My Festivum Exploded

[vancouver]

My favorite festivum had a serious explosion in it's stomach.. all of a sudden I notice it swimming almost vertically... I thought it was trying to breed with a severum, but on closer inspection, it's stomach looked like it had exploded from the inside.

All the skin around it's stomach looked dead.. like discolored and really just.. dead.

I'm assuming it was some sort of internal parasite/bacteria..

Moved it to a 5g tank, although I'm pretty sure it's going to die overnight.

Not sure what to do with the tank it was previously in.. has other fish in it still..

I thought about just keeping the water very clean and see what happens... I really would rather not medicate if I don't have to, but I really don't know what caused festivums stomach to explode..

Anyone have experience with exploding stomach?

 

[tnhowery]

Wow that is wierd hopefully wilder knows about this one as i have never heard of it before.

 

[vancouver]

I've seen it in bettas before.. but never a large-ish cichlid like a festivum..

Poor thing looks like it's in pain too..

I turned the light out hoping it would just go to sleep and die peacefully in the night.

 

[KimA]

Oh, so sorry to hear about this - any news?

 

[vancouver]

unfortunately it's still alive... looks really bad... breathing heavily at the top corner of the tank. The stomach area looks worse too..

I thought about just overdosing the tank with medicine, but I really don't know if that would kill it instantly..

I don't want to get into a big euthanasia debate, cause I know the easiest way is just to crush the skull and squish the brain, but I cant bear to do it.

Hopefully it will die overnight tonight.. I don't think it will make it to the morning, which is good.

 

[SamUK]

how big is the fish?

 

[KimA]

Just about the first person (& fish) I thought of when I got up 15 minutes ago, been worried, and trying to rack my brains of something that would help - no good when all the shops are closed and no-one nearby to help

 

[LisaLQ]

I was going to suggest clove oil (euthanasia wise) but obviously all the shops are shut.

I'm so sorry - sounds awful but I hope he goes soon for you.

 

[DarkEntity]

Im confused, its your favourite fish yet you are allowing it to suffer?

Anyone who really cared for the fish would have put it out if its misery whith a sharp blow to the head. I know you dont want to do it, but its the humane thing to do!

 

[vancouver]

It's not as easy as it sounds.. for me at least..

It's a lot easier to tell someone else to do it, when it isn't your fish.

I'm going to go check on it now.. quite sure it will be dead.

 

[kribensis12]

If it is still alive I can tell you how to save it. First put 5 tea bags in the tank, I know most people think it wil kill it but it will numb the fish will the small dose of caffine in it and the bacteria in it will help heal the fish. Next put some nesporne ( antibiotic ointment) on the wound and rub it on the wound. It will not fall of because it is some-what water proof. Put antibiotic ointment on it every 3-4 hours for 6 days. Hey, it worked for me( somewhat smaller fish) it will work for you. Hope it is still alive and you try this technic( spelled wrong).

 

[vancouver]

It died overnight.... lots of red areas on the body and fins... must have been some serious bacteria... don't know where it would have come from..

Keeping a close eye on the tank it was in before it went into quarintine.

Hopefully nothing that will spread to the other fish.

 

[JamieH]

It died overnight.... lots of red areas on the body and fins... must have been some serious bacteria... don't know where it would have come from..

Keeping a close eye on the tank it was in before it went into quarintine.

Hopefully nothing that will spread to the other fish.

hang on... not only did you leave the fish to suffer, but you left it in a tank with other fish when it had some sort of open bacterial infection? if it is an internal infection, it will have been waterborne for hours and ingested by most, if not all of your fish.

Do you have any pics to show that could help us with a diagnosis?

I would advise you to treat the tank with interpets 'anti internal bacteria' remedy and also add epsom salt at a rate of 5g per litre of tank water. The epsom salt will flush the fish out and force them to take on board more water - which will let more of the treatment into their gut.

I've succesfuly used this to treat malawi bloat in my fish.... but there's no reason it wouldn;t help with other internal problems.

 

[KimA]

Moved it to a 5g tank, although I'm pretty sure it's going to die overnight.

Not sure what to do with the tank it was previously in.. has other fish in it still..

How're the other fish so far?

 

[invader]

hang on... not only did you leave the fish to suffer, but you left it in a tank with other fish when it had some sort of open bacterial infection? if it is an internal infection, it will have been waterborne for hours and ingested by most, if not all of your fish.

Actually, they said that they moved it.

Moved it to a 5g tank, although I'm pretty sure it's going to die overnight.