# Jack Dempsey baby with swollen belly



## ZoomyZoom (Feb 17, 2009)

Hey all

I am new to fishkeeping, so bear with me.

I have a baby Jack Dempsey, he's probably an inch, maybe a bit smaller. Anyways, he has the fattest belly I have ever seen on a fish! I immediately thought of dropsy or bloat. I looked in to it and he doesn't have any symptoms of that except the belly. He's swimming vigorously, pooping normally (well, I saw him poop once last night and it was fine, haven't seen it since), eating like a hog, doesn't have any lesions or scales sticking out (as far as I can see but he's small...), etc. And when I say eating like a hog, I mean a HOG. I have him in a tank with a convict and two small africans (all about 2-3" long) and when I feed them, this little guy holds his own, that's for sure! He races around the tank eating more than anyone else. When I look at him from the top of the tank, he looks like an egg with a tail!! His sides are sticking way out!

Any ideas on what's going on with this little guy? He seems happy enough....just super fat! Could it be dropsy or bloat without any other symps? What should I do??

TIA for any help/suggestions.


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## ZoomyZoom (Feb 17, 2009)

I thought I should come back to add that the other fish in the tank are not being overfed. I only feed twice a day, the amount they can eat in a minute.

I've been doing some more reading, and I have been feeding them these Top Fin small cichlid pellets. They are the perfect size for the other fish, but this little guy continuously tries to eat them by chewing them up, spitting them out and making a mess. Maybe he managed to eat one that swelled inside his belly?

I'm grasping at straws here...


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## Morpheus (Nov 12, 2008)

Just giving you a heads up, they will be asking for a lot more information. Ammonia readings, nitrite, nitrates, how long the tank has been set up (if I remember correctly, is this the same tank that's in your husband's office?) size, etc... The more info you can provide the more likely someone will be able to nail down what's happening. :thumb:


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## Morpheus (Nov 12, 2008)

Also, another heads up, is if it is the same tank, that jack dempsey will get 8" to 10" when fully grown.


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## ZoomyZoom (Feb 17, 2009)

Yes, you're right, this is the tank that was my husbands badly neglected one.

*Sigh* I don't know how you guys do this as a hobby!!! LOL! It's so confusing and there is SO MUCH to learn! I think things are going relatively well though.

These are all the same fish we started with. They seem to all be doing great, I've been doing weekly 30% water changes, tank stats are good (I think!)

Oh! And I forgot the to post the stats! Sorry.

Nitrites 0
Nitrates .25
pH 7.5
GH 80
KH 65
water temp 81

And I am considering getting a bigger tank with our tax return....BUT I don't want to get in over my head before I know enough about tank upkeep, etc. If we don't get a bigger tank soon, I will give away the fish that are too big for this tank (35 gallons). Thanks for the heads up about the Jack Dempsey!

ETA Maybe I jumped the gun about this guy being sick? I have held off on feeding the fish today to see if his belly size decreases, and it has! Although now the other fish are all fighting and chasing eachother, which I've never seen them do before, so I should probably throw some food in there....


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## Morpheus (Nov 12, 2008)

Nitrates are pretty low Did you just do a water change right before testing? Do you have a test for ammonia? And juvenille fish can go a couple of days without eating no problem.



> BUT I don't want to get in over my head before I know enough about tank upkeep, etc.


That is very responsible of you. However, the bigger the tank, the more leeway there is. On a 55 gallon, 30% water changes a week would be perfect. You are doing ten gallons now, what's doing 18? :lol:

But you do have some time, so no worries. And if his tummy went down simply from missing one feeding, I would say you just have a pig of a jack dempsey on your hands.

You are doing great ZZ. Hang in there.


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## ZoomyZoom (Feb 17, 2009)

Thank you, it's good to hear that I am on the right track!!

And the encouragement to buy a bigger tank isn't helping...LOL!! I really, really want to!! 

Yep, I did a water change this morning, and I tested the water about 2 hours later. Can I ask where the nitrates are supposed to be day-to-day? I thought they were supposed to be zero?


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## Morpheus (Nov 12, 2008)

Ammonia and nitrites are supposed to be zero on a fully cycled tank. Nitrates are from the "good" bacteria taking care of the nitrites. Nitrates can also come from uneaten food that is left in the tank, gets sucked into the filter, etc.. On my tank, even after doing a water change (30% on a 75 gallon tank) I will still have a nitrate reading of between 5 and 10. I never let my nitrates get higher than 20, or at least I try not too. If it gets around 40 you definitely want to do a water change.

Live plants can help reduce nitrates, but with the africans in their I don't think plants would have much luck.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Are you sure this fish is actually _consuming_ the food? From the way you describe his eating habits, he may not be actually swallowing anything.

I would isolate him and add epsom salt to the tank at 1 cup per 100G. If it's intestinal blockage, this may help. (If you can't isolate him, you can also do this with the main tank - it won't hurt the other fish.)

If the tank was neglected, it may take some time to resolve all the problems caused by the neglect..

I like for my nitrates to stay right around 20...If they start creeping towards 40, it's time for a water change.

What size tank is this?


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## Morpheus (Nov 12, 2008)

I believe it's a 30 or 35.


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## ZoomyZoom (Feb 17, 2009)

Yes, it's a 35. And I know it's too small for the fish that are in there. I just "rescued" this tank and all of these fish from my husbands office, where they were being neglected. We are either going to get a larger tank, or give some fish away.

I am pretty sure he's eating the food, I sit by the tank and watch him and the food just goes in and in. I give them a bit of flakes, and a bit of pellets for the bigger fish. When he goes for a pellet, he might spit it out numerous times before actually comsuming it, but he obviously eats the flakes no prob.

Today he looks completely fine. His swollen belly is completely gone, he looks normal again. ?? Weird...

Thanks for your help, guys!


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