PlanetCatfish.com

Hi,

I have a problem with my Bristlenose Catfish.The Stomach is swollen and there are breathing difficulties. There are no other symptoms. What can it be and how can it be treated?

Thanks

It's most likely a internal bacterial infection. These are usually caused by any number of single or combined stress factors, such as wrong diet, water quality problems, low dissolved oxygen levels, etc, etc.

You may want to medicate with a antibacterial treatment. Unfortunately, the success-rate isn't very high on this, but it's probably your best bet. Large water change (50% or so) before you add the medication and adding an air-stone will certainly help cure the problem.

Feeding with vegetable such as courgette/zucchini that help their bowel movements will also be a good thing (although if the illness is advanced, it may not eat much). Watch the food so that it doesn't foul the water and make things worse.

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Mats

Thanks.

Do you think that Pimafix from API will good enough to treat this problem?
Because i don't have another aqua and i don't want to kill all bacterias in my comm.tank and filter.
Can you advice on specific a antibacterial treatment?

I don't think PimaFix is "strong enough". You need something that is treating Internal Bacterial infections. PimaFix is more suitable for external bacterial infections, such as finrot or "furry eyes".

Unfortunately, it's likely that you will HAVE to sacrifice your bacteria (or the bristlenose) in the filter, if you can't make up a small hospital tank from somethink like a (clean) bucket or such.

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Mats

Hi there, have you tried giving the tank a course of Melafix. That seems to fix any kind of aliments! When my fish look like they've got some kind of problem, that's what we use.

In my own experiments with PimaFix and Melafix I have not found them to as effective as a simple salt dose of ~one teaspoon of rock salt per gallon. Much cheaper and more effective than the "'Fixes."

I have come to hold the opinion that most cures attributed to these "Herbal cures" would have happened without the use of any medication.

We have a problem about using salt, as some of my other fish don't appreciate the stuff. But if that's what you like using, then carry on!

I think salt is a good cure in some special cases, as is various herbal remedies. But internal bacterial infections are usually best solved with a anti-bacterial medication (whether this is synthetic or extracted from plants/fungus/anmial matter is a different thing). Most proper anti-bacterials are synthetic, but the most famous ones are actually extracted from a type of mould: Penicillin is a produced from certain types of mould.

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Mats

I suppose it will be a problem to use the salt in my aqua because of other catfish and corridors that i have .I'm trying to fix the problem with Melafix and Pimafix.

Hi skyman30,

I assume your fish has died. Chances are, there was nothing you could have done to save him. Bloated bellies are not something to take lightly.

Most often, it's an internal bacteria infection that will take your fish very fast. You can't hesitate with treatment; you have to act fast and hit hard. Don't worry about your nice cycled tank/bacteria, it's contaminated now anyhow.

Pure metro is about the only thing you really have a chance with. It would be best to get medicated food into the fish but often the fish will not accept anything and so you need to treat the water and hopefully get him feeling well enough to eat medicated food (food soaked in metro).

Now the concern is with the rest of your tank inhabitants. The bacteria that affected your BN is still in the tank and will likely strike again. My advice is to be prepared and get yourself some metro and read up on your situation and treatment.

Good luck.