Sad day... Do you soak NLS pellets?

[joecoones]

Well, I had a beautiful lwanda male that I was fighting bloat with for about 2 weeks. He did the typical hang out alone, not eating, then the ascites appeared. I am a nurse by profession, so I managed to do 2 paracentesis during that time, getting his ascites to subside, and abx tx continuously, only to have it come back 4-5 days later. Well he finally succumbed to the inevitable.

Question: I feed NLS pellets 1mm exclusively daily and frozen brine shrimp once a week. I haven't ever soaked my pellets but I was reading they can swell in the gut and cause bloat if not soaked. Anyone soak their NLS? Do you think this could be the cause?

Thanks.

 

[Slade]

Sorry about your lwanda. I've never soaked NLS pellets.

 

[Mattyfelts]

never soak mine, i honestly dont see them getting much larger, and if anything would break down. i put mine right at my canister output though so they get submerged for sure. I have heard about if a fish eats one on the surface and accidentally ingests air it could cause problems.

 

[Mogurako]

Take NLS and put it in water and let it sit, it doesn't swell it just slowly just breaks down.


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[Mattyfelts]

Take NLS and put it in water and let it sit, it doesn't swell it just slowly just breaks down.


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Exactly


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[joecoones]

I have fine sand bottom so maybe he was sifting through sand and ingested too much and gave himself a sand ileus. I'll start letting my pellets soak a bit.

 

[mikem691]

I have fine sand bottom so maybe he was sifting through sand and ingested too much and gave himself a sand ileus. I'll start letting my pellets soak a bit.

Like said above soaking wont do much with the NLS. All my fish chew them also.

 

[Mogurako]

I have fine sand bottom so maybe he was sifting through sand and ingested too much and gave himself a sand ileus. I'll start letting my pellets soak a bit.

All my fish eat off the sand as well, there's no need to soak it.


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[HUKIT]

Like said above soaking wont do much with the NLS.

It will leach nutrients which defeats the purpose of a quality food, the water-soluble vitamins go first followed by minerals.

 

[mikem691]

It will leach nutrients which defeats the purpose of a quality food, the water-soluble vitamins go first followed by minerals.

LOL I meant nothing good or as far as softening up the pellet unless you let it soak for a long time.

 

[joecoones]

No one wants to know how I did a paracentesis on a fish?!

 

[pitguy12]

Now that I know what that is yes and how big was the fish


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[joecoones]

Now that I know what that is yes and how big was the fish


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Well he was close to 5" I would say. I get all my fish used to being handled so if I need to pick them up for something they don't freak out. Well I got him out of the water, turned him on his side, just along the bottom of his abdomen to the right a bit I slid a 28g needle up under a scale after cleaning the area with betadine maybe 4mmx4mm, just barely punctured his abdominal cavity and yellow clear fluid came out and he got nice and skinny again, put a little dot of surgical glue over the site so it wouldn't reflux water (shouldn't anyway based on the size of the needle). He was MUCH more active after this and even took a couple brine shrimp. But his ascited started back up a day later, had to do the paracentesis again. Then he died approx. 6 days after that one.

 

[pitguy12]

That sucks,but At least you could try something like that most people would have to just hope for the best.


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[joecoones]

That sucks,but At least you could try something like that most people would have to just hope for the best.


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Yea, if only I could have gotten his bowels moving. If he was human he'd get a NG tube for bowel decompression and TPN through a PICC, with surgical intervention likely. Just can't do that to a fish! Darnit! I never even got a good photo of him.

 

[Fresh2o]

I just got some NLS pellets so the title caught my eye.
Sorry to hear about the fish passing.
The last few posts were sphincter clenching.


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[Eggheadfish]

Will you be my fish vet?! Haha

 

[michellev512]

Omg!!!! Paracentesis on a fish!!! That's amazing...

Do you think I could aspirate the fluid from an APISTO with popeye? I have access to betadine and a 27g needle...


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[joecoones]

Omg!!!! Paracentesis on a fish!!! That's amazing...

Do you think I could aspirate the fluid from an APISTO with popeye? I have access to betadine and a 27g needle...


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You could, I wouldn't use anything sterilizing on the eye without researching it first, don't want to blind the poor guy. Also look up the anatomy of the fish eye and where they fluid collects so you don't go stabbing a cornea and not getting any fluid or something along those lines. I would only do this as a last resort.

 

[Britty]

I have NLS pellets for my Betta. I always soak them for about 10mins before feeding. They double in size in that time.