Tropheous may have bloat????

[electricblue]

Ok, so i ben working everyday and besides doing weekly w/c i haven't really had time to check how my trophs are eating and doing. Today my girlfriend woke me up to tell me one was swimming weird like it was dying so i got up to check up on it and the water parameters.

It seemed to just be swimming kind of weak close to intake tube without using its right side fin, later on it moved more but it just tends to stay near one piece of holey rock. Today i fed them for the first time aroudn 7pm when i got home and this was around 10pm so i fed them a bit more just to see how it reacted. All of them seemed to be eager to eat some more except this one.

This saturday after i did a w/c, i checked the water, nitrite 0, ammonia .25-.50, and nitrate 5-10.
SUNDAY i checked it again ammonia .25 max, nitrite 0, nitrate 10-20.
TODAY ammonia 0-.25 but closer to 0 i'd say, nitrite 0, nitrate 20-40.

i took the best pictures i could of the sick fish. plz look and tell me if you all pros believe it looks or sounds like bloat.

If it does, i'm guessing the best thing is to treat the tank. i only have clout but i hear it's messy so if you all suspect bloat and have some meds plz hook a brotha up.

[Sea-agg09]

what's the temperature on the tank? Bloat is often caused by low temperatures.

What are you feeding? lots of food are heavy on the protein and can cause bloat as well. Trophs are herbavores in the wild, so feeding some extra vegetables will help digestions.

A good handful of epsom salt (magnesium sulphate) will help as well. There isn't much of a definite measurement, but a good handful for every 30 gallons or so would be about right.

Any tank with over 20 ppm of nitrates requires some serious water changes. Ammonia should always be 0, period. Nitrates above 10 or 15 is not acceptable.

Hope that helps.

[jhenry]

keep An eye on this but if it has been going on for a couple days he is most likely to far gone. But if I ever suspect bloat I never hesitate I treat immediately. Hit them hard and hit them fast

[rama]

+1 0n water change, I have metro if you need some let me know when you want to pickup.

Here is a good treatment from Justin (aka Jhenry)

Stop feeding, remove carbon, cut lights (it helps calm them down and it relieves some of the stress on the colony) crank the temperature up to 78.
*
1st day, add metro as indicated (1tsp/150gal.) and salt 1tbsp/10gal.
2nd day: no feeding, don't add anything.
3rd day: 50% water change, add metro and salt
4th day: nothing
5th day: 50% water change, add metro and salt
6th day: nothing
7th day: 50% water change, add metro and salt ...by now one should be able to start feeding lightly again

[electricblue]

I think the ammonia is really more in the low and under control. i always use one tablespoon of salt per 5 gallons, i only feed them nls.

i'm a bit confused on the temperature, i have those cheap floating thermometers and the thermometers in all my tanks, with or with out a heater are always at 86 but i never had temperatures issues. my house isn't hot or freezing so i'm guessing it's just a calibration thing with the thermometers. our ac is on auto at 75-78.

when i checked the water i was surprised the temp was at 82 when it's always at 86 so i ran to go check it again and found out the heater wasn't plugged in.

Rama thnks for the offer i'll let you know depending on what i see tomorrow. I deffinitley suspect bloat so does any one advice just a light treatment of clout since it's possibly that it just began and i do believe clout is stronger.

[jhenry]

Do the same treatment just add one pill per ten gallons as the bottle says

[jhenry]

And no one the lighter treatment. If you want to save them. I'll say it again hit them hard and hit them tonight. Just a little differently

[electricblue]

how bad will the blue mess be? and i'm guessing no feeding through the whole process. i have some demasoni, in breeder there, can i feed them lightly?

[jhenry]

First of all get those dems out of there. Don't mix lakes. do know the real name of bloat is. Malawi bloat. Tangs with Tangs. Malawis with Malawis

[electricblue]

koo, i had heard it was ok to mix lakes, and i dont have another place to keep those dems so will this be a problem in the treatement

[jhenry]

Oh also it's 1tsb of salt to 10 gallons of water

[electricblue]

salt is already in there so that should be good, i'm about to get ready to do this, just wondering about the dems?

[jhenry]

Treat the whole tank and do not feed till the last day. The dems will be fine. All the throphs aren't sick and you're going to treat them also

[electricblue]

ok will do, just to try and avoid the mess, will there be a problem if after todays treatment i go with metro for the remainder of the treatment

[jhenry]

I've never mixed treatments but I would stick with one or the other