bloated rabbitfish

[beeps4u]

Hi,

I have a foxface rabbitfish that is severely bloated. He started bloating about 2 wks ago, and has slowly gotten bigger. He has not been eating well since he started bloating, and he has been losing muscle mass. He is swimming and breathing normally, and appears otherwise healthy. I really don't know what the problem is. He is currently in a hospital bucket that I just treated with Maracyn1 and Maracyn 2. He also has a chunk of seaweed in there with him in case his appetite improves. Do you think that there is anything else I should do? I was also considering treating with praziquantel...

He's a relatively new addition to the tank (added 3 wks ago). No, I didn't QT him like I should have... He ate well at first and seemed to be doing fine, other than being chased around a bit by my maroon clown. After a week he started hiding and stopped eating. He hid in a spot where I could spy on him, and I noticed that his belly just kept getting fatter. I got lucky and was able to catch him tonight.

I have a 150 gallon reef tank that's been up for a few years. Ammonia, nitrite, nitrates are at zero (though there's a decent amount of algae around in my tank). pH is 8.2. Alkalinity and calcium are good. I have a mediocre skimmer. All the other fish seem fine (sailfin tang, pacific blue tang, clown, dartfish - all rather small).

Thanks for your help.

 

[leebca]

Have you seen or noticed any fecal matter at all? I know this is a bit of an unusual question, since the fish isn't eating, but since it is now separated (in a bucket), is there any waste products you see or can find in the bucket? Describe it in details -- color, texture, quantity, etc. -- the best you can.

The antibiotic treatment is a good start. It should deal with any bacterial infection for sure. When will the full course of the antibiotic treatment (usually 5 days) be over?

 

[beeps4u]

Thanks for helping me. = )

The fish has been in the bucket since about 8:00 pm last night, and I started the antibiotics then. The full course will be over in 5 days. I was able to find one small piece of what might be poop this morning. It's about .25 in long, 1/8th in wide, and cylindrical. It is greyish brown and squishes into mush when I press on it with my finger. It is a uniform color.

The fish is still swimming well this morning and does not appear to be in too much distress. I really can't tell if he's been eating any of his seaweed. He's still quite distended.

 

[beeps4u]

I should also mention: in the fish store and at my house he was eating spectrum pellet and freeze-dried mysis primarily (until he stopped eating) - fed twice a day. He also has a variety of different algeas to munch on (my tank has a plentiful supply - that's one thing I can grow well).

 

[leebca]

I'd say the greatest probability here is that the fish intestinal track is blocked. It could be any number of things with: 1) pellet food not digesting right (these fish don't digest wheat or wheat products at all) and, 2) pellet or freeze-dried foods may expand in the gut and physicially create blocakge, being among those things that cause such a condition.

I would go the antibiotic treatment just to make sure there is no infection involved and see if the fish doesn't right itself in a few days.

 

[beeps4u]

Thanks. I'll see how he does.

 

[beeps4u]

I have some new info: I think that he may have been eating sand. He has pooped a few more times, and there is a very hard, fine, grainy substance in his poop. It's maybe about 5-10% of his poop. There's no sand in his bucket that he could be eating right now, so he must have eaten it in the tank a while back.

If it is sand, is there anything I can do to help him pass it?

Andrea

 

[eliterecon14]

I have some new info: I think that he may have been eating sand. He has pooped a few more times, and there is a very hard, fine, grainy substance in his poop. It's maybe about 5-10% of his poop. There's no sand in his bucket that he could be eating right now, so he must have eaten it in the tank a while back.

If it is sand, is there anything I can do to help him pass it?

Andrea

Is there any algae growing on the sand that it might have eaten some sand with it on accident? I think Lee is right though, just wondered if that happened.

 

[beeps4u]

Yep, I have algae on the sand in some spots, and it could have easily happened. = (

 

[freetareef]

hope he's ok!!! i love those fish

 

[leebca]

Not to worry, actually. Grainy fecal matter is the norm. In fact, some Rabbitfish and Tangs consume some substrate to help them physically break down vegetation. It is like the parrot that eats some grit to help crush and break down the seeds and nuts in its crop.

You had written that the fish was eating at the start. Exactly what was it eating?

I think you're still in a wait-and-see mode.

 

[beeps4u]

Interesting to hear about sand in fecal matter. I guess I won't worry about that then... = )

While in the main tank, I think that he was eating a bit of spectrum pellet that I offered (which he had been eating in the pet store for the 2 mos. that they had him), but he was also munching on cheato and eating some hair algae off of the glass and rocks.

So, after I noticed the sand in his feces, he still wasn't looking any better. If anything, he looked more distended. I removed his seaweed, which he didn't appear to be eating, and I let him fast over night while continuing his antibiotics. I checked on him the next morning, and he actually looked a little better - but there were no new feces in the bucket (I was hoping I'd see evidence of him clearing whatever was blocking him up). Then I checked on him later that night (yesterday evening) - and he looks completely better! There was still no fecal matter in the bucket. I gave him some new seaweed this morning to see if he's hungry.

I'm not sure what the problem was, but he seems to bet a lot better now. Hopefully he's in the clear...

 

[eliterecon14]

Great to hear he's better, those fish are so beautiful. I actually once was thinking of getting one.