Think I should treat for sunken belly

[that_fish_Guy]

Hey you guys it's been years since I've been active 100% on here. Been keeping fish (monster fish) for over 10 years. I haven't had to treat a fish for sunken belly in several years. What I normally do is take the fish out of the tank and onto a wet towel mix general cure and Epsom salt in a pipette and syringe it through their mouth past their gills into their stomach. Is this still one of the best methods or is there another method out there that's better. I'm treating my Rio mag umbee. As you can see by the pic his belly is slightly concave and his colors aren't what they used to be. He has been like this for a couple months ever since I fed him a whole crawfish. I just havent decided if I wanted to get invasive with treatment. I've tried daily 25-50% water changes and Epsom salt in the tank/soaked food in vitachem and epsom salt. He still eats but he eats considerably less then a fish his size should eat. He looks small on video and pictures but he is 14"+ the tank is a 240 gallon. Any input or feedback would be appreciated. I'm not a novice just seeking out if there is a new better method to treat this then my ways of the past.

 

[kno4te]

Start feeding hex shield or mixing metroplex in the food.

 

[that_fish_Guy]

Start feeding hex shield or mixing metroplex in the food.

Tried metroplex medicated food a couple weeks ago he spits it out immediately

 

[kno4te]

Tried metroplex medicated food a couple weeks ago he spits it out immediately

Tried mixing with some bloodworm or garlic.

 

[RD.]

NLS Hex-Shield

 

[RD.]

BTW - just for my own personal observations in the hope that the info can be used to help someone down the road, was the crayfish collected from local waters, or from a store, or? Was it frozen first, or fed live? Thanks

Also, in case you weren't aware of the NLS formula, Hex-Shield, it contains metronidazole, epsom salt, and a mega dose of garlic. It smells pretty funky, my cichlids ate it up, some fish aren't too keen on it, but a 3-5 day treatment will usually clean a fish out. (feed exclusively twice a day) In a more severe or chronic case, such as yours, I fed for 5 days straight, gave the fish (H. carpintis) a week off on his regular feed, then followed up with another 5 day treatment. 2+ yrs later that carpintis is still going strong. I've had great success with this formula.

Good luck

 

[that_fish_Guy]

BTW - just for my own personal observations in the hope that the info can be used to help someone down the road, was the crayfish collected from local waters, or from a store, or? Was it frozen first, or fed live? Thanks

Also, in case you weren't aware of the NLS formula, Hex-Shield, it contains metronidazole, epsom salt, and a mega dose of garlic. It smells pretty funky, my cichlids ate it up, some fish aren't too keen on it, but a 3-5 day treatment will usually clean a fish out. (feed exclusively twice a day) In a more severe or chronic case, such as yours, I fed for 5 days straight, gave the fish (H. carpintis) a week off on his regular feed, then followed up with another 5 day treatment. 2+ yrs later that carpintis is still going strong. I've had great success with this formula.

Good luck

Thank you! Crayfish was purchased from a grocery store for human consumption the crayfish was frozen for several weeks prior so not 100% sure it was that. I really am not 100% sure what it could be. Thanks! I'll grab some hex shield and seed if it works.

 

[RD.]

Ok, thanks. Unfortunately freezing does not necessarily kill all pathogens, and crawfish sold for human consumption are expected to be boiled/ cooked prior to eating. I think that it’s safe to assume the crayfish is what has caused this issue.

 

[dr exum]

Ok, thanks. Unfortunately freezing does not necessarily kill all pathogens, and crawfish sold for human consumption are expected to be boiled/ cooked prior to eating. I think that it’s safe to assume the crayfish is what has caused this issue.

Just reading this, is Tilapia known to carry badness?

 

[kno4te]

Just reading this, is Tilapia known to carry badness?

Mean illness? Usually not as a lot of keepers feed tilapia. It’s frozen and meant to be cooked. Let me echo what rd said about freezing. There’s always a risk, though low.