Blood parrot dying, egg bound, constipated....dropsy?

[Idontlikepie]

Have a blood parrot, not sure how old, I've had her for 2 years but she's definitely smaller than my other 2 blood parrots. Everyone else in the community tank is doing great, great color and eating. This little lady on the other hand, not so much.

This has started a few days before Thanksgiving. First she just started staying in one area, head pointed downwards (just like in picture) so we thought, oh she's going to lay eggs. Our other 2 females have laid eggs multiple times, this little female has not. Then we noticed it looks like she could only swim vertically, again not really leaving that area. Then noticed here and there she would swim horizontally but not for long periods of time, almost a slight struggle.

She then started to get black streaks along her mouth, "nostrils" up by her dorsal fin and faintly in some spots on her tail fin. So we gave her an Epsom salt bath. Nothing. Even when taking her out of the tank, she didn't put up a fight in the net, just kind of laid in it. Now mind you she hasn't eaten anything (or that I've noticed) this entire time. Pellets, blood worms, peas...not interested. Then last night, noticed her vent(?) is sticking out more than usual. Just like when the other females are about to lay, but without the energy or agressivness that normal goes along with laying eggs.

Any ideas? We were thinking of possibly trying to manually massage her to see what happens.

 

[duanes]

Since blood-parrots are not an actual species, but are a line bred fish where drastic mutations have been favored, and bred in, (on the same order as balloon and bubble eyed goldfish), one should expect some internal problems like the ones you are experiencing, as fish age.
Even after thousands of years of tradition, many of these mutant goldfish experience buoyancy issues, and lack of robustness because their organs are crammed into too small an area. This favoring of mutations in cichlids is recent, in comparison.

 

[Idontlikepie]

She's had a couple of salt baths and is currently in quarantine with some Epsom salt, melafix and Prime now. No luck so far. I took her put of the tank this morning when I noticed she was in a normal swimming position but just being pushed around by the current.

 

[Charney]

can't tell from the pictures does she have a prolapse?

 

[squint]

Find a vet.