hollow bellys

[Jaymz_Eric]

ok this is a dumb question, but i keep seeing the term hollow bellied pop up everywhere, warning people not to buy fish with hollow bellys from a pet store because it indicates they haven't eaten and may die on the way home. So how exactly do you tell if a fish has a hollow belly?

 

[jrp1588]

I would assume it means when their belly sort of angles inwards between the pectoral and anal fin. Basically they just look skinny

 

[Zagz]

What jrp says is true. Btw no question is a dumb question. I can tell you from experience at AA, you never have to feel dumb asking a question. The people here will not make you feel dumb and will do their best to help.

 

[Jaymz_Eric]

awesome, thanks for the info guys

 

[jrp1588]

I hadn't even really heard of partial water changes or anything like that before i joined AA. Stick around, it's a real learning experience.

 

[Jaymz_Eric]

so i've noticed, i had a tank a couple years ago, just a 29 gallon i never did partial water changes, i just waited till i couldn't see the fish in the dark green water and half the tank was evaporated lol shows what i knew back then lol

 

[DepotFish]

I'd never heard of any warning about hollow bellies. I'll keep this in mind. I'd assume the fish must be close to starving to have visible "dents" by their stomachs. I've never noticed fish like this in stores, but I'll probably look next time I go, just to see.

 

[crazycat]

their stomachs look shrunken and concave, rather than fat and round. shrunken bellies is usually not a good sign, because it can mean more than just underfeeeding--it can also be a symptom of an internal parasite or some other disease.