Digestive system issues.

..puSkar..

Dovii
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Have you tested your water?
No
If I did not test my water...
...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.
Do you do water changes?
Yes
What percentage of water do you change?
51-60%
How frequently do you change your water?
Every week
If I do not change my water...
...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.
I've got 4 tinfoil barbs in a 90 gallon tank , sizes ranging from 6-8 " . Had them for about 3 years now. Never had any issues, I think they were overfed koi pellets by my brother while I was suffering from covid. When I recovered and started observing them , they were constipated all 4 were pooping long brown thick threads like platys do when overfed and their anal region had a very slight swelling, not much but it could be observed by any experienced fishkeeper. I didnt feed them for about 3-4 days and after that fed some blanched carrots and cucumber.
2 of them got pretty normal, but one day I noticed that one of them had a thin strand ( like a hair strand) trailing behind. So the next day I fed them epsom salt soaked pellets just like RD states and also mixed in some metro.
Now all of them started to poop long brown threads again sometimes with air trapped in between the long mass .
Continued for 5 days they continued the same way. After 5 days did a 70% wc and back to normal feeding. The 2 that had got gine earlier got fine again anal region also got normal the other two anal region were still protuding one was pooping fine the other still pooping long brown poop, and sometimes thin hairlike strands would trail.
No medicated food for 1 week, they all got normal . Yesterday I changed water and today I fed again fed them epsom soaked food with metro powder mixed. I again see the one that had not gotten normal with long poop and the largest one that had become perfectly normal also had long airfilled brown poop.
I'm very confused, I've dealt with internal parsites before in cichlids like vieja, flowehorns, green terror. This doesn't seem like that but I don't know.
Tried almost everything. Epsom salt, metro, garlic extract, ginger extract, carrots, cauliflower everything.
Has anyone dealt with something like this before?
Thanks.
BTW the tank is a 90 gallon gets 50-60 % wc every Sunday. Fish get fed 3-4times a week. They Get veggies 1 day every week .
kno4te kno4te tlindsey tlindsey Deadeye Deadeye
 

..puSkar..

Dovii
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The fish behave completely fine . They eat like pigs like tinfoils normally do. They don't have sunken belly or any other symptoms.
Please help cause my parents love them more than I do. I know I'll be asked about parameters but I'm sorry it's not easy to get a water test kit here in India .
 

Rocksor

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The longer brown poop with air in between was something similar to what my GT was experiencing after a few years. I went to a different type pellet, New Life Spectrum Algaemax and the problem went away unless very stressed due to chasing by my oscar (this happened a few times a month). I'm thinking the Tinfoils have reached a point in their life when they need less protein and more algae/plant matter in their diet, just like my GT did.
 
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..puSkar..

Dovii
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The longer brown poop with air in between was something similar to what my GT was experiencing after a few years. I went to a different type pellet, New Life Spectrum Algaemax and the problem went away unless very stressed due to chasing by my oscar (this happened a few times a month). I'm thinking the Tinfoils have reached a point in their life when they need less protein and more algae/plant matter in their diet, just like my GT did.
That is what I was thinking too but the problem is that we don't get nls , and 50% of the hikari we get is duplicate. So I feed a Indian brand. Generally all foods have 40-45% protein and almost 4-6% fibre. Should I feed them a good quality turtle food or maybe a good quality goldfish food? Cause such foods normally have 30% protein in them.
esoxlucius esoxlucius any similar observation with your tinfoils?
 

tlindsey

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I suggest no more Melafix or Epsom Salt and feed lightly and skip a day or two to give system to get better. I agree with Rocksor Rocksor .
 
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Deadeye

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Agree
Sounds like a change in diet is necessary. Even throwing in algae wafers every once in a while helps.
Not sure about goldfish food. As a staple I’m pretty sure there is something wrong, but on occasion I don’t think there is anything bad about feeding it. Most of the ingredients are all the same and both fish are cyprinids. I don’t have any evidence to back this up though.
 
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..puSkar..

Dovii
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The longer brown poop with air in between was something similar to what my GT was experiencing after a few years. I went to a different type pellet, New Life Spectrum Algaemax and the problem went away unless very stressed due to chasing by my oscar (this happened a few times a month). I'm thinking the Tinfoils have reached a point in their life when they need less protein and more algae/plant matter in their diet, just like my GT did.
I had been feeding them cucumber carrots zucchini and a small amount of beet evey 3 days. All seemed to get better but one had still a slight bulge at the anus.
Fed them pellets 2 days ago and now after they poop , it's normal not very flowy falls down, but after they poop there seems to be some residue poop hanging behind attached to a thin ( it's as stin as human hair) strand and it trails behind.
Is it due to high protein or is it parasite. It's extremely thin , it's so thin it's hardly Noticed but it is definitely there.
What is to be done?
 
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..puSkar..

Dovii
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esoxlucius esoxlucius have you dealt with such problems with your tinfoil barbs?
 
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Rocksor

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I had been feeding them cucumber carrots zucchini and a small amount of beet evey 3 days. All seemed to get better but one had still a slight bulge at the anus.
Fed them pellets 2 days ago and now after they poop , it's normal not very flowy falls down, but after they poop there seems to be some residue poop hanging behind attached to a thin ( it's as stin as human hair) strand and it trails behind.
Is it due to high protein or is it parasite. It's extremely thin , it's so thin it's hardly Noticed but it is definitely there.
What is to be done?
Sounds about right. I would just leave it alone, it's probably just membrane, no medication required. When pellet feeding it doesn't need to be a lot where the stomach bulges.
 

esoxlucius

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esoxlucius esoxlucius have you dealt with such problems with your tinfoil barbs?
In the 6 years I've been back in the hobby I can honestly say I've never experienced any dietary problems with any fish. The only hassle I've had have been a couple of whitespot outbreaks, which I dealt with swiftly.

As far as feeding goes I have two main rules which I adhere to, for all my fish. Feed a quality varied diet and keep them on the hungry lean side, overfeeding is bad in so many ways. I also got to the stage where I was questioning the suitability and benefit of terrestrial based plant matter, and most hobbyists swear by it. But are peas, zucchini broccoli, cabbage, lettuce etc etc etc foods they'd come across in the wild! But saying that, do they come across the contents of poor grade filler stuffed pellets in the wild too, lol. In fact I started an interesting thread on the subject some time ago now, I don't know how to link it but I think it was called "terrestrial v aquatic" or something like that.

The only fish I have that I feed fruits and veg to now is my RTGG, he goes mad for strawberries, raspberries and brussel sprouts and cabbage, but I really keep it to a minimum.

The main part of my fishes diets are floating and sinking Hikari and NLS pellets, algae wafers and bugbites, with live crickets and chopped garden worms as regular treats.

Is my feeding regime the reason I don't have any dietry problems, or am I just lucky thus far? Maybe a mix of the two?
 
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