# constipation? bloat?



## Shaul (Mar 9, 2008)

I have a female Neolamprologus birchardi together with my other cichlids in a 120 litre tank. I recently (last week or two- sorry it's taken so long for me to post) noticed her swollen (almost as if she ate a medium balloon- which is probably not too far off!)- her tankmates (4 very friendly gorgeous Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei") love eating Hikari cichlid staple pellets. The other fish in that tank (peacocks *2, c. moori *2, frontosa *2, caeruleus *1, lemonada *1) all seem quite happy- and HUNGRY!. (I usually feed them Hikari pellets, and Tetra Spirulina flakes.) Anyway, the birchardi seemed quite swollen, and while she was still swimming around, I decided to transfer her to a quarantine tank, where she's been fasting with Epsom salt in the water for the last 5 days or so. The swelling has gone down a little, and she has been producing some feces, but she still looks like she swallowed a small balloon. I don't think it would be bloat b/c she's the only fish with these symptoms and it's been much longer than a few days. Any suggestions how to get her back to normal? (I realize I've probably made a few mistakes so far- but thanks for helping out.) :fish:


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

You did the right thing in removing, fasting and the Epsom salt. How much Epsom salt did you add? 
Is the fish showing any interest in food? What other symptoms have you noticed?

She may have some sort of internal obstruction--either a glut of food or something else, OR it could be bloat. As a precaution for your other fish I would up the frequency of partial water changes to 2-3X a week--just for the next week. Remove 30% water, siphon the gravel and use a good quality declorinator.

It sounds more like this one fish over-ate--which can turn into a fatal situation by weakening the fish to the point where it gets sick, but you want to be ready with the proper med just in case it IS bloat. Jungle Parasite Clear, Clout, or Metronidazole are three good choices.

Robin


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

BTW, is that 120 liters or 120 Gallons?

If it's liters--(120 liters=aprox 30 gallons), then the tank is way to small for the fish you are keeping.


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## Shaul (Mar 9, 2008)

Thanx so much for replying! I put in like 1 1/2-2 teaspoons in an 18 liter quarrantine tank. I saw her swimming around quite eagerly (though hiding when I came near under the sponge filter), and she seemed excited when I dropped in one Tetra spirulina flake!  How would I tell whether it's bloat or just learning from the over-eager acei's?

(It is 120 liters- which size tank would you recommend for them? I have the fry and growing fish in other tanks) :fish:


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## cc_woman (Jan 31, 2008)

If it's bloat you will most likely notice white stringy poo coming from her, she won't eat, and she will most likely hide. In the past I have treated fish with bloat the metro, and it has worked great.

Frontosas should not be in anything less than 75 gallons, and all other africans should be kept in a minimum of 55 gallons. The moori go really well with fronts, and should also be kept in slightly larger tanks since they grow quite large.


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