Bloat?

[Milo]

How can you tell if your fish has bloat? What are the main symptoms and how do they get it? Is it stress?

My red tail shark has been acting weird lately. He stomach has been getting larger, there is a white spot on his top dorsal fin (at first thought was ich, but is not) and his color is kind of off. Also his stomach, underneath, is more of a greyish then a black. Looks almost like he is getting beaten up by the other fish in the tank (Cichlids).

But my questions is, is how can you tell if it is bloat, and if it is bloat what are the causes of it (all other fish in tank look great).

Thanks

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

are hisscales sticking out like a pinecone?

 

[Milo]

I Think so. Underneath his belly, you can see some scales starting to stick out.

If it is Bloat... could it affect all the other fish in my tank?

 

[cinlnk]

I saw this coming from way off.....it shows that a RTBS "CANNOT" be put with mbunas. I was tempted a long ways back to do this very thing. I asked the advice of the more knowing fishkeepers here and left him in his own tank. Now he is about 5 inches long, healthy and simply beautiful. Jet Black and a bright red tail. He is kind of like my African Grey Parrot with fins.
Milo,
Sounds like the bloat to me....Good luck in trying to cure it!! Bloat is not contagious but, the other fish are exposed to the same stressors, they might contract bloat also.

 

[Milo]

Hey Cinlink

I Guess you are right. It is really strange though because everyone I know with a Cichlid Tank HAS a red tail. I don't get it. Another thing to is that he was doing fine until this past weekend when we noticed. To tel the truth, I don't ever remember seeing any fish pick on him or do anything to him. Not sure where all this came from.

 

[FishGeek]

Well people will say that things (or you might see it) are going fine but thats only for a short time. Its the same thing that we are trying to tell you with the Frontosa. Things are eventually going to "blow up", for a lack of words.

 

[Milo]

Hey Guppy-Newby, Thanks for the quick response.

But thats just it, My inlaws have had a SA tank for 2 1/2 years with at any givem time 8-10 cichlids. He has always had his red tail in there since the tank was set up. He told me that the Cichlids picked on him at one point but the shark got better on his own. Not to mention that his tank is a 30 gal and mine is a 70. Another situation is my uncle. He has a 90gal with Malawi Cichlids. (Not sure how many) and a red tail. Even at the LFS (I said this last cuz you can't trust em) They told me that the red tail would do fine. Thats why I didn't think there would be a situation that I am in now.