Help – My fish has a fat bellyIf your fish has a full belly Fish A thick belly have, then this can be caused by many reasons. Depending on the cause you have to treat your fish differently. Or perhaps do not treat at all.
Does it have to be a disease?
Clearly, no. Just live-bearing toothcarps (Guppies, Mollies, Swordtails,…) get, if they are pregnant, an unhealthy looking, Thick abdomen. You can of course rule out pregnancy in a male. With the female I pay attention to the vitality. If the female is in top condition, eats well and shows no other symptoms, then I ame that she is healthy and I only have to make room for new fish.
To prevent that the fish just have a full belly, you can just not feed the fish for one day. Then the belly should be gone. Of course you have to be careful if fish have discovered their own food sources in the aquarium (snails, other fish, plants).
Not every fat belly in the aquarium must indicate a disease and give you a headache. Nevertheless you should observe the further course.
What causes can underlie a fat belly in fishes?
The pathological causes for the fat belly of your fish can be both bacterial diseases, Parasites as well internal injuries its. Here are a few diseases that can cause a fat belly and explain how you can identify them as well as possible.
Thick belly due to infectious brook dropsy
The Infectious dropsy is a common disease in aquarium. From above it looks like a pine cone, but since dhe scales stick out from the body. Often they also have Googly eyes. Your fish behave lethargic. The escape reflex is strongly limited.
Thick belly due to intestinal flagellates
Intestinal flagellates are parasites that live in the intestines of your fish. Normally the number is so low that your fish does not mind. Under certain circumstances (e.g.B. stress weakness) can lead to explosive multiplication come, which can lead to swollen belly and to the death of your fish can lead. Besides the thick belly, the feces of your fish will also change. The feces are slimy white with trapped air bubbles.
You can find more information here: Intestinal flagellates.
Thick belly due to constipation
Constipation can have many different causes. In the case of a If the fish is constipated, it does not defecate and usually does not eat. The cause can be anything that can clog the intestine. These include indigestible food, in addition belong worms, but also tumors and bacterial infections in the intestinal tract.
At intestinal flagellates or worms you have to treat them to clear the blockage. The following articles can help you:
– Worms: hair worms or milling head worms – Bacterial infections (e.g.B. abdominal dropsy)
With tumors, unfortunately, you have no chance to cure your fish in the long term. In case of constipation caused by food, some aquarists treat their fish with Epsom salts (12-15 mg per 100 liters of water). To treat the fish with Epsom salts you should Fish in a quarantine tank put so that the other fish are not affected by the Epsom salt.