Loaches Online Forum

I was watching my clowns last night, and noticed that one of them has developed a fat belly. It definately wasn't like this two days before,

My poor fish with the swollen belly is laying on its side a lot and not moving much.Not eating and the gill movement is rapidly.

I was wondering if it could be ill


Fatty is my lovest fish,I keep her over six months in a 55G tank.
I do water change 30% every three days.
PH:6.5
NO2:0
NO3:0

Any pointers or advice as to what to do would be fantastic.

Thanks in advance

Could be over eating/constipation.

Diana wrote:Could be over eating/constipation.

Thanks Diana

I have been waiting for whole day.Only you can help me.

I remember you ever said"Constipation can show as a local swelling, but the fish is usually less active and won't eat. You can try adding some roughage to their diet such as peas and daphnia. You could isolate this fish and add Epsom salt to the quarantine tank. "

How about breath rapidly? Fatty is less active and won't eat and also breath rapidly.

How much epsom salt should I add to the 27L Q tank?

Add enough Epsom salt to raise the GH by 2 German degrees of hardness daily for 3-4 days. (2 degrees = 35 ppm, if that is how your test kit reads).
Add it slowly, dissolve in water and pour in small amounts over the course of the day.
For a 17 liter tank I would start with 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt and monitor the GH as you add it. (1 teaspoon = 5 ml)
Perhaps add 1/4 of the total, allow it to circulate for an hour or two, then test. If the GH has come up about half a degree, or around 8-9 ppm, then that is the right dose, and continue to add the rest of the teaspoon over the course of the day. Test with each addition. If you can get it right the first day, then you may not need to test each day, just add the same amount each day.
Epsom salt dissolved pretty easily in warm water.

Offer the other Loaches food that gives them more roughage, peas are really good, but all sorts of vegetables are helpful. Feed a wide assortment of foods.

Thanks Diana
Yesterday I found one panda cory missing
I wonder this clown loach ate the panda

It is not impossible, and it is not good. Most catfish are well defended with sharp spines that are occasionally poisonous. I do not remember if Cory spines are poisonous, I know other catfish families have toxins that are injected when they use their spines to defend themselves. Simply the stiff sharp spines can do some internal damage if the Loach ate a Cory.

Today is day five.
The poor clown loach is still in the Q tank(27 L).
I use Epsom salt for four days.
But the belly of the fish still same full.
Not eating,even peas,willing to swim a little bit,hide in the cone nearly whole day.
I found a little waste, with white colour, come out from her ,she seems hard to push the waste out.
Anything I can do for her now? keep on using Epsom salt day by day??
Any other suggests? Or I just need to wait??
Please help this poor fish

Tonight I use a forceps to pull out something strange from the anus of my poor fish.

This strange thing is stick the anus of my fish.

A video today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRxHIPraQUs

another video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZHOCKSp6DY