Red Wagtail Fish Bloated Belly (Possibly Dropsy?). Any Advice Appreciated.

[BIG_AL]

I'll let you know when I start the treatment. I've ordered the two eSHa products and am waiting for them to show up currently.

 

[BIG_AL]

If one fish has worms, they all have worms. Treat all tanks for worms at the same time to prevent cross contamination.

You should also treat all new fish for intestinal worms while they are in quarantine and before they get added to the main display tank/s.

I only have one main fish tank in fact, although I do also have a somewhat small acrylic tank which I can use for quarantine purposes.

Haven't began the treatment yet although hopefully will get to do so tomorrow.

 

[BIG_AL]

Just out of interest I want to ask for opinions on the standard of food im currently feeding my fish. I've been feeding my tropical fish this particular food since I first got my fish tank way back in 2013! (pictures are shown below).

Oddly I think I remember my mum saying that the staff at the aquarium where I bought everything from originally had said that this kind of 'food capsule' actually expands in the fishes stomachs after they eat them, although the packaging says nothing at all about this being the case (so I may just be imagining things??!).

Any opinions?.

 

[Colin_T]

Dry pellet foods can absorb water and swell up after a few minutes. Flake foods also do but at a much lower rate.

 

[Barry Tetra]

This is an answer Deanasue when i asked her about bloated belly “Try fasting her for a day and then offer her a boiled, deshelled pea. You can also give her an epsom salt bath. Fill a gallon bowl with dechlorinated water the same temperature as her tank water. Add 1 teaspoon of epsom salt per gallon of water. Let her bathe in it for 15 minutes then place her back in tank. You can do this 3 times a day. The epsom salt works as a laxative.”

 

[BIG_AL]

I realise that ive taken my time here but have finally added the eSHa GDEX treatment. I had to remove my activated carbon filter part from my water filter/pump and additionally need to leave the lights turned off in case of UV light for the treatment period of the next 24 hours now. Instructions say that after the treatment period I need to either change 50% of the water or just 20% and use the carbon activated filter (although think that I will do 50% and add back in the carbon activated filter just to be thorough!).

Looking in the instructions swollenness was mentioned as a warning sign of disease but not as a symptom of roundworm (nematodes) (in fact weight loss is a symptom of roundworm it says!!) so I hope that I have done the right thing here(?).

 

[BIG_AL]

When I said that ive added the GDEX what I really meant was ive added the NDX by the way! (Ooops)

 

[Colin_T]

Normal aquarium lights don't have Ultra Violet (U/V) light in them so you don't need to turn your lights off when treating.

Do a big water change and gravel clean the substrate 24-48 hours after treating them.

If you removed the carbon cartridge from the filter and it has dried out, throw it away and don't bother re-using it. Once carbon has been wet and allowed to dry, it is no longer any good.

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Normally fish that are infected with a few intestinal worms will lose weight. But if the fish has lots of worms in its body, the fish can swell up and look like a pregnant guppy (or like your fish). This is due to the huge number of worms in the body.

Once the worms have been killed (this normally takes a couple of hours), the fish poop out the worms and it will look skinny after the worms have been expelled. But you leave the medication in the tank for at least 24 hours.

 

[BIG_AL]

Normal aquarium lights don't have Ultra Violet (U/V) light in them so you don't need to turn your lights off when treating.

Do a big water change and gravel clean the substrate 24-48 hours after treating them.

If you removed the carbon cartridge from the filter and it has dried out, throw it away and don't bother re-using it. Once carbon has been wet and allowed to dry, it is no longer any good.

------------------
Normally fish that are infected with a few intestinal worms will lose weight. But if the fish has lots of worms in its body, the fish can swell up and look like a pregnant guppy (or like your fish). This is due to the huge number of worms in the body.

Once the worms have been killed (this normally takes a couple of hours), the fish poop out the worms and it will look skinny after the worms have been expelled. But you leave the medication in the tank for at least 24 hours.

Ok, I've now changed probably over 50% of the water having had the NDX treatment in there for what was at least 48 hours and then given the gravel/substrate a quick clean afterwards.

As soon as I read your post regarding the carbon filter I immediately placed the removed filter in a jug of water, although I suspect that I did so a little too late to save it (I will buy a replacement ASAP).

The particular fish requiring treatment currently still has got a bloated belly so I will move onto trying out the eSHa GDEX product next.

 

[BIG_AL]

Hi. I've just had my birthday(!!) and therefore fish treatment was temporarily put on hold.

I can currently report that having added only the NDX treatment that my Red Wagtail still has got a bloated belly and unfortunately I appear to have lost one of my Neon Tetra's (my fish were chomping on the very last of him yesterday!).

Am still currently planning on adding the GDEX treatment although I do feel now that the Epsom salt method of treatment might sound slightly more appealing to me.