Hi everyone, my freshwater fish Norman (I'm not even sure of his breed) has suddenly fallen quite ill.
Backstory: two days ago, I noticed he had swelling around his anus (sort of like a donut jellyfish), did some googling, and figured it was constipation - possibly from overfeeding. Lots of people recommended epsom salts, so I added 2 tsp (to a 40 gallon tank, which Norman shares with two other cichlids - flowerhorns, specifically).
Two days later, the swelling around the anus has subsided almost 100%, but he has developed severe swelling around his gills/throat area (I've circled it in red) literally overnight. He's normally very active and responsive, but is now staying near the floor - he seems lethargic and stressed out, and will not eat.
The "flesh" underneath his mouth is very swollen, along with his gills, and his breathing seems labored - it looks like he's panting. He's also been twitching his dorsal fin occasionally, and once in a while will just seem to shudder. It isn't just his gills but his throat that's swelling - typically that area is perfectly flat/smooth on him, not bumpy as shown. I don't think it's parasites because of the sudden onset, and because he's just been swimming in the same place, without rubbing himself against rocks/aquarium ornaments.
I assumed the epsom salts would be fine as I used a minimal amount, and the other two fish Norman lives with seem perfectly healthy. Still, I changed their water and fished out detritus. At this point though, I'm not sure what else I can do. Please help, I really love this fish and he's been in perfect health - very lively - until now. Thanks very much in advance, and apologies for the long post.
Backstory: two days ago, I noticed he had swelling around his anus (sort of like a donut jellyfish), did some googling, and figured it was constipation - possibly from overfeeding. Lots of people recommended epsom salts, so I added 2 tsp (to a 40 gallon tank, which Norman shares with two other cichlids - flowerhorns, specifically).
Two days later, the swelling around the anus has subsided almost 100%, but he has developed severe swelling around his gills/throat area (I've circled it in red) literally overnight. He's normally very active and responsive, but is now staying near the floor - he seems lethargic and stressed out, and will not eat.
The "flesh" underneath his mouth is very swollen, along with his gills, and his breathing seems labored - it looks like he's panting. He's also been twitching his dorsal fin occasionally, and once in a while will just seem to shudder. It isn't just his gills but his throat that's swelling - typically that area is perfectly flat/smooth on him, not bumpy as shown. I don't think it's parasites because of the sudden onset, and because he's just been swimming in the same place, without rubbing himself against rocks/aquarium ornaments.
I assumed the epsom salts would be fine as I used a minimal amount, and the other two fish Norman lives with seem perfectly healthy. Still, I changed their water and fished out detritus. At this point though, I'm not sure what else I can do. Please help, I really love this fish and he's been in perfect health - very lively - until now. Thanks very much in advance, and apologies for the long post.
