Help - I Thought I Had It Under Control But Its Just Burst Out

[Wills]

Hi there my present tank is a Roma 125 its got 2 internal filters and has been set up for 5-6 months. I religiously change water at weekends and have had my HRPs breeding every weekend for the past 4-5 months.

However my L135 wormline plec has had occasionally had white stringy poo so I dosed the tank with melafix and primafix for the full week as stated and it seemed to help I also fed her vegies and her poo was back to normal huge, brown and in large quantities. However it came back a few weeks later so I redosed with primafix and melafix and again it goes away and things have been good for around a month.

But now the plec is fine but my female HRP is breathing hard (not so much fast just very noticeable), looking bloated, has lost her appetite and has small white stringy poo. Initialy I thought she was full of eggs as this showed up on friday night ready for the ritual spawn on a saturday. And they did go through some of the motions of staking out an area and both went into a coconut and she stayed their the night but then yesterday and today they seems to abandon the nest and it has been unusually calm afterwards as the male is usually a bit pushy when the eggs or brood fails etc. She is swimming well and is still in good colour close to her breeding dress but not quite.

So after thinking about this could it be that there has been birth complications and there is a problem with the eggs?

Or do you think it is something else?

Tank Stats

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10
Ph - 7.2

Last water change was Saturday
Last fish added was an Aequidens Diamdema added a week and a half ago. But I did quarantine for a week - 2 weeks and dosed with melafix and primafix. No obvious signs of disease at all, infact more stress was being caused by small tank than anything else. In the large tank this fish is now in full health.

No other fish in the tank seem affected - Full stocking in my signature.
I am planning to move stock to new tank tonight or tomorrow at this point I will keep the female HRP in my hospital tank can anyone recommend meds or treatment to me please. I can get to a Pets at Home at any time as long as I get answers before 8pm
Fast replies appreciated.

Thanks Wills

 

[WILDER]

Don't add meds till you know what you are treating for.
Melafix is only an external med for cuts and wounds.

If the fish had long stringy white poo and it cleared with veg the fish was constipated.

Over feeding to many dried foods can lead to constipation.
Always research the fish diet needs.

Are scales sticking out.
What do you normally feed the fish.
Is the anus enlarged or red and inflamed.

 

[Wills]

Good point with the veg will try that!

They are well fed on live food of blood worms, glass worms and daphnia (from a reliable source). Though admittedly the past week I did not manage to get their supply so they had to have bloodworm flake, could it be that simple?

Anus is okay and no scales are sticking out.

Thanks Wilder

Wills

 

[WILDER]

Freeze dried blood worms and over feeding them can cause bloating.

Feed some shelled peas.
Don't feed for aday.
Epsons salt baths help draw the fluids out.

Daphnia good as it help the fish digest it food. So you could feed daphnia and veg.

 

[Wills]

Cool thanks Wilder you really are a legend

 

[WILDER]

Increase aeration abit.

Let me know how she gets on bless her.

 

[Wills]

Ive put peas in and a few others have tucked in but she has not gone to them. Bit worried by this as she is usually really greedy.

Ive used peas for constipated fish in the past and sometimes its been over night for them to sort it out so ill leave them in for a while.

Wills

 

[WILDER]

Bloating awful and us woman should no.
Give her time.
If anymore changes get back to the board.

 

[Wills]

No change this morning. Have to leave for uni in a few mins so going to add some more peas see if she will take them. She is still swimming and no clamping. But she is still gasping and is quite bloated. But her colours are still really good. All other fish seem okay.

Should I just keep trying to get her to eat?
From tonight I will be able to QT her in my spare tank. Should I start thinking about medicine?

Wills

 

[WILDER]

That good if you can issolate her.
Epson salt to her tank.
Get you a link to the dosage.

Only feed her peas and frozen daphnia.

Link to the salt.
http/www.fishjunkies.com/Treatments/salt.php

 

[Wills]

I left the lights off in the tank today see if that helped her at all. Some of the peas were gone when I got in but I saw my plec out when I got home and she scurried back in when I turned the room lights on. She is much the same but my male is being a brute now, will try and issolate her tonight and get some salt. Where do I get it from? Pet stores?

 

[finalfantay85]

You can get Epsom Salts from most pharmacies. If they don't have it in stock they should be able to order it in for you

 

[Wills]

She is getting a bit worse tried three lots of peas now and still nothing. Going to get salt tomorrow or tonight see what happens.

Her scales are looking pronounced around her belly which is still bloated as ever. She is getting a bit more active I guess chasing away her fry and also getting rid of the male.

Think I will get the salt tonight. I have a few 24hr pharmacies near me so ill go out when the QT tank is clean.

Wills

 

[WILDER]

Once you have issolated her use a bacterial med aswell.

 

[Wills]

Any you can recomend? I only have melafix and primafix in and I know melafix is no good but is primafix? Anything that wont bump a cycle will be a big help.