Kuhli Loach with distended belly.

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Dr. Acula
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 6:21 pm

Kuhli Loach with distended belly.

Post by Dr. Acula » Wed Oct 27, 2010 6:54 pm

*Type of fish that are affected

One (1) Kuhli Loach. ( Pangio kuhlii. )

* How long has the tank been set up for?

About three years.

* Size of tank.

10 gallon standard.

* How is the tank being filtered?

Tetra Whisper 10 Power Filter.

* Water temperature.

80 degrees Fahrenheit

* Your maintenance regime

My water evaporates very quickly even with a hood so new water is added weekly and I vacuum/siphon every other week or more if needed.

* Has anything new been added to the tank recently?

No

* What other fish are in the tank?

Another Kuhli Loach, Mini Cories, Ember and Neon tetras. Also Many Malaysian trumpet snails and a few assassin snails.

* As detailed a description as possible of the symptoms the fish are exhibiting.

I couldn't get a good picture so I drew the issue:
Image
Fish seems to be breathing quickly but shows no other signs of distress. No other fish seem to be ill.

* How long ago the affected fish were added to the tank, and how long the fish have been displaying symptoms.

The fish is about two years old and I noticed the problem yesterday. I don't actually know how long it has been this way because I have been very busy and have not spent a lot of time looking at the fish. Probably less than a week.

* Your current water parameters.

I honestly don't know. *shrug* The tank seems stable. I do know that we have soft, acidic water.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Honestly, I was thinking, what if he swallowed a tiny trumpet snail and has a blockage?
Could it be dropsy? I have no idea what dropsy would look like in a fish with skin rather than scales.

Thank you in advance for the time and help.

Diana
Posts: 4675
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2006 1:35 am
Location: Near San Franciso

Post by Diana » Thu Oct 28, 2010 11:39 pm

Things that can grow a lump.

Food: If the fish is the highest ranking Loach then he or she might have hogged more than his share of the food. Over eating can lead to constipation. See if they will eat a frozen, defrosted pea. Pop the pea out of its skin. Fine to feed peas regularly to prevent this. Some fish do not seem to care for peas, but will eat Daphnia, another source of roughage. Epsom salt in the water may also help. If you can remove the fish from this tank put it in a hospital tank, or even a jar of water that has 1/2 tablespoon of Epsom salt per gallon of water. You can use tank water for this, so there is less shock for the fish.

Eggs. Female Kuhlies are usually more full along the length, not so concentrated in the front area. Their skin is not quite see-through, but the eggs are green, and can be seen if the light is right. Given the drawing, I do not think it is eggs.

Tumor of some sort: If it is deep in the internal organs then the lump will appear to be symmetrical if you look at the fish from the top, back or front. If the growth is in the muscles or skin it may be more on one side or the other.

Topping off the tank can lead to rising mineral levels, but if the water you are using is very soft, low mineral level, then this may not be much of a problem, especially if you are also doing large, frequent water changes.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.

Happy fish keeping!

Dr. Acula
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 6:21 pm

Post by Dr. Acula » Sat Oct 30, 2010 4:08 am

Thank you Diana for your reply. I just woke up to find the fish dead. It appears to... well, it almost appears as though the lump/cyst/whatever, exploded.

I am SO confused right now. She blew out like an old tire. @__@

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ahmandi2
Posts: 221
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2010 7:43 am
Location: Northeast Pennsylvania

What is killing our loaches?! Bursting lumps, what are they!

Post by ahmandi2 » Sat Oct 30, 2010 11:46 am

Dr. A;
What the heck IS that!?
Mine did the SAME thing. Had a big lump on it's gill area suddenly one day. Within 24 hours it burst, and he bled out and died! I didn't see it, but my husband did.
I'm so sorry you had to experience it as well :(. It sounds awful, horribly painful :(
At the time we were fighting a big Ich outbreak, but two female Betta and the loach died in ways I didn't think of as....Ichy? Clamped fins, brown splotch on one Betta, the other I couldn't SEE what was bothering her, but she was definitely going down...then the lump...
Just wondering if you have any ich symptoms....could it be related to that....I would love to hear from anyone who's got some knowledge, what this could possibly be.
"I'm not *THAT* kind of hunter"

Dr. Acula
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 6:21 pm

Post by Dr. Acula » Sat Oct 30, 2010 1:01 pm

ahmandi2, there does not seem to be any ich or any other disease in any of my other fishes. Hopefully it stays that way!
I have no idea what causes this, my only guess is a tumor... But it progresses SO quickly.


???

NancyD
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Location: SF bay area,US

Post by NancyD » Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:45 pm

To have had it develop & kill so fast seems bacterial to me. I'm sorry you're (both) having problems.
Image

Diana
Posts: 4675
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2006 1:35 am
Location: Near San Franciso

Post by Diana » Tue Nov 02, 2010 9:40 pm

Tumors usually do not grow so fast.
How about Dropsy? This is when the fish cannot get rid of excess fluid, and it builds up. In some cases in all the cells, giving the pine cone look to fish with scales. In other cases the fluid builds up in the abdomen.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.

Happy fish keeping!

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ahmandi2
Posts: 221
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2010 7:43 am
Location: Northeast Pennsylvania

Dropsy

Post by ahmandi2 » Wed Nov 03, 2010 8:24 am

In my fish the lump was actually on his head area :( before it opened up and he bled out...
"I'm not *THAT* kind of hunter"

RuthieB
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 6:08 pm

Re: Kuhli Loach with distended belly.

Post by RuthieB » Fri May 18, 2012 5:47 am

I have a weather loach and a similar thing happened to him about a year ago. First he got a nasty lump and then his skin starting splitting as he was 'bloating' up. I eventually found an opaque ball shaped 'thing' had come out of him and left him with a gaping hole. We were thinking about euthanasing him at the time but he pulled through and we could see the life come back into him.
He had now developed a very similar problem only this time the lump seems bigger. I have posted on here but we still have no idea what is wrong with him. We are dosing with melafix, like last time and feeding peas in the hope he will pull through again. Here is a link to some pics of him taken 2days ago. https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=7 ... CRM5UZqjwA

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