My fat little Badis fish, what could be the problem?

[Jag1980]

My fish has been extremely over weight for almost 2 months now, any ideas what could be the problem? Seems very healthy, just really fat like a piggy, so fat that she wobbles around the tank and kinda sinks when she stops swimming... Her scales and gills look fine, just over weight..

These are some of the things I think it could be:

Just a fat fish.
Has a belly full of eggs but the male in the tank will not spawn with her? (Can fish store a belly full of eggs this long?)
Has a disease that the only symptoms are a fat belly and nothing else?
Eats to much? She is the first one to grab food, but i only feed them a smaller cube size of food per day between 5 fish.

My fish look stupid like this...

Here is what a normal size Badis fish are suppose to look like

 

[DrNo]

Is this a species tank? If not, how are the other fish in the tank doing?

 

[Jag1980]

All the other fish are fine, just this one looks like this..
I got 5 Badis fish, 2 Oto catfish and 4 Gold Tetra's

 

[DrNo]

She looks healthy otherwise; I don't see any other symptoms of dropsy (the first thing I think of when I hear 'swollen stomach'). And at 2 months, I would have expected a slow decline if it was. Badis are more susceptible to disease, but IMHO (and I am NO expert on Badis) she is egg laden and can not/will not spawn with the male(s). Check out some onlin eliterature on badis breeding and see if perhaps altering some tank parameters (e.g. temperature, water level, etc.) might help her. I hope others will weigh in here... keep bumping the thread.

 

[Jag1980]

The temp is about 78f
The PH 6.0 to 6.6 and the male is spawning like crazy with the other female but not with this one or any others. 1 Male for 4 females.
The male sits in his stupid tiny cave and never comes out ever@! not even to eat.. It's so bad, it's annoying and thinking about getting rid of him because of it. So basically no one else can lay eggs anywhere because the stupid fish will not leave his tiny hole in the log.. I even tried blocking it off with a piece of plastic wedge in the gravel and he moved it.. He is guarding eggs at the time, but even with no eggs he does the same thing..
Sounds like I need another male possibly? But I don't want anymore Badis fish of this species in the tank.
Another forum I was told it is dropsy/bloat. I see no signs other than the big belly, looks the same is if she was pregnant.
I never heard of egg laden before, is this common? How long can this last for?

I was looking at Badis breeding the other day but nothing I noticed that has anything to do with my issue, I don't remember if they stay with only one female or not, I might have to check again for that.


Here's some more pictures if anyone would like to take a look and tell me what you think the problem is?

One picture is a original and the other picture of the same I sharpened to show highlighted detail of the fish. The fish are also called the Dwarf Chameleon Fish, so the colors of the scale might look a little different compared to some other fish since these fish change colors all the time.

The edges of the scales are a shade different and to some it may look like the scale or sticking out a little, but notice the color difference on the edge of the scales while decided what it could be.

 

[Lupin]

Your case is dropsy. I posted in your MFK thread awhile ago the info.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166040

 

[Jag1980]

Your case is dropsy. I posted in your MFK thread awhile ago the info.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166040

ok thanks.
Looks like I need to move her to a 10 gallon hospital tank :uhoh:
I got no heater though, hopefully temp of 76f will be ok with added Epsom salt will work. Looks like the meds on Drsfostersmith are about $20 bucks :crazy:

Also, my fishes eye looks wierd as shown in picture, like she has a white pupil in her black pupil. The others fishes eyes look all black and normal, but she can see ok it seems from the wierd side.

 

[DrNo]

Your case is dropsy. I posted in your MFK thread awhile ago the info.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166040

Thanks for posting here Lupin! I'd like to learn more about what gives you the clear indication from the photos the fish is suffering from dropsy... great opportunity to re-learn the physical signs. Is it simply the bloat and/or way the fish is bloated? I didn't know that dropsy could linger on for so long and not escalate into a more symptomatic condition. I did read your post at MFK.

 

[Jag1980]

Thanks for posting here Lupin! I'd like to learn more about what gives you the clear indication from the photos the fish is suffering from dropsy... great opportunity to re-learn the physical signs. Is it simply the bloat and/or way the fish is bloated? I didn't know that dropsy could linger on for so long and not escalate into a more symptomatic condition. I did read your post at MFK.

I would like to know also. The fish seems perfectly fine, personality and journeys around the tank are the same. still as active and shes always been. But has done all this while bloated with a decease for over 2 month.

If it is bloat, I have to setup a old 10 gallon on the kitchen table, setup the old filter, go get filter cartridges and salts, I have no heater. transfer water from old tank to medic tank. :uhoh:

I wonder why more people haven't jumped in on this thread?

 

[Lupin]

Not all signs of dropsy will appear altogether. The reason why Jag's badis actually had dropsy is that such distended abdomen is already abnormal and is beyond what a normal badis should have looked. The scales look like they were about to puff out, not to mention if you look those eyes closely, they are slightly out of the socket. I had been through this several times a few years back and the cause is pretty much impossible to determine. It could be bacterial infection, damaged organs from failure to properly acclimate, viral and other factors which is why even treatment is rendered useless as it happens internally and the only way for meds to work is when the body absorbs the med or is ingested by the fish.