Help! my fish have bloat, not dropsy

[allis64]

My platty, guppy and angelfish all have bloated abdomens, which got worse after a water change. They swim and eat fine, and fins fly high. No problems. They just look bloated in the belly. It's not dropsy or swim bladder - I've seen both of those before and that's not what I see now. What do I do? My water tests are fine, except that, as usual, my sourcewater is hard and high in phosphate.

 

[rachaelmaire]

How often and much are you feeding them?
My angelfish's abdomens often look really swollen right after they've eaten.

 

[allis64]

Thank you for responding! If anything, I under feed them. I feed them twice a day no more than they can eat in a minute or two. The bloating just keeps getting worse. I have read it could be constipation, but I don't know how all three fish could have that at the same time.

 

[rachaelmaire]

Try feeding them once a day and see how their stomachs look.
When I first got my angels I was feeding them twice a day and within a week they looked constantly bloated and the water quality got horrible.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; While reading thru posts on this site a while back I came across some posts that appeared to indicate that feeding fish raw canned peas will relieve constipation in fish. I have been feeding all my fish sweet peas for many years as a change in diet with good results. I some times will save a spoon full of peas before cooking them for my meal. I also buy the small cans of peas and after opening one will keep the remainder in a glass jar in the fridge and feed them every few days. They will stay good for quite a while this way.
I feed only once a day and about once a week skip a day with no feeding. The best scenario from your description may be overfeeding. I have some mature tiger barbs that are very fat. I figgure they are females full of eggs. Perhaps this is the case with your fish. Well fed fish can go for days without feeding. Long weekends are not a problem. for periods approaching a week, I will set up a battery powered automatic feeder.
I have seen fish swell up inside to the point that their scales stand out from the body instead of laying flat.

 

[allis64]

Thank you skjl47. I will try the peas. I don't know what else to do. I have seen one fish in my life with the scales sticking out - that is dropsy, an infection also known as pinecone disease. I don't think they stick out like that for any other reason. I really don't believe mine are overfed, because I haven't changed my feeding plan in thirty years and I never had this problem before. I will try the peas; maybe they got constipated from stress. I just don't know how three separate fish can have that problem at the same time. I am bewildered.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; It does seem odd, all at the same time. Post the outcome someday.

 

[sue hernandez]

could they be pregnant?

hi:

I was wondering if your fish might be pregnant oppose to bloat. Also Krill is great for relieving bloat or sometimes even droopsy. Some times fresh peas are great too. You have to peel the peas and sometimes hand feed your fish, but I have seen remarkable results from a goldfish that had swimmer bladder by using peas.

 

[sue hernandez]

feeding schedule

Hi

I am no expert but I don't think you are overfeeding them. I have feed my fish 2 times a day for years with no problems. Once a week they fast all day. Do you feed a variety of foods? I find mixing up what you give them. Also do you add garlic for fish? This also helps with eliminating some of the thoughts you might have. Also it could be a parasite problem and all three of your fish could be experiencing that. Garlic does help with this as well. Your platies and guppies could be pregnant.