Home

>

Fish

>

I have three glo fishes in my tank. Two of them appear to be very bloated. Not only is one of them more bloated than the other, but it is also losing some of its color in the lower part of its body and it has a rough look as if its scales were starting to shed. Last week the fish appeared to be excluding itself from the others, but I noticed now that it has been starting to eat and play around more. I read it online that this may be a fatal bloating bacteria but I just wanted to be sure. Thanks!

I have three glo fishes in my tank. Two of them appear to be very bloated. Not only is one of them more bloated than the other, but it is also losing some of its color in the lower part of its body and it has a rough look as if its scales were starting to shed. Last week the fish appeared to be excluding itself from the others, but I noticed now that it has been starting to eat and play around more. I read it online that this may be a fatal bloating bacteria but I just wanted to be sure. Thanks!

Updated On August 23rd, 2018

Pet's info: Fish | Unknown - Fish

Image profile

Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

The bloating could be infection. It may also be parasitic infection, constipation or swim bladder disease. You cannot discount them being gravid (pregnant). Glo fish are egg layers, so they could be females readying to spawn (release eggs). First check water chemistry and quality. Clean water is critical to having healthy fish or to having fish recover from illness or injury. Use a home test kit or submit a water sample for testing. Most pet stores will do this for free or for a small fee. An established tank will have 0 ppm ammonia and nitrites with a nitrate level of 20 ppm or less. If your tank shows any level of ammonia or nitrites, perform a partial water change (no more than 30% total volume at a time) using conditioned water. Makebsurebit is temperature matched as well to prevent stress or shock. Glofish do best between 72 F and 80 F. Once water quality is squared away, fast the fish for 2-3 days, then feed tiny bits of cooked and shelled green peas. This will help with constipation and bloating. Feed peas until they are swimming normally and the bloating is resolved. If the peas don't help, try broad spectrum antibiotic, such as erythromycin or ampicillin. You can find either in the aquarium section of the local Petco. Follow label directions carefully and remove the carbon filter insert during treatment if indicated. An "all in one" product, such as Lifeguard (by Tetra) can also be used. This will treat multiple types of infection with one medication.

Vote icon

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

See More Answers

Related Questions

My barrel racing horse is refusing to eat. She stands with her butt against the stall wall and rests her hocks. She usually stops this when I exercise her. What is going on?

If she's not eating, she's eating painful, colicky, or both. Take a heart rate if you know how to do this--normal is 20-40 beats/minute. If it's higher than this, she's painful and needs to see a veterinarian. If she is rolling, looking at her sides, or not passing manure, she needs to see a vet as these are signs of colic. If you really think she's resting her hocks, then they are sore, and she needs xrays to see what kind of arthritis is going on and what steps you need to take to make her more comfortable. Hope that helps!

Read More

My cat is having trouble passing a turd... He keeps producing small amounts of this brown mucous on the pee pad I have in front of the litter box, but hasn't been able to completely eliminate the actual piece. He's eating normally & drinking plenty of water, & he's at a healthy weight. I realize that I'm going to have to take him to the vet if this doesn't clear up, but in the meantime, is there anything I can do to help him?

Seeing your vet ASAP is definitely a good idea to make sure there isn't an impaction causing the severe constipation that may need an enema or stool softeners to resolve. In the meantime, you can try offering a little bland yogurt to try and help the soften the stool, as well as make sure he's drinking plenty of water by mixing some into his food, but if Booboo is in severe distress, hasn't passed any stool at all, or is having other symptoms such as abdominal pain or stops eating, you should seek out veterinary care from your vet or a local ER clinic immediately.

Read More

My dog has this on her skin what is it?

The picture makes it difficult to see. It's possible it may be a scab trying to heal, a minorly infected area of skin, or a wart/growth forming. It would be best to keep the area clean and dry and keep Belle from licking or chewing at the spot. If the area continues to change in appearance, is bothersome to Belle is hot to the touch, painful, or oozing debris, or doesn't seem to be healing, it is best to seek veterinary care in person. Your vet can take a look at and sample of the spot as needed and provide more tailored treatments depending on the cause.

Read More

My cat was prescribed antibiotics for diarrhea and today was his second day of taking them. He’s required to take 0.5 mL of the antibiotic and another one after 12 hours (twice a day). Today, he lost his appetite (only ate a few treats) and threw up clear liquid twice and clear yellow liquid 3 times. He is also lethargic.

Hello, thank you for using Boop by Petco. I'm sorry to hear that Leo is having this problem. Many antibiotics cause gastrointestinal issues in cats so you will need to call your vet and let them know what is going on. Most likely they will have you stop one or both of the antibiotics and prescribe something different. I would also suggest that you put him on a pre/probiotic while he is taking antibiotics and then continue for at least one week after the antibiotics have been stopped. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Read More

Belly ate her own simperica trio pill (for dogs 22-44lb) and accidentally ALSO ate my other dog's simperica trio pill (for dogs 11-22lb). How bad is this for Belly? Something we need to go to the emergency vet for??

Thank you for contacting Boop by Petco with your question about Belly. She should be ok. According to studies done by Zoetis who make Simparica, "In the overdose groups, transient and self-limiting neurological signs were observed in some animals: mild tremors at 3 times the maximum exposure dose and convulsions at 5 times the maximum exposure dose. All dogs recovered without treatment." You don't need to do anything. I hope this helps!

Read More

5.5 week old foster kitten has a flaky spot on chin. The hair fell right off when lightly rubbed. She’s in good spirits and I’ve found no spots on her siblings of mom. I’m taking her to the vet in the morning. I’m just wondering if she needs to be seen in the ER tonight.

Thank you for contacting Boop by Petco with your question about Key and for providing a picture, it's helpful. No, I don't think she needs to see the ER vet tonight, tomorrow will be fine as long as she is eating, drinking, behaving normally, and it's excessively rubbing at the area. I do wonder if she may have ringworm; that's highly contagious and if she does have it, her siblings and mom will also have to be treated. You would need to check out for spots of it on yourself, as it's contagious to humans too. Take her into the vet in the morning. I hope this helps!

Read More

image

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Filed Under

Sponsored