Stick With It Or Euthanize?

[fishchick]

So i've tried everything I can think of with my female zebra..I think she has something lodged in her throat like a piece of gravel from digging her nest..She has been trying to spit something out for about a week..I tried putting her in QT and feeding her anti-parasite food, adding more salt, and even adding ich med's but nothing has worked..she still won't eat and as far as I can tell is not holding eggs..I placed her back in her regular tank last night and she just sit's on the bottom in her little nest she built, and still won't eat. and it looks as if she has almost gotten pale..Don't know what to do??? Any advice??

 

[Mr Melt]

So i've tried everything I can think of with my female zebra..I think she has something lodged in her throat like a piece of gravel from digging her nest..She has been trying to spit something out for about a week..I tried putting her in QT and feeding her anti-parasite food, adding more salt, and even adding ich med's but nothing has worked..she still won't eat and as far as I can tell is not holding eggs..I placed her back in her regular tank last night and she just sit's on the bottom in her little nest she built, and still won't eat. and it looks as if she has almost gotten pale..Don't know what to do??? Any advice??

Poke her with your net until the bit of gravel dislodges itself from her mouth? Kinda like a human "pat on the back". I dunno like, never had that happen to any of my fish before.

 

[fishchick]

not certain that's what it is...just assumed..i pulled her from the tank last week and opened her mouth but could see nothing..don't know what else it could be....she was fine one minute digging her nestand chasing others around, and the next she's trying to cough something out of her throat and won't eat or swim around now!?!

 

[micko]

Can you see the gravel? I would keep at it, as long as she's upright there still hope, even with a fish on its side there's still hope.

 

[rifty]

i dont think she has anything stuck
i have fish swallow another fish over half their own size and live
i would say its ill not sure what tho?
try flake food as its softer for fish to eat or smaller items

 

[fishchick]

no I couldn't see anything..but didn't want to stress her out too much while I was handling her, so I only looked twice. she's kind of leaning on her side..breathing normal, but won't swim unless provoked to do so..I'm just worried she'll die of starvation..it's been like 5 or 6 day's since she's eaten..

 

[rifty]

[/quote]
Poke her with your net until the bit of gravel dislodges itself from her mouth? Kinda like a human "pat on the back". I dunno like, never had that happen to any of my fish before.
[/quote]
poking a stressed fish that'll work?
seriously mate

 

[fishchick]

i've tried flakes and frozen blood worms as they are both soft..during feeding she'll come out and looks hungry but won't eat..and there's no bulge under her chin like she was holding eggs..

 

[rifty]

bloodworm nooooooooooooooooooooooooo
worse type of food for malawi as they can cause bloat have you always fed this to them? as this could be a factor to her getting ill.
under her chin like she is holding or just behing the gill plates ?

 

[fishchick]

it's not the regular food, normally it's cichlid flakes that I feed them. The worm's are more of a treat from time to time..but had not given them any around the time it happened.. no bulge in the throat area, i guess is what you would call it..there's a name for it, but can't remember off hand..

 

[rifty]

mmm
bloodworm even as a treat will cause bloat if i was you dont do it your fish dont need it in their diet what flakes do you feed as general cicchlid flake can be too hi in protien if not just for africans. also bloat wont show straight away as the digestive tract of malawis is very long
yawning fish can be a sign of interal issues id treat the fish for bloat and feed just veggiflake

 

[fishchick]

it's made by wardley..and it's got 40% protein in it..but even if i switch..for the sake of the other fish..she still won't eat..my crappy situation is i live 63 miles from the closest lfs...and my local grocery store doesn't carry anything special..they do carry pellet's for cichlid's though..if that's any better?
How do you treat for bloat?

 

[rifty]

look for low protein flake i think basic goldfish is lower? or order spirulina flakes online?
all uk lfs are naff so i order my food online i use new life spectrum and new era both make good food
i have used Octozin to help most ill fish i have had

 

[fishchick]

my son has goldfish so if the protein is lower i'll use that till i can find a cichlid food containing low protein..they should really specify species on the can's of food...I should totally sue for loss of life..lol/jk and that medicine..what is it usually used for? bacteria, parasites? ect?

 

[rifty]

i think cichlids are a wide fish to generalish food most good food makers now do it by area rather than cichlids in general
octo treats all sorts