Is Bloat Catchy?

[hankey]

I have a ACI who appears to have bloat - distended belly. He (or she) is still swimming around and eating. Can I treat this one fish in the tank with all of the others?

There are a total of 14 chiclids includeing the ACI along with two sedydonis.

80 gallon tank.

Any recomended meds?

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

if its still eating then it may not be bloat, it could be dropsy.
by the way whats an ACI?

 

[hankey]

I think ACI is the short "nickname" for this chiclid. It is almost all black except for yellow tips on its dorsal and tail fins. I'm not sure of it's full correct name.

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

ah you mean acei!!
its the last part of the scientific name of that fish!!

 

[freddyk]

I doubt it's bloat if he's still eating, just make sure he's not taking the food in his mouth and spitting it back out.

If it were bloat, if only one fish shows signs, I'd only treat the one fish. Bloat can be contagious, but typically only if it goes ignored. Bloat meds are pretty tough on the fishes system, so it's best to avoid exposing any fish to them unnecessarily. These meds will also destroy your bio-filter, so a medical tank is a good idea to avoid this. Lastly, it's much cheaper to separate and treat a 10 or 20 gallon tank then to treat the main one.

 

[hankey]

As of last night the swollen abdomen had receeded quite abit. The fish was still eating and swimming well. At first I thought I noticed a loss of colour but it seems to have returned.

I will keep my eyes on this fish though.

Do fish get gas? For it to have cleared up like this it was almost as if the fish was suffering from indigestion and it has passed, literally.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I have an old 5 gallon that I could set up as a hospital tank if needs be. I just stocked the tank in September so everyone is still quite small.