[Bennyboy]

I have had a male apistogramma cacatuoides for about 2 months now. He is always very social and active. Since monday he has been hiding and not active at all. he wont even come out during feeding time. Ive noticed his belly looks swollen and there seems to be a clearish stringy stuff hanging from his anus. If there is anything i could do i want to help asap.

if you look closely you can see the clear string hanging.

 

[brainwavepc.com]

it's common with high meat diets in cichlids. they should eat vegetarian diets. it usually goes away but don't feed for a few days.

 

[LB79]

+1. Apistos are micropredators, and one of the best things to feed them is spirulina-encapsuled brine shrimp.

 

[Heartnet]

Would a frequent diet of live foods like worms and scuds constitute a high protein diet?

 

[AVN]

yes

 

[Bennyboy]

I guess I dont have to worry too much then. His main diet has been brine shrimp and blood worms. I aslo added a couple big amanos tp the tank tuinking they were too big for him to eat. They dissappeared. Could that be what backing him up.

 

[james1542]

I've heard too much frozen brine shrimp can be unhealthy for them. Apistos tend to be gluttons, so it's good to keep them on a ration and not let them eat until they are ready to explode. I've heard daphnia have a laxative effect, maybe try getting him some of those if he will eat. How big were the amanos? Cacatuoides have one of the biggest mouths for their size among the apistos. Although a live shrimp probably wouldn't back him up. maybe choke to death.. IF you see red things hanging out the butt, you have anchor worms and need to treat them pronto.

 

[CytoEric]

IF you see red things hanging out the butt, you have anchor worms and need to treat them pronto.

Anchor worms attach to the fish's body, usually near the fins. Maybe you mean camallanus worms? I had an outbreak of camallanus worms in my tank recently from an infected celebes rainbow, and they took forever to get rid of...

 

[Bennyboy]

there are no red worms hanging out. And it is clear. He definately seems to be backed up. It looks like there is alot trying to come out at once. If i cant find daphnia is there any thing else that i can give him that may help him go to the bathroom. Poor guy is not happy.

 

[Bennyboy]

The amanos were prob about med size. they werent full grown.

 

[CytoEric]

Supposedly you can add epsom salt to the tank to help a constipated fish. It's supposed to be a mild laxative or muscle relaxant or something. I've tried it with my goldfish and it seems to work...I used ~1 tsp for each 5-10 gallons...

If you can't get daphnia, green peas are supposed to be pretty high in fiber and may help clear him out. I put a few frozen peas in a cup with a little water and put them in the microwave for 60 seconds...pop them out of the skin, and dump them in the tank. All my fish seem to enjoy them.

 

[Bennyboy]

I tried the peas yesterday then again a few minutes ago. He wont eat anything at this point.

I was just reading about epson salt. I read that you can do an epson salt bath. but im a bit nervous about the effects it might have on him. Can that be harmful? Has anyone done that with there fish before?

 

[james1542]

Anchor worms attach to the fish's body, usually near the fins. Maybe you mean camallanus worms? I had an outbreak of camallanus worms in my tank recently from an infected celebes rainbow, and they took forever to get rid of...

Ah yeas the worms I'm thinking of are camallanus. I battled them when I was a kid (in my fish tank), I did find that the magic purple crystals in the little bottle (I think it was made by Jungle, marketed to kill internal parasites) killed them off. But if you don't see red worms it's probably not it.

IF he won't eat, magic foods probably won't help. Epsom salt could help, so could regular salt (rock salt) in a short bath. Rock salt could help reduce the swelling in the abdomen. I've done regular salt bath's on apistos. Apistos can be tricky to bring back to health, so don't feel bad if you lose him. They can hang on for a long time though.