Enlarged Belly on my Pimelodus Pictus

[tyberiusj12]

I have a 29 gallon freshwater tank. I have a pictus catfish, it acts normal but it has a really swollen belly . I have seen it eat the goldfish pebbles as well as the algae wafer i fed it. These symptoms have just occurred in the passed few days, and I have been watching it daily to see if it would go away but it keeps getting bigger. Here are my tank stats:
1. Water parameters. (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, PH, temp', Hardness etc) , temp = 78 degrees [KH=40, GH=180, NO3=80-160, NO2=0, PH 6.5-7]
2. A full description of the fishes symptoms.
3. How often you do water changes and how much. (Once every other week{will be cut down to once a week}, 20-50% change)
4. Any chemicals and treatments you add to the water (Easy Balance Plus weekly maintenance & Accuclear)
5. What tank mates are in the tank. ({2pink, 2purple, 1blue, 1yellow glofish tetras} , 1upside down catfish, 1Longfin serape tetra, 1white skirt tetra, 1red cap orando goldfish, 1goldfish, 1pleco)
6. Tank size. (29 gallons)
7. Finally Have you recently added any new fish (new fish added about 3/4 months ago includes redcap orando)

There are no missing fish that the pictus could have eaten to get bloated, I feed them flakes, goldfish pellets, and pleco wafers. All fish are very healthy, my tank is about 1 years old and have had some very preventable fatalities.
Thanks!

 

[B0B]

hey, names angus, bloating can be caused from over feeding which is probably the most likely cause as he is a catfish and they are known for that, although i once had a bumble bee catfish and he got a disease which caused him to be bloated as well. What i would sudgest is for starters, you have alot of diferent species and try get one food as well as pleco wafers you can feed them, such as frozen food or tropical specialised wafers, up to you although decrease the food as fish dont need that much, more plants can help with food as well as some fish like to eat the plants. so if you find it isnt eating much at all then treat the tank with melafix as it will be your best plan to try and decrease the chance for a fatality, looking at the photo, it looks more like and over eating issue but melifix will help if you dont think that is the case as if it is a disease that will help but yeah good luck

 

[tyberiusj12]

hey, names angus, bloating can be caused from over feeding which is probably the most likely cause as he is a catfish and they are known for that, although i once had a bumble bee catfish and he got a disease which caused him to be bloated as well. What i would sudgest is for starters, you have alot of diferent species and try get one food as well as pleco wafers you can feed them, such as frozen food or tropical specialised wafers, up to you although decrease the food as fish dont need that much, more plants can help with food as well as some fish like to eat the plants. so if you find it isnt eating much at all then treat the tank with melafix as it will be your best plan to try and decrease the chance for a fatality, looking at the photo, it looks more like and over eating issue but melifix will help if you dont think that is the case as if it is a disease that will help but yeah good luck

hey angus, first off i highly appretiate your comment.
i think over feeding may be the issue... ive noticed that both catfish are bottom feeders and the flakes arent reaching them so i feed them the goldfish pellets because they seem to love it, then i found out (after i already dropped a wafer the morning of) that plecos are nocturnal so he wasnt eating any of the food ive been feeding them. which caused me to worry about his diet so ive been feeding twice a day and 1 nightly wafer. the pictus is eating just fine which is why i dont think its a medical condition, just beginner fish daddy negligence.

 

[B0B]

ok so if its over feeding thats the issue, i would sudgest find th right food, such as the goldfish foor, then feed them once a day, decrease the food and try find that sweet spot that no food is left over which can help solve the over feeding, then with the pitcus, theres to ways to fix it, less food to the hole tank or get a seperate tank which is a great investment let me add, and then put the two pitcus and feed them less seperatly, although its really up to you, also im not here to gudge or complain but red and black rocks, im just saying it would look nicer if it was just black, and some more plants, just oppionated but love the tank

 

[HoldenOn]

Hey there! That kind if bloating is not usually caused by over feeding, and is instead caused by some sort of infection. From what I can gather, your nitrates are very high, and your water quality may be a little on the poor side due to the intense over stocking of your tank. This low water quality can lead to diseases like dropsy, which is my first guess as to what ails your fish. That being said, I would suggest stopping the usage of both Easy Balance and Accuclear, as both are notorious for being bad for fish and incredibly inefficient. My knowledge on disease is limited, but I would say doing a water change of about 30% ASAP is in your best interest, as well as getting Aquarium Salt. @Colin_T can give you a more exact diagnosis and more precise steps to follow to save your fish.

 

[tyberiusj12]

ok so if its over feeding thats the issue, i would sudgest find th right food, such as the goldfish foor, then feed them once a day, decrease the food and try find that sweet spot that no food is left over which can help solve the over feeding, then with the pitcus, theres to ways to fix it, less food to the hole tank or get a seperate tank which is a great investment let me add, and then put the two pitcus and feed them less seperatly, although its really up to you, also im not here to gudge or complain but red and black rocks, im just saying it would look nicer if it was just black, and some more plants, just oppionated but love the tank

unfortunately another tank is not an option atm however definitely will be a great investment down the road, i want to be a year without fatalities first. ill also be going back to one feeding a day but ima still drop the pleco wafer in there nightly for my pleco. and about the decor.... it was a volcano theme i went with lol but after many gravel cleanings they all mixed. my money plant as well as my vine plant and the other plant i neglected to research, got munched on by my redcap orando pretty much the moment he was done quarantining.

 

[B0B]

well, if you ever want some scape ideas or fish ideas msg me, this guys amazing :https://www.youtube.com/c/SerpaDesign . he made a crystal fish tank that was insane, and i like the tank, im honestly early into the hobby, 1 and a half years but have loved fish tanks for as long as i can remember and have spent alot of time on them already, ive kept clownfish to guppys, both salt and freshwater, had alot of troubles but the more mistakes i made the easier it all become, as i said, if you even want ideas id love to show you some concept tanks, most are really exotic fish species like mudskippers and nano tanks. im attempting to build a fish tank at the moment to get the experience, brought the acrylic and glue, thats gonna be cool, love the tank tho so great job

 

[tyberiusj12]

Hey there! That kind if bloating is not usually caused by over feeding, and is instead caused by some sort of infection. From what I can gather, your nitrates are very high, and your water quality may be a little on the poor side due to the intense over stocking of your tank. This low water quality can lead to diseases like dropsy, which is my first guess as to what ails your fish. That being said, I would suggest stopping the usage of both Easy Balance and Accuclear, as both are notorious for being bad for fish and incredibly inefficient. My knowledge on disease is limited, but I would say doing a water change of about 30% ASAP is in your best interest, as well as getting Aquarium Salt. @Colin_T can give you a more exact diagnosis and more precise steps to follow to save your fish.

hey! I appreciate your comment!!!
okay so my fish may have an underlining disease, okay 30% water change. and i no longer should use my weekly cleaner. Ive actually thought about that because all of the professional videos i watch they never mention anything besides water conditioner for the chlorine. So when i change the water out i put 5gals in 2 buckets and in each i put 5ml- 5gal plus 5ml of the weekly cleaner and in the other bucket 10ml of the weekly. ive never had a fatality after a water change so i thought it was good.

 

[tyberiusj12]

well, if you ever want some scape ideas or fish ideas msg me, this guys amazing :https://www.youtube.com/c/SerpaDesign . he made a crystal fish tank that was insane, and i like the tank, im honestly early into the hobby, 1 and a half years but have loved fish tanks for as long as i can remember and have spent alot of time on them already, ive kept clownfish to guppys, both salt and freshwater, had alot of troubles but the more mistakes i made the easier it all become, as i said, if you even want ideas id love to show you some concept tanks, most are really exotic fish species like mudskippers and nano tanks. im attempting to build a fish tank at the moment to get the experience, brought the acrylic and glue, thats gonna be cool, love the tank tho so great job

For sure id love to see some ideas!!!!. honestly when i first bought my tank i got the ship and the skull cave, along with black rock and a money tree. then i saw the volcano and it glows red at night so bought that along with some red rocks as lava. plus some red ish decor. i havent spent too much time researching my fish nor all the creative ideas everyone has explored. fish were my peace but now my new hobby.

 

[B0B]

first what country do you live in as curtain fish wont be available, like im in australia so im quite restricted. next im actually currently working on a project where im creating like a team seas fish tank themed with macro algae set up, to know the kinda designs you might like, you gotta tell me for starters your country, next what do you like the most out of these three : caves, bamboo, river. scenery wise, and finally, do you like alot of fish or 1-2 or 3 big fish. all this information will tell me the fish type, scape which makes up the tank, if you can give me this ill give you 2 different take designs, 1 fresh and one salt and if you like ill even show you the full process to set them up.

 

[tyberiusj12]

first what country do you live in as curtain fish wont be available, like im in australia so im quite restricted. next im actually currently working on a project where im creating like a team seas fish tank themed with macro algae set up, to know the kinda designs you might like, you gotta tell me for starters your country, next what do you like the most out of these three : caves, bamboo, river. scenery wise, and finally, do you like alot of fish or 1-2 or 3 big fish. all this information will tell me the fish type, scape which makes up the tank, if you can give me this ill give you 2 different take designs, 1 fresh and one salt and if you like ill even show you the full process to set them up.

wow okay!! i live in the United States of America, Colorado. its hard to pick between bamboo and cave but ill have to go with cave. i like alot of fish smaller fish in my tank with multiple different colors and types. i like alot of live plants over fake ones but i know ill have to take in count for the ph so im scared to add anything that may tip it in anyway

 

[B0B]

wow okay!! i live in the United States of America, Colorado. its hard to pick between bamboo and cave but ill have to go with cave. i like alot of fish smaller fish in my tank with multiple different colors and types. i like alot of live plants over fake ones but i know ill have to take in count for the ph so im scared to add anything that may tip it in anyway

first, dont worry about ph, its something that alot of people worry about but you shouldnt be too stressed over it. for example, my tank is heavily planted with drift wood and it balances everything. and the serpa desighn had some recent videos which you will think are the coolest designs, freshwater wise, youd like a rocky setup with a school of axelrod rasbora, by the looks of things you are would most likly like a crystal cave setup, and the easiest way to achieve this is to make a rocky floor as well as a handful of fake crstals you find online with and put a small light underneath, so in the dark it goes, finally add some elodea for the plants and magic, obviously you can do this t a greater extent like in serpa design but thats probably the easiest.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Glad that your pictus cat (who is beautiful!) recovered! I saw in the other thread. While your stocking is a bit of a disaster, I do have to say that I really admire your honesty about your mistakes, and that you're learning and wanting to make it better for them.


It's a tough hobby with a really steep learning curve, but you can get there! Honestly, I'd suggest not to worry about things like tank design and scaping ideas right now. That can come later. For now, focus on learning more about the types of fish you have, how to improve water quality, sort out your feeding and maintenance schedules etc. Much more important than how the tank looks.


Last note - plecos need some real driftwood in their tank to rasp on. They need it to help them digest their food, so that's a part of tank design that's more urgent. Get some chunks or branches of driftwood in there for them to hide in and rasp on. Plecos also appreciate some veg in their diet, so you can boil a bit of courgette/bell pepper/broccoli/cucumber (lots of different veggies they can eat) for a minute to soften it, then sink it to the bottom of the tank for the plec. The other fish will likely pick at it too. I have clips that hold onto the tank and keep the veg at the bottom of the tank for the plecos to rasp on, and put it in around 8pm after I've fed the other fish, and the plecs are usually on it within an hour or so. Remove any remains in the morning so it doesn't go bad in the tank. Lots of vids on youtube about how to feed veg to plecos!

I do this a couple of times a week, always the night before water change day

 

[tyberiusj12]

Glad that your pictus cat (who is beautiful!) recovered! I saw in the other thread. While your stocking is a bit of a disaster, I do have to say that I really admire your honesty about your mistakes, and that you're learning and wanting to make it better for them.


It's a tough hobby with a really steep learning curve, but you can get there! Honestly, I'd suggest not to worry about things like tank design and scaping ideas right now. That can come later. For now, focus on learning more about the types of fish you have, how to improve water quality, sort out your feeding and maintenance schedules etc. Much more important than how the tank looks.


Last note - plecos need some real driftwood in their tank to rasp on. They need it to help them digest their food, so that's a part of tank design that's more urgent. Get some chunks or branches of driftwood in there for them to hide in and rasp on. Plecos also appreciate some veg in their diet, so you can boil a bit of courgette/bell pepper/broccoli/cucumber (lots of different veggies they can eat) for a minute to soften it, then sink it to the bottom of the tank for the plec. The other fish will likely pick at it too. I have clips that hold onto the tank and keep the veg at the bottom of the tank for the plecos to rasp on, and put it in around 8pm after I've fed the other fish, and the plecs are usually on it within an hour or so. Remove any remains in the morning so it doesn't go bad in the tank. Lots of vids on youtube about how to feed veg to plecos!

I do this a couple of times a week, always the night before water change day

Thank you so much for your very kind words!!! im trying honestly. since i started focusing more on them everything has just started to make more sense and i stopped or continued to do so much more! i based weather i was doing a good job, if they were dying or not, not based on water levels/quality or their stress levels.

I learned that tetras hide alot when they aren't happy so after i made tons of changes they are now swimming at mid-high tank and chasing each other around (which i was concerned about but they are leaving my slow fish alone, so i assume theyre playing)

And id agree the population in my tank isn't very recommended nor is the diverse spices but i was naive and a kid with a new job lol so i went on a 'if its uglily cute than i want it'

When my schedule opens up id like to do a deep gravel change every Sunday (50%) and a basic water change every Wednesday (20%). i definitely love the idea of doing veggie feeding the day before water changes, then i wont have to worry about the nitrate/ammonia spikes.

I was going to feed my fish peas today, but my only concern is if my pleco is getting enough food. i noticed when i put a wafer in at 8pm (feeding time) my upside catfish, pictus catfish, and both gold fish devour it

i have 5 types of feedings: tropical flakes/granules, tetra color flakes (primary feeding for all fish), goldfish pellets (when i wanna hand feed my gold fish and oscar), and finally pleco wafers. which would be a better feed?

also ill look into getting my pleco some type of drift wood, it would be pretty cool to have like a bridge going over everything, and maybe i can reintroduce frogs but ill definitely research the type and size of drift wood i need because i know drift wood lowers ph and most of my fish thrive at a 6.5-7.

Again i want to appreciate your very generous advice and very kind words!!! ill continue to do my best and to learn as much as i can about maintaining and building more thriving fish tanks!!!! your name as well as @B0B and @holden on and many others will be added to my success story

 

[tyberiusj12]

first, dont worry about ph, its something that alot of people worry about but you shouldnt be too stressed over it. for example, my tank is heavily planted with drift wood and it balances everything. and the serpa desighn had some recent videos which you will think are the coolest designs, freshwater wise, youd like a rocky setup with a school of axelrod rasbora, by the looks of things you are would most likly like a crystal cave setup, and the easiest way to achieve this is to make a rocky floor as well as a handful of fake crstals you find online with and put a small light underneath, so in the dark it goes, finally add some elodea for the plants and magic, obviously you can do this t a greater extent like in serpa design but thats probably the easiest.

THAT WOULD BE SOOOOO COOOOOOOL, A CRYSTAL CAVE DESIGN IM RESEARCHING IT RIGHT NOW!!!!!!