Constipated Potter's ?

[cheeks69]

Is it possible for fish to become sick because of eating macro algea ? I have a Potter's Angel and while doing some maintenance I put a piece of PVC pipe in the tank from my overflow box that that had some algea on it don't know what type it was and my Potter's ate it and his belly became bloated and for a couple of days he moved very little mostly hiding which caught my attention since he's very active. He appeared to be constipated and finally when he defecated it was as if the algea had gone thru his intestine and out completely intact. Have you ever heard of this or could it be another problem altogether ? Today he's back to normal and eating well as if nothing happened

 

[Terry B]

Fish, and angels in particular, tend to get internal bacterial infections from eating tainted foods or foods which are old or not stored properly. You are fortunate that the fish recovered without treatment. You should think about the freshness and quality of the foods that you are using. This link should help: http://www.marineaquariumadvice.com/feed_your_fish_better.html

Cheers,
Terry Bartelme

 

[cheeks69]

Excellent article Terry

I thought this was very interesting since many people will do this to help remove phophates from food.

"Do you thaw your frozen fish foods in water? You are certainly not alone. It would be my guess that the majority of us thaw these foods out in water at least occasionally, if not consistently. Thawing foods in this manner causes water-soluble vitamins, especially B12 and C, to leach from the food into the water, thus preventing them from reaching the fish."

In the last year I stopped feeding Flake altogether and only feed frozen but I don't thaw it out. I have been feeding my Potter's 'Emerald Entree' which is made specifically for Dwarfs I also supplement with Squid, scallop and Mysis from Piscine energetics which is supposed to be very nutritous and occasionally Cyclopeeze.

The Potter's has been very active since being aquired and grazes on the LR all day but suddenly after eating the macro algea just stopped and since these fish can be very delicate I was very concerned.

I'm glad he appears to be back to normal, thanx for the reply and the article it was excellent !