Bloated male guppy

[xxPinkFlamingo]

I gave a male guppy that is so bloated he looks pregnant. I have fed anti-parasitic food, that didn't work. Tried peas, no success. Also have dosed with API T.C. Tetracycline after someone suggested it could be bacterial. Nothing has worked. I lost a molly from the same thing, but the guppy seems fine. Very active and eager to eat. It has been like this for around two weeks. My next move will be an anti-parasitic medication, but not sure how it will help since this is internal. Any suggestions or knowledge that would be helpful? Thanks so much!

Edit: also have added aquarium salt to tank.

[imagirlgeek]

Sounds like you've tried a wide variety of solutions. I've had success with Epson Salt and bloated fish. Never guppies, but several cichlids and bettas.

[xxPinkFlamingo]

Sounds like you've tried a wide variety of solutions. I've had success with Epson Salt and bloated fish. Never guppies, but several cichlids and bettas.

how should I use it? I will try anything, I just ordered some fish tape tabs as my next move, but will try epson salt while i wait for the tabs. Thank you so much for your response! I love my fishies and will do what i can to save them!

[imagirlgeek]

I just dissolve it in a container of tank water, then pour it throughout the tank. I generally use 1 tablespoon per 10g, but I think you'd be safe using even 1 tablespoon per 5g if you don't get any results using 1 tbsp per 10g.

With the bettas, I saw improvement in less than 24 hours, but cichlids took a few days. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

[xxPinkFlamingo]

I just dissolve it in a container of tank water, then pour it throughout the tank. I generally use 1 tablespoon per 10g, but I think you'd be safe using even 1 tablespoon per 5g if you don't get any results using 1 tbsp per 10g.

With the bettas, I saw improvement in less than 24 hours, but cichlids took a few days. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

Should I do a water change prior since I have aquarium salt in there? Also I just put in the carbon yesterday to clear up the other medication, should i take that out as well?

[imagirlgeek]

I would do a water change, just to start with a fresh slate, but aquarium salt mixed with epson salt shouldn't hurt anything...since epson salt is technically magnesium sulfate. And the carbon is fine. It won't strip out the epson salt. You're okay there. Just a warning...epson salt is a natural laxative. When I put it in my tanks, there is some excessive poo. So if/when you see that effect, you'll know it's working.

[xxPinkFlamingo]

Wonderful! Thanks, going to add it now!

[xxPinkFlamingo]

No luck yet, even game him a epson bath for half an hour. Here is a pic, maybe it will help, but i doubt it :(

[Ca Nguyen]

woah! slow down with the med there mate. you're nuking the tank! hope you're mot mixing medication too. do you have a hospital tank? if you're going to be in the hobby for long, best keep a 5 gallons running at all times for quarantine and medication. mine's set up is with an aquaclear filter and no active carbon. i just toss a bag of active carbon directly into the water when i need to remove the med.

if your guppy is active and haven't die for 2 weeks, then maybe it's just fat from over fed. try isolating and dieting it. feed it once every other day or once every 3 days in very small portions.

you should try using marine salt. it doesn't have to be any specific gravity, just about half a teaspoon per gallon would do. i try to keep mine at 1.008 to 1.010. not a cure or anything, just a prevention and promote health. i used to use aquarium salt at 1 teaspoon per gallon to prevent fungus.

nice guppy btw, i love snakeskin traits.

[imagirlgeek]

Okay, so let's break it down. There are 3 possibilities, IMO:

1. Constipation - the epson salt should have alleviated that.
2. He's just fat. It's possible, but I would think that all the other fish in the tank would also be larger than average. People tell me my fish are fat all the time.
3. Dropsy - I hope it's not this one because it's almost impossible to figure out the cause. Dropsy is a symptom, not a disease. And sadly, in most cases, it's a symptom of some pretty major internal problem. Some examples are heart disease, liver disease, gill disease, kidney disease, severe intestinal parasites, bacterial infection, etc.

A discussion on Dropsy deserves so much more than these few sentences, but here's the really really really condensed info. The reason you would see dropsy is because the fish can no longer regulate the fluid in the body, so this is sometimes an indication of systematic organ failure. The strange thing with your fish is that it's been 2 weeks and, since you didn't mention anything, I'm assuming he's still behaving normally. No gasping, maintaining balance, not hanging near the bottom or the top of the tank, hasn't isolated himself from the other fish, eating normally...things like that. Usually, once you start seeing dropsy, there isn't a lot of time left.

I was hoping he was just constipated and the epson salt would help him move it along. Please keep us informed about his progress.

[xxPinkFlamingo]

He has gotten larger and is now in the corner at the top of the tank. He is no longer active and has poor apatite. I have ready about euthanasia for fish, and was wanting some advice. Do you think it is time? If so, what is the best, easiest, most humane way - and please don't tell me to cut off his head - i can't do it. I have read about freezing him or putting him in freezing water and that sounds like something I can do, but don't want him to suffer. Advice?

[imagirlgeek]

I'm so sorry to hear that. You did all you could, so it's most likely something that you just can't fix. I know that doesn't make it feel any better, but what can ya do?

I used to euthanize. I don't anymore because I have had a few fish come back from the point past when I would have just put them down. I can't do it anymore. Now I just put them in their own small tank to live out their days. But I know not everyone has a setup like mine. So...here's how I used to do it. I think this is humane, but I've never been a fish so I don't really know what it's like for them to experience this.

1. Get 2 bowls, one larger than the other.
2. Put tank water and the fish in the smaller bowl.
3. Put quite a bit of ice in the larger bowl.
4. Set the smaller bowl in the larger bowl so that the ice covers the bottom and sides of the smaller bowl.
5. Wait.

The water cools pretty fast, so it doesn't take long.

[xxPinkFlamingo]

Thanks, I no longer have an empty tank, so I suppose I will have to do the cold water, as much as i do not want to.