Very Fat Golden Barb

[stucolls]

Afternoon all, I came home from work just now and spotted one of my gold barbs is MASSIVE!! its round! really really fat and its scales look like a pine cone, almost poppinp up??

Any ideas guys and girls??

Cheers
Stu

 

[Colin_T]

It has an internal bacterial infection and should be put down. Bacteria infect and damage internal organs then when the organ ruptures the abdominal cavity fills up with a bacterial soup causing the inflammation. It is very difficult to treat internal problems like this in fish and they don't normally work anyway. Most fish usually die within a day or two of the symptoms.

You can euthanase it by putting it in a small container of tank water and popping that in the freezer. As the temperature decreases the fish dies. If you get some Clove Oil from a health food shop you can add some of that to the container of water with the sick fish. Add a drop at a time and continue until the fish rolls over. Then freeze it. The clove oil doesn't kill the fish, it just makes it unconscious. The freezing is what kills it.

 

[stucolls]

oh ( I thought I may have been ble to save it, thanks though

 

[stucolls]

Ok the initial barb which ballooned is still massive but still alive and showing now signs of illness other than being very bi and looking very strange, however, this morning I noticed a 2nd barb suffering similar symptons, none of my other fish have this?

could I have an epidemic on y hands? what should I do?

 

[rabbut]

Get all fish showing symptoms out of there fast an eythanise, as this is highly contagious. Acting slowly here will potentialy wipe your tank...Been there and done that As Colin says, you need to eutanise, but I Dont agree with his mwthod, as it most likely will be slow and very painful for the fish concerend in the event that they are able to feel pain, which IMO fish can...
Clove oil can be used to euthinise, if you add suffice. Keep adding a cap at a time every 5 mins untill the fish stops breeting. At this point leve it for 1/2 an hour to ensure that it doesn't come back, and then dispose of the body If clove oil is not available now, take it out of the tank and smack it with something very heavy over the head, to cruch the head. This method will be almost instant, though few people have the guts to use this method.

Treat the main tank with the Interpet anti-internal bacteria med, to ensure that it doesn't spread.

All the best of luck fixing this
Rabbut

 

[stucolls]

okey dokey will do, is it like a waterborn virus type thing?I have Pimafix? it says it treats internal and external bacterial infections

 

[rabbut]

Not strong enough IMO. Internal bacteria can be very resiliant to medications

All the best
Rabbut