Plec's Bloated Belly

[sXeLifer]

Hey guys I posted this in catfish but only got one response, my plec is a sailfin, he's still small maybe 3-4 inches but I'm really worried, since yesterday at least he has had a very bloated belly, its huge, to the extent that he looks fit to explode. He's struggling to stay low to the bottom too. I have treated him with meds since yesterday. This brings me to the bad part, I haven't exactly been sticking to a strict regime in terms of cleaning the tank out recently, I think maybe only one of my filters are working because its so choked up, I haven't been cleaning the tank much because he does the job for me really. That being said I'm worried that he's maybe going a bit mental with algae and just munching it all day long. My concern now is that if I am to perform a large water change, this will obviously stress all my fish out and I'd rather not cause him any stress at all. Am I best to do a water change and clean everything, or should I stop feeding them all and hope his belly goes down with some treatment.

Thanks in advance.

Dan

 

[sadguppy]

Have you fed peas? You could also try an epsom salt bath. Both are good for constipation/bloating.

 

[Dazzler666]

De-shelled & cooked peas, also blanched zucchini and cucumber slices.
Constipation aside he may have an internal parasite so id monitor closely & great with suitable meda if required.
Sorry but a plec cannot do the work required by people .... Either stop been lazy & do the maintenance to keep your tank & fish healthy or dont keep fish ..... Simple really IMO.
Hope your plec recovers.