The Bloated Disease is Going around

[Matt68005]

Fancy bred fish are affected. Livebearers especially are affected. Symptoms are bloating, sitting at bottom, not eating, rapid breathing, and stringy poo. I have seen it over and over on the forums. My own treatment worked, but im not 100% convinced that it is gone. I will happily share my findings and what worked for me with anyone that asks, as well as it is on this forums but still, This disease going around EVERYWHERE, affecting not only guppies but livebearers in general apparently . I am still looking for an answer as to what this bloating death for guppies and other livebearers ACTUALLY IS!
I even took a guppy to a vet, spent 45 dollars on an intestine smear, and he found nothing abnormal except alot of mucus. It does not respond to normal internal parasite meds like METRONIDAZOLE......I really wish someone would ante up and chip in and send a few specimens preserved in formaldahyde to a college or zoo to get it anaylized to figure out what it is. People say, meh its nothing, when their fish are fine. It will come to them eventually. It is something very bad going around, and nobody anywhere has the answers. Anyone, especially people in the hobby for many years, I will ask do you have any insight as to what this affliction is?

 

[Quest84]

metro does work for bloat when given at the correct time. Once the fish are so far gone nothing is going to save them. The key to beating bloat is treating it at the first sign of trouble.

Clout is another option that works. Epsom salt also helps.

what meds did you find that worked?

 

[Matt68005]

Look on the Unhealthy fish forum. Again today there is another guppy person with the same problem. I am not being crazy. Have never seen anything like this in my 6 years experience with guppies.
The meds that I found that worked (after treating with metro unsuccessfully off and on several times all summer/fall long, as directed in food and water.) was actually a combination of Epsom salt, Acriflavin, Rid ich plus (MG/formalin) This treatment I got from reading an article by Stan Shubel. My guppies seem fine now, after losing so many to bloat/emancipation for so long. Fingers crossed. Normally when I come on to fourms, I find different diseases affecting guppies, and I help people with what meds to use, I like to help. Lately, I have never seen anything like it. Wow, so many people having the same problem.

 

[Quest84]

Look on the Unhealthy fish forum. Again today there is another guppy person with the same problem. I am not being crazy. Have never seen anything like this in my 6 years experience with guppies.
The meds that I found that worked (after treating with metro unsuccessfully off and on several times all summer/fall long, as directed in food and water.) was actually a combination of Epsom salt, Acriflavin, Rid ich plus (MG/formalin) This treatment I got from reading an article by Stan Shubel. My guppies seem fine now, after losing so many to bloat/emancipation for so long. Fingers crossed. Normally when I come on to fourms, I find different diseases affecting guppies, and I help people with what meds to use, I like to help. Lately, I have never seen anything like it. Wow, so many people having the same problem.

I don't deal with guppies but I deal with cichlids and this is a fairly common (not for me thankfully). Bloat is caused by internal parasites, I posted this yesterday trying to help someone say a sick Krib. If you look in the cichlid section i posted a bunch of links in that thread

melafix treats bacteria infections or external injuries like fin rot torn fins etc..

Pimafix treats both fungal infections and internal /external bacterial infections.

Bloat is caused by internal parasites, neither melafix or pimafix will be of much use. The epsom salt will.

He needs to treat them with metro and fast or they will all die. I've seen friends whole tanks wiped out.




Symptoms: The first sign of 'bloat' is loss of appetite which is then followed by swelling of the abdomen, labored breathing, listlessness, reclusiveness, possible red striations on the body, and stringy white feces.

There seems to be no explainable rationale as to its cause of bloat. Once a fish becomes afflicted it is often fatal. A fish that is not eating must be treated immediately or it can quickly become incurable and die. Though It is not certain what this disease is, it is generally believed to be caused by a protozoal parasite complicated by bacterial infection. Bloat is a serious malady often associated with African cichlids especially those from Lake Malawi, thus the common name 'Malawi Bloat'. The Tropheus species from Lake Tanganyika are also very susceptible.

The most common cause of this disease is stress and the first sign if illness is not eating. Stress can be caused by such things as transport, netting, poor water quality, insufficient diet, over feeding, and a lack of hiding places. Other causes, that are easily remedied, are an improper diet and adding too much salt to the water. Prevention is of utmost importance, and It is possibly to cure a fish if treated right away.

from cichlid forum:

Some stressors:

1. Low oxygen (O2) levels
2. High nitrite (NO2) levels
3. High nitrate (NO3) levels
4. High ammonia levels (NH3)
5. High or low temperature levels
6. Water pH
7. Lighting
8. Rough handling fish
9. Overcrowding
10. Not enough shelter
11. Harassment
12. Excessive salt
13. Improper diet (specifically herbivores)



Fish Disease and Treatment

Following are some techniques aquarists use:


Some will soak the food in dissolved metronidazol and feed them that for the first few days when first obtained. Seachem makes a metronidazol that can be bound to food when used with their Focus product.

A healthy group of fish will eat with gusto. But even though they can be very active feeders it is important to not overfeed them. Keep an eye on them, and if one is not eating with vigor some aquarists will then treat the tank with Clout.
One author says that they will segregate an ailing fish the second they see signs of not eating, and then will do water changes every day for 5 days in the main aquarium.
Metronidazol is considered the most reliable cure and some use Clout as another cure, but do not use them together.

 

[Matt68005]

Yes quest I know I know. Have done all this. Malawi bloat is really what it seems like. I think its important to raise awareness of the fact that they should not be used together (like dose the tank with MG for ick and feed metro food, makes them sick as dogs because I done it at first on accident) But if it resist metro, and every new guppy you get keeps coming down with it.............what do you do? I already clove oiled a whole tubful of guppies once, They had been treated with
1. Metronidazole food 3 times
2. Metronidazole powder 2 times
3. Clout 2 times
4. Praziquentel 3 times
What is one to do once this parsite gets ahold of your tanks? Its like it never dies! Am I just suppose to throw in the garbage 300 dollars worth of plants and equiptment and supplies and slaughter my pet fish......
GRRRR ..I swear.. im gonna squash this bug if its the last of me!