What is this on my bloated fish ?

[jake72]

I have a male hongsloi who has been bloated for about 2 months. He has been in a 5 gallon pail. I tried treating him for around 5 weeks with various medicines (both for bacteria infection and parasite) and nothing seemed to work so now i'm just keeping him a 5 gallon pail. For a while he wasn't eating but for the past couple of weeks he has had a very big appetite and comes to the top when he sees me for food (originally he just wanted to be left alone and held to the a spot behind the sponge filter). I've given up on medicines but as long as he is doing ok i figure i should just wait and see what happens. Once a week i give him a fresh pail of water (i swap pails); so he is being kept in clean water - though he poops a lot during the week. He has a mystery snail to keep him company and eat un-eaten food and i put in a bunch of plants schedule for throw out to give him shade (when i prune plants in my 29 i just toss them in his pail). recent (as in a couple of days ago) he seemed to have develop some sort of bubble. At first I thought it might be a parasite but it looks clear like a blister:

 

[fishorama]

Eek! Have you tried adding epsom salt? It's sold in the foot care area of drugstores, Walmart, etc. I "think" the dose is 1 Tablespoon/5 gals but look it up. How long have you owned it?

I'm sorry to say I've never had a fish get all better from that much pineconing. It can be a sign of kidney failure...from old age, disease or whatever.

 

[jake72]

I've owned him approx 1 year; he was approx 1/4 an inch when purchased. Two of them bloated (the male above and a female). The female swelling went back down and i returned her to the tank. If he suffered kidney damage wouldn't he be dead by now as it has been over 2 months? I do have epsom salt as i use it for plants now and then but no clue how much to put in with him. You said look it up but no clue where to look it up.

 

[dudley]

Epsom salt is 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons of water as suggested by F fishorama . Dissolve it in a separate container of tank/bucket water and add slowly over a couple hours while monitoring the fishes behavior.

 

[fishorama]

Kidney damage is slow to kill...like with old people, a symptom not a specific disease as such. (in animals it's called a "sign" not a "symptom" since they can't describe it). It's a bit encouraging your female got better. What treatment did you use to help her? & is she still healthy?

Thanks Dee, for confirming my dosage guess, you'd think I remember by now...

 

[jake72]

Epsom salt is 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons of water as suggested by F fishorama . Dissolve it in a separate container of tank/bucket water and add slowly over a couple hours while monitoring the fishes behavior.

Is this a dip or something the fish should be left in for a week or two ?

 

[jake72]

Kidney damage is slow to kill...like with old people, a symptom not a specific disease as such. (in animals it's called a "sign" not a "symptom" since they can't describe it). It's a bit encouraging your female got better. What treatment did you use to help her? & is she still healthy?

Thanks Dee, for confirming my dosage guess, you'd think I remember by now...

I used API MELAFIX but it didn't help him. She is still alive but clearly has some scale damage (this is about 10 weeks ago that she was ill).

 

[Wyomingite]

Is it transparent or does it have a color to it? I can't tell. I'm guessing a herniation that has popped out through the scales, possibly aggravated by the dropsy. If it's transparent, it might just be natural gases in the body cavity pushing out the skin. If it has a color to it, then it's an organ and we just need to figure out which one. I'd guess either the swim bladder or part of the gastrointestinal tract.

WYite

 

[jake72]

It is completely transparent; much like a blister.

 

[jake72]

Also on the epsom salt; how long should the fish be left in the the water with epsom salt? Is it a dip where a few minutes or should he be left in it for several days?