Fish constipation?

I’m assuming this guy is just constipated. Still has an appetite but looking a little lethargic. No other fish have any symptoms. I added a bit of epsom salt to the tank yesterday and then I did an epsom bath today for 30 mins. Still no relief. Any other ideas?

I’ve also tried feeding shelled peas but couldn’t get him to swallow it. It’s the s. Daemon in the middle of the photo. Bit of belly distention.

 

Daphnia works well for constipation as well... You could give that a try if he won't eat the pea?

 

Have you fasted him? Typically the first step is fasting for a few days, then an epsom salt bath if it doesn’t work.

 

Daphnia works well for constipation as well... You could give that a try if he won't eat the pea?

Have you fasted him? Typically the first step is fasting for a few days, then an epsom salt bath if it doesn’t work.

i guess I did it a bit backwards. Tried feeding the peas, then some brine shrimp in an epsom salt solution, then the salt in the tank and then bath. Fasting since yesterday. I’ll see how it goes over the next day or two.

 

My local fish veterinarian claims that fish don't get constipated. I'm not convinced.

https://cafishvet.com/

Q: I think my fish is “constipated”?

A: I’ll bet you $1,000 that is isn’t. In our 6+ years of practice, do you know how many “constipated” fish I have diagnosed? ZERO. Freshwater fish are physiologically impossible to become “constipated.”

 

My local fish veterinarian claims that fish don't get constipated. I'm not convinced.

https://cafishvet.com/

Q: I think my fish is “constipated”?

A: I’ll bet you $1,000 that is isn’t. In our 6+ years of practice, do you know how many “constipated” fish I have diagnosed? ZERO. Freshwater fish are physiologically impossible to become “constipated.”

Hm, I’m not convinced. I see no anatomy of a fish that suggests it wouldn’t be possible. I’m just not sure how much I trust fish vets.... I have worked at an exotic veterinary hospital and I can say anything that isn’t well-studied and a common pet to take to the vet, most know very little about the animal. I took my sugar glider to 3 vets before finding one that was accurate and knowledgeable with something as simple as diet (and it was the one I ended up working for haha). Most exotic vets will still consult books and colleagues because it is just not possible to know everything about every species, it is smarter to consult the research and more experienced people.

Long way of saying don’t trust the opinion of one vet.

 

My local fish veterinarian claims that fish don't get constipated. I'm not convinced.

https://cafishvet.com/

Q: I think my fish is “constipated”?

A: I’ll bet you $1,000 that is isn’t. In our 6+ years of practice, do you know how many “constipated” fish I have diagnosed? ZERO. Freshwater fish are physiologically impossible to become “constipated.”

Hm, I’m not convinced. I see no anatomy of a fish that suggests it wouldn’t be possible. I’m just not sure how much I trust fish vets.... I have worked at an exotic veterinary hospital and I can say anything that isn’t well-studied and a common pet to take to the vet, most know very little about the animal. I took my sugar glider to 3 vets before finding one that was accurate and knowledgeable with something as simple as diet (and it was the one I ended up working for haha). Most exotic vets will still consult books and colleagues because it is just not possible to know everything about every species, it is smarter to consult the research and more experienced people.

Long way of saying don’t trust the opinion of one vet.

Yea it doesn’t seem too strange an idea to have a backed up fish, albeit I have no experience making a fish go poo lol. My guy is still pretty active, not having a hard time regulating his depth in the tank, so not thinking it’s a swim bladder thing. Has anyone actually had success with these epsom salt methods? There’s countless accounts of how to dose, but I haven’t found any firsthand success stories.

 

Yea it doesn’t seem too strange an idea to have a backed up fish, albeit I have no experience making a fish go poo lol. My guy is still pretty active, not having a hard time regulating his depth in the tank, so not thinking it’s a swim bladder thing. Has anyone actually had success with these epsom salt methods? There’s countless accounts of how to dose, but I haven’t found any firsthand success stories.

I believe epsom salt is used as a laxative in HUMANS, which is why people made the jump that it’d work on fish as a laxative. I haven’t heard anyone’s first-hand account of success either, but it isn’t medication and therefore won’t hurt to try it. It’ll only cause mild stress for a few mins while he’s in the dip.

 

I believe epsom salt is used as a laxative in HUMANS, which is why people made the jump that it’d work on fish as a laxative. I haven’t heard anyone’s first-hand account of success either, but it isn’t medication and therefore won’t hurt to try it. It’ll only cause mild stress for a few mins while he’s in the dip.

I’m just hoping this thing isn’t a death sentence. If it isn’t constipation, it looks like maybe the the early stages of dropsy? Which apparently is almost always deadly. Thinking I might keep him fasted for another day or two, and then maybe some medicated food?

 

I’m just hoping this thing isn’t a death sentence. If it isn’t constipation, it looks like maybe the the early stages of dropsy? Which apparently is almost always deadly. Thinking I might keep him fasted for another day or two, and then maybe some medicated food?

I’m not familiar with the treatment of dropsy, so I can’t help you there, but dropsy means his organs are affected. If you add an antibiotic, it is metabolized and excreted through the liver and kidneys, which is hard on them, especially if they are already failing. Imo that’s probably why dropsy is so hard to treat.

If you end up with a case of dropsy, hopefully someone with experience and success can chime in.

 

Back in with an update. Fasted the fish for 4-5 days and given 3 epsom salt “baths” for 30 mins each over that time, but still very bloated. He’s got some good energy still though. I’ve had him sequestered in this green basket and still tries to go after the food that I feed the rest of the tank. Even when I transfer him to a small 2 gallon for the baths, he’s actively picking around for food.

I pressed on his belly a bit last night and it kinda feels like an inflated balloon. My next thought was to try and “fizz” the fish with a small gauge needle, but I held off and I fed him a little brine shrimp medicated with some general cure and epsom salt. He ate it all. Maybe I’ll just try the medicated food for a couple of days and see what happens. But like I said, the belly feels like a fully inflated balloon, which is confusing because he’s not having any trouble regulating depth or staying upright. Looks perfectly fine, minus the fat belly. Any thoughts?

 

Maybe he’s just fat? Lol I’ve seen some very fat fish before

 

Maybe he’s just fat? Lol I’ve seen some very fat fish before

Lol I’d take that. It’s just that it came out of nowhere. And I haven’t noticed him poop since it started. Who knows?

Maybe he’s just fat? Lol I’ve seen some very fat fish before

Lol I’d take that. It’s just that it came out of nowhere. And I haven’t noticed him poop since it started. Who knows?

 

Lol I’d take that. It’s just that it came out of nowhere. And I haven’t noticed him poop since it started. Who knows?

Hmm, maybe you could put him in a small quarantine setup for a few hours with no substrate and see if he poops at all

 

Just curious, does anyone know if a swim bladder issue always equates to a buoyancy issue? Still thinking about doing a fine point needle stick to relieve what feels like a lot of internal air pressure, but it seems strange to me that he doesn’t have any issues controlling his swimming if that is in fact a belly full of air.

 

Just curious, does anyone know if a swim bladder issue always equates to a buoyancy issue? Still thinking about doing a fine point needle stick to relieve what feels like a lot of internal air pressure, but it seems strange to me that he doesn’t have any issues controlling his swimming if that is in fact a belly full of air.

What happened?

 

What happened?

Ended up dying. Tried the needle trick and it relieved some of the pressure, but didn’t work longterm.

 

Ended up dying. Tried the needle trick and it relieved some of the pressure, but didn’t work longterm.

This thread started a while ago, so he must’ve survived a while even with this issue. I’d say you did something right!