Thanks to
sdenovan, RD, Fish Phenom, and others at http://cichlid-forum.com for introducing me to this cure. I've reproduced it here, with a few additions of my own that have worked well in curing this disease.
Common Name: Malawi Bloat is perhaps the most common disease afflicting African cichlids, but it by no means restricted to those fish from lake Malawi. Fish from lake Tanganyika, and the Victorian haps can also suffer from the disease. Species who's diet consists of mostly vegetable matter tend to be the most suseptible to this disease.
Pathogen/Cause: An acute infestation of microscopic flagellates (parasites) that are found in healthy fish. The three biggest causes are stress, improper water quality, improper diet, which creates and environment inside the fish where any number of these flagellates can multiply. It is uncertain exactly which parasite causes this problem and it is likely a combination and/or depends on the host species. A common list of parasites include:
- Hexamita
- Spironucleus
- Trichomanas
- Bodamonas
- Protoopalina
Although it is commonly believed that bloat is caused primarily by diet this is not a scientifically proven fact. It seems that bloat is caused by any number of the following stressors (which can also cause other illnesses in fish):
1. Low oxygen (O2) levels
2. High nitrite (NO2) levels
3. High nitrate (NO3) levels
4. High ammonia levels (NH3)
5. High or low temperature levels (or fluctuating temps)
6. Water pH
7. Lighting
8. Rough handling of fish
9. Overcrowding
10. Not enough shelter
11. Harassment or excessive aggression
12. Excessive salt
13. Fluctuating TDS
14. Introducing fish without a proper quarantine period
15. Diet (usually due to cheap grain fillers, and/or excessive overfeeding)
16. and so on . . .
Physical Signs: Typically you will see white, stringy feces hanging from the anus of the afflicted fish. Also, as the name indicates, the abdomen of the fish will swell up. Usually, once it gets to this stage it is very difficult to save the fish.
Behavioral Signs: The initial signs of bloat are hiding, not eating, and/or mouthing food and then spitting it out.
When you see these signs, you should immediately begin treatment of the fish showing acute signs as well as treat the other fish in your tank.
Potential Treatment: Clout (you should be able to get this at any local fish store, increased temperature, and epsom salts (you can get this at a CVS or other drug store). Here's a treatment that I've had work for me many times.
WARNING: DO NOT FEED YOUR FISH ANYTHING during this treatment. Even if after a day or two they begin to show signs of recovery and "begging" resist feeding your fish, you will only reverse any progress that you might make.
- Day 1: Move your fish to an appropriate hospital tank. Treat with Clout at the full strength recommended on the package. Make sure to remove the carbon from your filter as this will remove the medication from the water. Begin adding epsom salts, maximum concentration of 1tbs per 10 gallons. Only add a small amount about every 6 hours, so that your fish slowly acclimates to the new water parameter. Also begin increasing the temperature to no more than 85 degrees F, again slowly; about or or two degrees per day. If at anytime your fish shows any signs of stress from the medication and salts, do a 50% water change. Then wait 8 hours and do another 50% water change.
- Day 2: Treat with clout, this time at 1/2 strenth.
- Day 3: Nothing
- Day 4: Do an 80% water change. Add the appropriate concentration of epsom salts to your new water (dissolve in separate container, not in the hospital tank) and treat with Clout at full strength.
- Day 5: Nothing
- Day 6 and on: Try feeding your fish a small amount of food. If it is still showing signs of spitting, hiding, and a swollen abdomen, start back at Day 1 with another round. If your fish does feed and seems to be acting normally . . .
- on Day 7: Do a 50% water change, add the carbon back to your filter and begin feeding normally. Watch the fish for the next 5 days or so and make sure that it doesn't display any symptoms. If so, return to your main tank.
Treating the other fish in your main tank:
Often times you'll remove a fish to treat for bloat, then a few days later all of your other fish will begin to come down with the disease. To prevent this, feed all of the other fish in your tank Metronidazole soaked pellets. Feeding medicated food is the most effective way to treat this disease.
I'll use a small ceramic bowl, fill it to the top with the hotest water that'll come out of my tap and then let it sit for a minute or two. Then drain all but enough water to cover the pellets. Add about 100mg of Met (if you buy the Seachem Met that's about 1 level scoop that comes with the container) and dissolve it in the warm water.
Met precipitates out of solution under 85 degrees F, so that's why the warm water and heating up the bowl, it should keep the water warm enough to keep the met in solution. Dissovle the met and then add the pellets. Hikari gold pellets seem to work. They'll swell up about 3 or 4 times there size. Feed this mixture to your other fish once or twice a day (don't overfeed!) for 5 days.