I think it's bloat

[banjocat]

My senegal bichir has a buldge in its stomach. I thought at first that it was from eating the food for the four-lined pims(they won't eat with the lights on). The buldge would disappear and re-appear. I built a divider to keep it from eating the pim's food. The buldge went away, but soon returned. It has gotten pretty big. I was just reading some articles about bloat/dropsy and it sounds like it might already be too late.

I think he swallowed a little shrimp shell with the last market shrimp I fed. That was about a month ago. The problem started shortly after that. Is it a coincidence or could that be the cause?

I've seen people mention Metronidazole(Flagyl), but it seems to be a prescription medication. Parasite Clear has metronidazole. Would parasite clear work?

Also, epson salt has been mentioned. Would that be dangerous for the four-lined pimelodus?

I don't have a quarantine tank, but have a 20 gal with fish. They could trade aquariums. Would they be likely to catch the bloat in the bichir's tank? The other fish in the bichir's aquarium are not showing any symptoms.

I'll try to upload some pics. I haven't been able to get any really clear ones.

Thanks

 

[banjocat]

I'm thinking of moving the bichir to the 20 and moving the 20's fish to the 75. Does anyone think this is a bad idea? Would the bichir's bloat be likely to infect the fish when I move them to the bichir's aquarium.

 

[Lupin]

A quarantine/hospital tank is always a must. If I were you, get one. Craiglist has plenty of bargains. There is no certainty yet for bloat. Fast the fish for at least 3-4 days and see if anything improves.

 

[banjocat]

I moved the bichir to a hospital tank on the day of my last post. I treated with parasite clear, because that was the only way I knew of using metronidazole. Over about a week, I used the maximum three doses mentioned on the box. I also used 1/8 tsp of epson salt per 5 gallons. I didn't feed the bichir during treatment. Today was my first day feeding.

On the first morning, after I added the epson salt, I noticed that the bichir defecated a large amount. The buldge went down quite a bit, but didn't completely diappear. He pretty much stayed in his cave unless I disturped him while doing a water change. This is different than the behavior I'm used to from this bichir. Today, I noticed that the buldge is growing back. I fed him today, despite the buldge, because it has been so long since he last ate.

Lupin, I didn't notice your post until a couple of days ago. Thanks for the reply.

Anyone have any recommendations on what I should try next?

 

[banjocat]

Here are a few pics I took a couple of days ago. These are after the period of no feeding, while I gave parasite clear.

Now, I'm reading online that I should have been treating dropsy with bacterial meds. A Scandinavian site says that a vet can prescribe metronidazol(Flagyl) if you explain the situation. I live in the United states. The vets in my area only treat pets like dogs and cats. Is it likely that a vet who doesn't deal with fish would prescribe this medication? Would I be wasting my time because I already tried parasite clear, which contains metronidazol? I was thinking that maybe the concentration of metronidazol is too low in Parasite Clear.

Any input? I really don't know what to do.

 

[banjocat]

Also, am I using enough epson salt? I'm using 1/8 teaspoon per 5 gallons. I've been using this ammount based on bloat articles that I've read on MFK. I just read on the Polypterid Health Issues sticky, though, that two tablesppons of epson salt per 10 gallons can be used to treat bloat. The two articles say amounts that are very different. Any input?

I'm not using aquarium salt, but should I? Some articles mention using salt but I've also read posts that say regular aquarium salt will kill a fish with bloat.