# skinny fish?



## cichladman123 (Dec 3, 2011)

I have a juvenile mixed peaccock and ever since the day i got him (2 weeks ago) he seemed to have a dent right under his belly where the stomach is. he eats fine and doesnt seem stressed at all. what is this?


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## heaya (Oct 18, 2011)

could you post a picture please.


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

Either he's not getting enough to eat, you're not feeding nearly enough, or he's got a parasite. What and how often do you feed your fish? And what is he living with, in how big of a tank?


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

New fish have often been through alot before they get to you which includes not always getting enough or the right thing to eat. So it's not uncommon for a new fish to be skinny initially.

But if its been two weeks and the fish hasn't started to fill out then you should probably treat him. 
It's probably internal parasites as BinB has already pointed out, but it could also be an internal bacterial disease.

The good news is that your fish is still eating so this should be pretty easy to treat as you're going to want to feed it metronidazole soaked food--which you'll make yourself. Metronidazole works on both internal parasites and internal bacterial diseases but really should be eaten to work effectively.

I just finished treating one of my fish for the same thing so I'll tell you how I made the met-soaked food. First you want to get some powdered metronidazole. I use Seachem's Metronidazole. And you'll also need some pellets. (Flake food doesn't work as well because it's not as absorbent.) I use NLS 3mm pellets. 
I used the cap to a vitamin water and put just enough water in it to barely cover one half of the bottom of it--so very little water. Then I put a heaping scoop of met powder in , (Seachem met comes with a scoop) and put the cap in the microwave for just a few seconds--long enough to dissolve the met. 
Then I added the pellets and let the whole thing sit for a few hours to give the pellets time to absorb the dissolved met. Then I fed the met-soaked food to my fish a couple times a day for five days. 
Seachem also sells a product called Focus that helps bind the met to the pellets. Might want to get some of that.

Let us know how it goes

Robin


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## cichladman123 (Dec 3, 2011)

so to see if it was a parasite i took the peacock in a net to the surface of the tank and fed him individually. i guess its a bad sign for a fish to be eating under the stress of being in a net so i took that as a symptom of parasites or bacteria. he ate quite a lot and when i released him he wasnt skinny anymore. he was pooping alot though is that a good sign? but this morning i looked at him and he already seems to be getting skinny again so im convinced its parasites. i dont have any of the products you mentioned but can i treat him with epsom salt and if so how?
i have a 20 gallon tank with a aeroting power head if that helps.


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## cichladman123 (Dec 3, 2011)

i also just realized the possibility of the peacock digesting all the food over night is this possible?


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

I've had success in the past with Jungle Anti-Parasite medicated food.
You'll need to squeeze it in the water to get it to sink otherwise it will float.
Epsom salt will have little to no effect as far as I know.


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