Re: Swollen belly fish

[Mike & Diane Wise <apistowise@bewellnet.com>]

Dominic,

I'm afraid that Zsolt is correct. The fish's
kidneys have shut down. Fish rarely survive this
problem. A. bitaeniata is one of the more delicate
apistos. Your water's pH is probably stressing
them. If kept in water above pH 6.5 A. bitaeniata
tends to be more susceptible to diseases and
parasites. They are sensitive to many medications,
too. If you want to spend a lot of money you could
put it in a separate tank with a pH around 6 and
use a broad spectrum antibiotic, but your money
would be better spent on buying a new male. Dropsy
is fatal in 90%+ of all cases and closer to 100%
once you see the scales lift. Sorry for the bad
news.

Mike Wise

dominic stones wrote:

> Help! I've got a pair of A. bitaeniata 'Tefe' in
> a 10 gal - pH 6.8, GH 5, TDS 126. The tank is
> filtered by a sponge, temperature is 27 degrees
> C, bare bottomed with some driftwood and
> Anubias. Last night, as I was going about my
> feedings, I noticed my male was off his food.
> Closer examination showed him to have a
> distended belly, with slightly protruding scales
> around the mid section. He was also breathing
> heavily. The female in the tank is fine. I
> treated with Melafix and added a Fluval 1 to
> give the tank a bit more movement and a higher
> oxygen level. I also did a 20 percent water
> change, replacing with straight RO. I cannot see
> any exterior signs of worm infestation, and he
> does seem to have come around a little. His
> colour isn't bad, but his belly is still quite
> distended. What can be up? Can anyone help
> me? Thanks Dominic StonesRichmond Hill



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