture and unfortunately, you cannot see the black that is beginning to show in the dorsal fin.

There is a VERY good chance he is not pure yellow lab. He was bought out of a tank that had the infamous label of "assorted african cichlids."

Now that you mention it and I am sitting here looking at him, he does look a bit orange. Could be the lighting? Could be that he's not pure yellow lab.

Either way, the thing that has me happy is that his belly looks better.

What does the clamped fins mean? Is there something else I need to watch for?

Thanks. I appreciate the help.


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