He developed his food line to have the balance of proteins, veggies, and minerals. This fish food is crated by Ron Demers, an African Cichlid breeder with over 25 years experience. I know it can be difficult to work with frozen food, so I can point you to a pellet that works. This can come in the form of protein, such as the chitin from arthropods like brine shrimp and krill. ![]() Though this is a highly debated topic regarding protein, the real underlining matter is how much roughage the fish is eating. Remember, if they don’t eat meat in the wild, it shouldn’t be on top of the menu in your tanks. Whether it can be directly linked to the disease is not known for sure, but a poor diet is definitely a stressor in any fish.Īlways research the natural diet of your fish to find out if they are herbivorous, carnivorous, or omnivorous. Some of the most important stressors are: Poor Dietįeeding high protein diets to herbivorous fish is thought to be a possible cause of Malawi Bloat. There are many possible causes of stress, or stressors, for your fish. When your fish is under stress, its immune system becomes compromised and parasites and bacteria that are usually kept in check start to multiply. You may be wondering why parasites and bacteria that occur naturally in your fish could become such a huge problem all of a sudden, and the simple answer is stress. The fact of the matter is that there isn’t (at the time of writing anyway) a universally accepted cause. Some keepers believe the disease is caused primarily by a bacterial infection like dropsy. There is also some reason to believe that Malawi Bloat can progress into a bacterial infection, although this is likely to be a result of the increased parasite load that is already causing illness. I’ll leave a scholarly article at the bottom of this post that discusses Hexmitia more in detail. The culprit that is to blame for bloat is called Hexmitia. These protozoan parasites, or flagellates as they are also known, are tiny creatures that live in all fish and don’t usually cause any serious harm. The general consensus on the medical cause of Malawi Bloat is an increase in numbers of a protozoan parasite in the gut of fish. If a bloated cichlid is still eating, you’re in luck, it is highly unlikely to have Malawi Bloat. Often, your fish may simply be overfed or constipated. Malawi Bloat isn’t the only cause of a swollen abdomen in cichlids, however, so don’t panic too soon. ![]() It’s from Universal Cichlids’ YouTube channel. This was the best video I could find without scaring folks. Here is an example of a fish that is recovering from bloat. The scales of the fish might also lift up, and there might be red markings around its vent. The physical appearance of Malawi cichlid Bloat in its more advanced stages is a bloated/swollen belly that looks like dropsy. You might also see, long, stringy white feces hanging from your fish. In its early stages, Malawi bloat causes some behavioral changes like hiding and a lack of appetite in your cichlid. Chloroquine Phosphate Aquarium Dosing Calculator.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |