I think my fish swallowed a rock and is dying

[Skinned]

Hello MFK,

I have large SA cichlids and my big female Texas and male RD Flowerhorn have been digging around and nesting in the tank for a couple seeks now.

I woke up this morning and I'm pretty sure Lou, the flowerhorn, has swallowed a rock or has one jammed down in there. He is swimming by the top with his little horn out of the water and he isn't closing his mouth or eating. He is normally very voracious. He is by far my favorite fish, and if he is dying I don't want to make his last hours worse by pulling him out of his environment and shoving tweezers down his throat.

Has anybody had any luck with pebble or rock extraction on their fish? The fish is about 9 or 10 inches and very hardy. The tank is 150 gallons and it has a ton of filtration. Other fish are acting fine.

 

[kno4te]

If it truly swallowed price of gravel try some Epsom salt 3 tsp for every 5 gallons. It'll help act as a laxative.

 

[Frank Castle]

If it truly swallowed price of gravel try some Epsom salt 3 tsp for every 5 gallons. It'll help act as a laxative.

I also heard vegetable, corn, olive or canola oil can be used, but actually orally giving it to him might stress him out worse, so IDK. Kind of a personal choice

 

[Charney]

How is he doing? did you look into his mouth?
it would be a little odd for him to have swallowed a rock but can't say it is not possible.

A xray would confirm a stone pretty quickly if he did eat one

 

[Ihsnshaik]

How is he doing? did you look into his mouth?
it would be a little odd for him to have swallowed a rock but can't say it is not possible.

A xray would confirm a stone pretty quickly if he did eat one

I don't think most people would fish up the money for one haha

 

[Skinned]

How is he doing? did you look into his mouth?
it would be a little odd for him to have swallowed a rock but can't say it is not possible.

A xray would confirm a stone pretty quickly if he did eat one

Or an autopsy He died tonight. About 48 hours, probably from suffocation. His throat and then his belly swollen out real badly. I put him in quarantine, with some Epsom salt, and a little melafix...but it was too little too late. When I got up this morning he looked pretty bad.

Here is a pic from two days ago:

RIP Lou, you magnificent bastard.

 

[Charney]

Or an autopsy He died tonight. About 48 hours, probably from suffocation. His throat and then his belly swollen out real badly. I put him in quarantine, with some Epsom salt, and a little melafix...but it was too little too late. When I got up this morning he looked pretty bad.

Here is a pic from two days ago:

RIP Lou, you magnificent bastard.

sorry for your loss. I think you where joking about the necropsy but it is honestly a good idea.

 

[rodger]

I used to do autopsy on all my fish. I found a piece of gravel stuck in the throat of an angelfish once so it is very conceivable that is what happened