Hi Pam
I recently had a female lomardoi that passed away. It showed all the symptoms of Malawi Bloat, except for the bloated stomach. I've read all your other articles on ich and some others, but it showed no signs of any of these. I don't believe the fish died of ald age and no other fish have been ill. Can Malawi Bloat kill without bloating the fish?
Regards
Andrew
Possible Bloat
Moderator: Pam Chin
Hi Andrew,
Yes, fish can die of "bloat" before they actually swell up. First off "Bloat" is a catch all word, the actualy definition is a body so swollen that the scales are sticking out. But in reality "bloat" is what everyone says there fish died of when they don't know what the cause actually is.
To me "bloat" is usually caused by some type of stress. This stress seems to effect the immune system, and then things start going down hill. This stress can be caused by wrong diet, wrong water conditions, wrong tankmates, etc. Since it can then manifest in to a bloom of parasites in the fishes body, or it might cause a break down in the slime coat, which could be a bacteria that it is unable to fight off, or it could be an actually blockage in the digestive system.
The first signs are not eating, swollen vent area, clamped fins, not swimming, and white stringy feces.
It is contagious?? Well I think the jury is still out on this one. But in some cases the only way to keep it from re-occuring in other fish is to diagnose what the stress is, and eliminate it. The only cure for bloat that I have been sucessful with is Clout, but you have to catch it the very beginning, if you don't, it can be iimpossible to cure. Clout is one of the nastiest meds around, and you surely don't want to use this medication in your established tank. It is best to remove the questionable fish and treat in a hospital tank.
Yes, fish can die of "bloat" before they actually swell up. First off "Bloat" is a catch all word, the actualy definition is a body so swollen that the scales are sticking out. But in reality "bloat" is what everyone says there fish died of when they don't know what the cause actually is.
To me "bloat" is usually caused by some type of stress. This stress seems to effect the immune system, and then things start going down hill. This stress can be caused by wrong diet, wrong water conditions, wrong tankmates, etc. Since it can then manifest in to a bloom of parasites in the fishes body, or it might cause a break down in the slime coat, which could be a bacteria that it is unable to fight off, or it could be an actually blockage in the digestive system.
The first signs are not eating, swollen vent area, clamped fins, not swimming, and white stringy feces.
It is contagious?? Well I think the jury is still out on this one. But in some cases the only way to keep it from re-occuring in other fish is to diagnose what the stress is, and eliminate it. The only cure for bloat that I have been sucessful with is Clout, but you have to catch it the very beginning, if you don't, it can be iimpossible to cure. Clout is one of the nastiest meds around, and you surely don't want to use this medication in your established tank. It is best to remove the questionable fish and treat in a hospital tank.