The insides of my fish are coming out. Help.

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

sapphiresea

AC Members
Aug 11, 2009
17
0
0
In all my years of keeping fish, I have never seen anything like this. I have a school of seven threadfin rainbowfish in a 29 gallon tank. I left last night and came back tonight to find one of my females in bad shape.

It's rather had to describe but it seems as though her intestines are coming out of her anus. There is a large pink lump coming out of her that looks like her own tissue. Has anyone had anything like this happen before?

I'm attaching a photo to help with identification. The white specks are just air bubbles. For now, I have moved her to a ten gallon quarantine tank, but I don't know where to go from here. Can someone please help me ID this!?

Sick Fish.jpg
 

jbradt

this is bat country
May 9, 2008
3,197
13
38
48
outback, NY
Real Name
I. P. Daily
Looks to me like a prolapsed rectum. Not 100% sure, but that's what it looks like. To my knowledge there's no real way to treat it.
 

sapphiresea

AC Members
Aug 11, 2009
17
0
0
Thanks for the responses. I am not sure if that is the anus. The pictures definitely do not do it justice. It is large, pink, and perfectly cylindrical. Any more ideas?
 

sapphiresea

AC Members
Aug 11, 2009
17
0
0
Looks to me like a prolapsed rectum. Not 100% sure, but that's what it looks like. To my knowledge there's no real way to treat it.
This is what I was thinking as well! When you see it from the underside, it looks like a prolapsed rectum. Unfortunately, I can't get a good picture of that because I don't have a macro lens. What should I do? Let the fish live out its life in quarantine?
 

Pearl

AC Members
Aug 12, 2009
608
0
16
69
Michigan
Real Name
Vicki
The first thing I would do is inspect the fish to make sure that's the anus. I've never seen a vertebrate where the anus wasn't placed directly below the tailbone.
 

Pearl

AC Members
Aug 12, 2009
608
0
16
69
Michigan
Real Name
Vicki
After looking at some pictures of threadfin rainbows, I suspect that the fleshy pulp may be the remains of a fin.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store