What causes bloat?

[Joe Khul]

Good evening all,

I ask this because I might be losing a cory to it, and in the past year, I have lost 1 black neon and one guppy to it. I know it can be treated with frozen peas or other vegetable matter if caught soon enough. Any input is greatly appreciated. I doubt out lil guy will be with us in the morning, but if i can prevent this in anyway in the future, it will be a small comfort.

Thank you.

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Kuhl

[Diana]

Fat fish can be caused by a number of conditions:
Eggs: (or, in the case of livebearers, babies)
The swelling is located in the abdomen, and is symmetrical (sticks out equally on both sides of the fish) The other fish (males) will chase the female, or show off for her in whatever way is normal for their species. The female is usually as active as at any other time, though livebearers will often hide and be less active for several hours or a day before the birth.

Tumor/growth: Swelling may be localized, but can appear anywhere on the fish. Often asymmetrical. No cure. Euthanize the fish when you feel the time is right.

Overeating a single meal, or constipation: Fish may hover near the bottom. Swelling is localized, and symmetrical. Feeding more roughage in the diet in general is good. Peas and Daphnia are the two foods I hear the most about being high in roughage. Try offering this to the fish now, but add these into the diet rotation regularly.

Overeating often: fat fish. The fat accumulates first in the liver, so a plump abdomen is first, then the fat accumulates all over, and the fish looks plump. Quit feeding so much. Make the fish work harder for their food by feeding live foods such as brine shrimp that will swim around and the fish must work harder to catch them. Add a fasting day one day per week. (not for fry) Add a power head to the tank so there is more water movement (sort of like making the fish work out on a treadmill)

Dropsy: Fish's metabolism is not functioning well and the fish cannot get rid of excess water. It may leak out of the internal cells and the abdomen will be filled with fluid, and/or the whole fish can appear swollen, and the scales stick out. If you look down from above the fish will look like a pine cone. Often a side effect of bacterial or viral infection, Dropsy is hard to treat. Try antibiotics, but once the damage reaches the stage that you can tell what is going on it is usually not treatable. You can help the fish to lose some of the excess water by giving him a bath in a quarantine tank with Epsom salt added.

Any of the diseases can be made worse by Mycobacteriosis.

[mistergreen]

There are several illnesses that cause dropsy/bloat. There's no one or it could be a combination of things.

You can always tell dropsy from the other 'fat' symptoms Diana mentioned by the scales sticking out.

The only real way to prevent it is to keep their environment clean with regular water changes. And don't put them in over crowed or small tanks ,basically, lower their stress level.

[Joe Khul]

Unfortunately, our cory passed during the night. Thank you for the advice, it will come in handy in the future.

[The Kapenta Kid]

Too bad about your Cory.
What Diana says about dropsy is right.
Dropsy: Fish's metabolism is not functioning well and the fish cannot get rid of excess water. It may leak out of the internal cells and the abdomen will be filled with fluid, and/or the whole fish can appear swollen, and the scales stick out.

Its a symptom rather than a disease just like it used to be in humans when people died of 'dropsy' in past centuries. It is renal failure and there is not a lot you can do about that.