Help Needed For Ongoing Constipation

[Gillywibble]

Tank size: 64 litres
pH: 7.5
ammonia: 0.25
nitrite: 0.50
nitrate: 10
tank temp: 24 celcius

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

Volume and Frequency of water changes: weekly, 25%

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: melafix, pimafix, tapsafe

Tank inhabitants: 1 black moor fish, 8 years old

Hi,

I am having ongoing issues with constipation in my 8 year old black moor.

He is normally fed on a diet of Aquarian fish flakes. I recently bought him some jellied blood worms as a treat, intending to feed them to him once a week. After the addition of one sachet, my brother in law added another the next day saying 'it won't hurt him'.

He has a bulge on the right hand side just in front of the anal fin. He spent much of last week lying on his left hand side with the bulged area raised. He did not move much until last Sunday after an epsom salt bath, 2 gallons with 2 tablespoons of salt. He then passed some clear bubbly faeces and started to move around more.

However, my wife then fed him some of his normal flake food (despite me telling her not to) and he became listless again. I refrained from feeding him for 3 days, then fed him shelled fresh peas only. He is able to pass these but the impacted area remains and I have been unable to shift it despite twice daily salt baths.

I have also added melafix and pimafix to the aquarium in case it is bacterial/fungal.

I am not sure now whether to starve him again for a few days, whether to continue with twice daily salt baths (he was very drowsy after the second one yesterday), or try him on peas again? I am slowly raising the temperature in the aquarium to 26 degrees see if that helps shift the blockage.

He has spent much of the last two days floating round the top of the tank, apparently disinterested. He has not tried feeding for a couple of days.

Thanks for any help,

Jon.

Edit: 20 minutes ago a large blood clot came out of his right hand gill. It did not appear to distress him, but I am concerned that something more sinister is going on. Please help!

 

[Akasha72]

if it is constipation de-shelled peas should get things moving but from your Edit I suspect something else could be going on aswell.

It's not something I've come across so I can't help or advise regarding a blood clot but IMO peas shouldn't make things any worse.

Hopefully somebody who can help regarding the passing of a blood clot will be along soon to advise you there.

Sorry I can't be more help than to suggest continuing feeding the peas

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Those ammonia and nitrite readings will not be doing this fish any favours, such readings will do both short and long terms gill damage, unless you are using soft acidic water at a cool temperature.

This fish could do with a ~95% water change ASAP, basically only keeping enough of this old toxic water to cover it and then add similar temp dechlorinated water.