# Fish with sunken belly and not eating. Help!



## jayc (May 23, 2010)

Hey guys I have some fish in my tank that seem like they aren’t doing too well. I guess it’s some kind of internal parasite but just wondering what’s the best way/product to treat. There are 2 fish in the tank that seem to be hiding most of the time and have sunken in bellies. They don’t even go for the food and spit it out. They just ignore it while all my other fish go crazy for it. I would really like to save the fish so suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!


----------



## blueberry (Nov 3, 2015)

Take out and treat with clout. Do you notice stringy white poo? If they haven't been eating for a while it maybe to late in my experience, but some people have had success. It works best if you catch it early. You should feed your other fish medicated food with metronidazole just to be safe for a week. You can buy metroplex from J&L and buy some focus it helps to bind med to the food. follow directions.

Clout treatment for hexamita( white stringy poo and not eating).

this video may helpful for you to watch


----------



## fireweed (Jan 7, 2013)

jayc said:


> Hey guys I have some fish in my tank that seem like they aren't doing too well. I guess it's some kind of internal parasite but just wondering what's the best way/product to treat. There are 2 fish in the tank that seem to be hiding most of the time and have sunken in bellies. They don't even go for the food and spit it out. They just ignore it while all my other fish go crazy for it. I would really like to save the fish so suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!


Knowing the species, temp, and up to date water test would scratch a number of items off the list.


----------



## jayc (May 23, 2010)

Would whatever they have if it’s a parasite be contagious?


----------



## jayc (May 23, 2010)

I’ve got a few angelfish, couple severums and a few electric blue acaras. 
Temp 81
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ph around 6.6


----------



## TomC (Apr 21, 2010)

Diagnosing fish disease is often very difficult. Usually the best thing is to separate the fish to a hospital tank, crank up the heat, and maybe add some salt. Unless it is something very obvious like a visible fungus or ich, using medicines is pretty much a shot in the dark.


----------



## imtrippedup (Apr 25, 2010)

What has changed recently?
have you added new fish?
-added too many at once?
--fish could be stressed out/ammonia spike from too many being added at once


----------



## jayc (May 23, 2010)

I did just recently add 5 fish. I think my tank may be a bit overstocked. All the fish are quite small but I do plan on getting rid of some fish when they get too big or get a bigger tank. My fish are in a 50 gallon but with a canister good for 160 if that makes a difference.


----------



## imtrippedup (Apr 25, 2010)

is it one of the new fish that you added?
i feel as if I went through the same problem as you did by adding too many at once. The bio wasn't equipped to handle it and i read 0 for ammonia too.
it takes a bit for the bioload to able to handle the extra capacity
--- pretty sure that was it for me. i basically doubled the stock suddenly and i think i saw ammonia burn on the scales

What is your current live stock list?
try doing daily partial water changes if you cant remove the two


----------



## imtrippedup (Apr 25, 2010)

also, if you've recently cleaned your filter with fresh tap water without using a dechlorinator that will hurt the bio load


----------



## jayc (May 23, 2010)

3x angelfish 
2x severums 
5x electric blue acara
4x Cupid cichlids

Everything probably 1.5 to 3 inches 

The 2 that are sick are the new ones


----------



## imtrippedup (Apr 25, 2010)

try doing a minimum 25% daily water change and reduce feedings/cut back entirely for a few days
if possible, aerate the water and see if you can treat with ammonia removal chemical if it's really bad. if it appears to be bad you might have to do several larger changes throughout the weeks

the effects of ammonia poisoning on a fish is mostly internal w/damage to the gills/brain/nervous system. it can be sudden or over a span of a few days.


----------



## jayc (May 23, 2010)

So you think this can possibly be cured with just more water changes or most likely will it come down to needing meds? Haven’t cleaned the filter in a while and when I do I do use tank water to rinse.


----------



## jayc (May 23, 2010)

After seeing the video that was posted I think giving away the fish to someone with a hospital tank would be a better idea. They are 2 electric blue acaras. Really nice but you know the story. Whoever wants them and think they can treat them to get them healthy can take them. PM me if you’re interested. I live close to knight and 47th.


----------

