22 replies to this topic

[kassysimon]

Hi all.

 

It seems that all of my bristlenose are suffering from bloat.

 

How do i treat this?

 

Is there a treatment?

 

Im doing a water change as i type this but i dont think this is the cause.

 

Any ideas?

 

 

Thanks

 

[jeffblack]

Pull them out lay them on a wet towel and take some pictures of them, someone on here may be able to steer you in right direction armed with a bit more info.

 

Metronidazole is what you need if it is bloat, would give you some but all my fish are at my place in Bunbury

Edited by jeffblack, 19 October 2013 - 07:32 PM.

[kassysimon]

Thanks mate.

Have you seen it available in Perth. Vegas maybe? Only shop only on Sunday.w.

[jeffblack]

Probably something you would want to get on top of quickly if it is indeed bloat.

 

A vet would write you out a script I imagine or give the morley or aquotix  aquariums a try, may have it.

 

I bought it as a stand by measure in case my tropheus ever bloated up, mine came from the states via ebay.

[kassysimon]

Morley aquariums is open tomorrow. I'll get some there hopefully.

[jeffblack]

Take the fish with you, Paul would have seen it all before to give you an accurate diagnoses, best of luck

[bigjohnnofish]

bloat in bristlenose is relatively unusual.... possible causes: firstly bad water conditions wont help... need zero ammonia and nitrates less than 80ppm and better if below 40ppm... secondly one must look at what they have possibly eaten... high animal protein based food? too much of it.... 

 

have had the occasional one b/n get bloat for no apparent reason... maybe it has just suffered a blockage in its pipes!!! you can feed deshelled cooked peas to help rememdy the problem...

 

but if all your b/n have bloat then its gotta be something they are all exposed to... and not just a random event... 

 

metro isnt going to solve the problem in my opinion... 

what are your parameters firstly before going nuts with treatments ?

[kassysimon]

Parameters should all be good but I'll do a run through soon.

I bought new food and tank mates last week so maybe its been contracted from the new fish. The food is Hikari algae wafers and sinking pellets for catfish so I don't think that's the issue.

I'll run a water test now and post the results.

[kassysimon]

Water parameters are all good.

PO4 - 2ppm
NO3 - 25ppm
FE - .5ppm
NH4 - 0
PH - 6.6
KH - 8 dG

[jeffblack]

Best take the fish and a water sample  to one of the more reputable fish shops for an accurate diagnoses.

[Morley Aquariums]

Wood is very important for b/nose, they graze on it as the acids help break down the cellulose associated with the high algae diet. Basically it is fibre for them. No wood can lead to bloating.
As bigjohnnofish said, if all are suffering there is likely to be an underlying issue. Sorry i did not have enough metro for you, but as suggested possibly not the solution. Epsom salt may help. Also heard of cod liver oil via a syringe down the throat helping ( an old method i have not tried myself). Peas really are excellent for almost all fish, the fish vet has done a post on this on his site & it suggests they are one of the best things for fish digestion.

[kassysimon]

That's the strange thing. It's only the bristle nose and not all of them either.

I have loaches. Tetras and rainbows and a pleco and they're all fine.

I did buy new food and aperently this food is for loaches rather than bristlenoses so it could be that.

Lots of wood in the tank.

Let's see how it pans out over the next few days.

[jeffblack]

 Are shelled peas something I should introduce in to tropheus diet on a regular basis?

[Morley Aquariums]

Any changes to tropheus diet must be done very slowly as they have a very sensitive gut. Shelled peas are great for them, but with very, very small amounts increased over time. Same for any changes in diet for these guys.
Aquarium strains that are several generation down the line are less touchy than wilds or F1s, apparently they have even noticed a considerable reduction in intestinal length in tank strains.

[bigjohnnofish]

the wood is definitely something i like to have in every b/n tank but i have done a few tanks with no wood to see if there is any differences.... 

 

to date nothing notably different - no deaths... but it still makes sense to have some wood in your tank anyway as it helps lower ph and buffer down high ph water changes...

[kassysimon]

It's probably too early to call but some of the guys seem to be doing better.

No deaths and even the sick bristle noses are scavenging around a bit.

Epsom salts was a suggestion from Paul and my question is , I have a GH of 11 in a planted tank. Do you think adding more MGSO4, given the current hardness, will be detrimental or helpful?

All other fish (and there's about 200 others) are not showing any signs of illness. Just the BN's.

Hopefully they all recover.

Edited by kassysimon, 21 October 2013 - 09:17 PM.

[Morley Aquariums]

Epsom salts are magnesium sulphates & considered beneficial for plant growth. It was used as a fertilizer in the early days of fish keeping to help 'green up' plants.
As a guide Adding 1 teaspoon per 120L increases dGh by 1 degree.
I cannot envisage that adding it would cause any negative issues, but i am not really an expert in this area, maybe someone else on the forum could expand on this.
There are a few articles on google about epsom salt in plant tanks that may be helpful.

[kassysimon]

Thanks.

 

Ill look into it.

[kassysimon]

 Are shelled peas something I should introduce in to tropheus diet on a regular basis?

 

Do i have to blanch the peas first?

[jeffblack]

De shelled cooked peas, going by what jonofish recommends.