Bloated Fox Face

[boca rat]

Very concerned by my Fox Face who out of the blue has gotten very bloated. All other tank inhabitants look 100% fine. Any idea what I am dealing with here?

Thank you all!

 

[Tahoe61]

What are you feeding?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Very concerned by my Fox Face who out of the blue has gotten very bloated. All other tank inhabitants look 100% fine. Any idea what I am dealing with here?

Thank you all!

Either this fish has overeaten or has Ascites which produces a buildup of fluid.
Is fish eating and breathing normal?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Very concerned by my Fox Face who out of the blue has gotten very bloated. All other tank inhabitants look 100% fine. Any idea what I am dealing with here?

Thank you all!

How long has it been this way? Did the symptoms develop over weeks, or more suddenly?

In the first post in this thread, I describe the possible causes for abdominal swelling:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/causes-of-abdominal-swelling-in-fishes.1098720/

To me - this is very severe, and is probably ascites, fluid build-up, due to organ failure.

 

[boca rat]

Sorry for the delay, but missed the notification for this. So far it's been about 10days. In QT now, treated with erythromycin at the recommendation of an LFS. No real improvement after 5 days on meds. Fish does not seem to be eating at all. Should he/she not make it, is there anything I can do autopsy-wise to rule out an infection that may affect the other fish in the Display tank? All other fish look 100% OK. Thanks for the help!

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Sorry for the delay, but missed the notification for this. So far it's been about 10days. In QT now, treated with erythromycin at the recommendation of an LFS. No real improvement after 5 days on meds. Fish does not seem to be eating at all. Should he/she not make it, is there anything I can do autopsy-wise to rule out an infection that may affect the other fish in the Display tank? All other fish look 100% OK. Thanks for the help!

Abdominal swelling causes are generally not contagious to other fish. Bacterial kidney disease is contagious, but typically only to the same or similar species.

If you open up the deceased fish and a lot of clear fluid comes out, that’s ascites. If you see swelling in the intestines, you can look for blockage. If you see green tinged tissue, that is bile and often indicates liver issues.