No answers... I think that speaks loudly in its own way. I have had similar things hit here, and after trying everything, decided it was bacterial. I've never solved it.
I'm just hoping it improves. These were the first tropical fish I've bred.
maybe one of your foods is indigestible for some reason, either composition, low fiber / high fiber, or bacteria as suggested by
@GaryE ...
it almost looks like it egg bound??? maybe there is a problem there???
I'm currently feeding bug bites. I probably should change foods, as the last few weeks have only been bug bites, though. Strangely enough, I've seen these symptoms in more males than females. But yes, it does have some resemblance to an egg-bound fish.
It's an infection of some sort, most likely bacterial or viral but could also be protozoan. If the fish are eating that's a plus and you could try feeding them medicated food or some Metronidazole. It might help but might not, depending on what the actual cause it. If the fish aren't eating, then they are probably doomed.
Have any of the affected fish survived or did they all die?
If it's happening to the one species only and other fishes in the tank aren't affected, it could be Fish TB (Mycobacteria). The only real way to find out what it is would be to take the sick fish to a fish vet and have them necropsy (animal autopsy) it. They should take samples and see if they can grow anything. It usually takes a couple of weeks before you get the results.
The department of agriculture in some states has a fish health section and some of these places will do the necropsy for free if it's for a home aquarium. If you call around you might be able to find someone otherwise look for a fish vet or maybe a university biology department and see if they have a student who is doing research into fish.
Thankfully, they are eating, even striking the surface in this condition. I'll have a look around for something. The only ever medication I've owned was Esha2000 which is now out of date, so I'll have some reading up to do. Another issue is the inverts in the same tank.
I currently have a male whose condition has improved, and even the swelling has reduced, but all other times I've seen these symptoms, the outcome was eventual death. I had one female die which had part of its lower body completely exposed. That area was exposed even while the fish was living. Originally, I thought it was a prolapsed anus, but still not 100% certain
This species is the only one in the tank. The rest of the inhabitants are amano shrimp and ramshorns. Now that you mention it. I do move plant cuttings around a lot between my tanks, so they may have been a potential cause. My other tanks have never had this fish-related problem before, only this species. Thinking further back now. I bred the majority of the fish that have died so far. I did have a couple of cases of fry with deformities that were separated when the fry reached adulthood. I kept the most healthy fry while the other went to an LFS. Perhaps that may be the origin?
This female is the current one with these issues. You can see how large the stomach is and how the eyes are starting to bulge.
I did have contact with someone at the Uni of Manchester (biology), but they've since moved
, so finding a specialist will be difficult. I guess trying some medication is the best hope I have at the moment.
Yeah, that’s worrying, especially with a pattern like this. If it’s hitting multiple fish months apart, I’d be leaning toward a bacterial infection.
I’d pull the sick ones, run an internal antibiotic like Kanaplex, and give them Epsom salt baths to help with the swelling. Keep your main tank super clean and keep an eye out, if another fish shows the same signs, you might need to treat everyone
It seems the majority view is bacterial, so hopefully, there is some form of treatment. Not sure if that is avalible in the UK, will have to do some looking around. Thanks for the info, though
Thanks again all
