Cherry Barb With Bloating And Wound

Hello, I have a school of cherry barbs in a 53 gallon tank, and one of my females I noticed was very bloated and appears to have a wound on her side, as well as a swollen/inflamed vent area. My first thought might be dropsy, but I am really unsure what it might be. Any ideas?



She is now isolated in a large container, filtered and heated, water has a fair amount of tannins, as it is from her original aquarium.
Parameters:
Temp 78 F
pH 8.2 (our water is very basic)
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate <20 ppm

 

Did this happen over night? Or has this been going on for a while. Are there any other tank mates besides the school of them? Was she being bullied at all? Any other fish showing any similar symptoms?

How is she reacting? Floating, Sinking, Or swimming around as usual?

Is the wound bleeding? Does it look like something scratched her, or something burst?

What is her appetite?

My go to action when something happens is a 30-50 percent water change. In the container I would do a 50 percent everyday.

More pictures from different angles would help, though I know it is difficult to get any good pictures of fish.

 

I do not know a whole lot about cherry barbs, bhut I will say the fish does look very bloated, which could mean it is constipated. I don't know if the wound has anything to do with the bloating or not. But I would try fasting the fish for a few days, then try feeding it some pieces if blanched, frozen pea that has had the skin removed. Pea acts as a laxative for constipated fish.

Best of luck!

 

I do not know a whole lot about cherry barbs, bhut I will say the fish does look very bloated, which could mean it is constipated. I don't know if the wound has anything to do with the bloating or not. But I would try fasting the fish for a few days, then try feeding it some pieces if blanched, frozen pea that has had the skin removed. Pea acts as a laxative for constipated fish.

Best of luck!

hmmmm. Agree

 

Thanks, I haven't noticed it until today, but the school is fairly large, and it is possible I didnt catch it right away. She swims normally, no other fish have symptoms, but she seemed a bit more reclusive, hiding behind driftwood. Tankmates include bristlenose, sterbaI cories, an angel, pearl gourami, and 2 acaras. The wound looks like a popped blister. I will try a pea in a few days, and just keep changing the water. I did a 50% on the main tank while I took her out, so hopefully no other fish show. Thanks for the help, appreciate it!

 

How’s she doing? Keep up with the water changes, and wait. I am honestly not sure what has happened. Like humans, a lot of bacterial/fungal diseases can be extremely hard to diagnose.

 

Just returned home from work and she is still alive, and is swimming normally. I got a photo from above, the swelling is not even, with her left side being more swollen. The wound is on her right side, so I'm even less sure that they are connected. Again, even with an angel and acaras, I haven't noticed any aggression within this tank. Just gonna keep monitoring, I guess. My biggest concern is moreso the entire tank becoming ill, but I would still like to do my best to save this little one.

 

Yes, I understand! Was she full of eggs at one point? It is possible this is a terrible complication from carrying eggs.

 

Could have been, I'm not sure. The vent is very inflamed and there are a bunch of males with her, as well as other females.

 

Keep us posted!

 

Just checked on her this morning, shes looking the same, which at least is better than being dead! Didnt feed her, I'm going to wait a few days and try the pea. I am away all day today, so I won't be able to check on her much, unfortunately. She does seem to be a bit less active right now, but that might have to do with being moved and the water feels like it mightve cooled off a bit (heater in the isolation might be a bit low, I turned it up a few clicks). Other than that, same as yesterday.

Day 3: still the same, swimming around okay. Today ill be changing water as I wasn't home until 3 am this morning, so wasn't able to do it yesterday.