domross Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Hi Guys, When taking a close look at my tank tonight with a friend I realized one of my 2 Cuckoo catfish' stomach is heavily bloated to the point where it touches my substrate and none of the rest of his body does. It's like he has a beer gut. It looks like he's struggling to swim and is sitting in the one spot on the bottom of the tank under a rock. He's always been a bit of on the chubby side but he hasn't been this bad before, I'm a bit worried about him. What could be wrong with him? Is he just getting too much food, or is it a case of Malawi bloat or some other disease? All other fish in the tank are fine and don't seem to be overweight; I feed them once a day with NLS. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcloughlin2 Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Sounds like it could be bloat. What is your water like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Is it a he or a she, you say he but are you sure? How old is the fish. My females used to get huge before they spawned. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcloughlin2 Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Also how is it swimming? If its swimming fine that rules out bloat/dropsy or any other similar problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangers Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 My Cuckoo's become 'bloated' often after feeding (little pigs). I've got 3F 1M at breeding size but nothing's happening because my mouthbrooders aren't breeding at the moment - like Josh said they could be full of eggs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Hey, You can also tell if something isnt right by looking at their breathing patterns. Is it gasping or breathing irregularly? - Joel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domross Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 PH is sitting a little low at 8.0 but it's been constant at that for a week; no fluctuation. It doesn't seem to have any abnormal breathing patterns and its become a bit more active now; has been eating regularly etc. Is moving around a bit more now but has still got a big gut. Whats the best way of sexing? If she is female I'm going to be over the moon as I've got a few peacocks that have been breeding and would love for her to throw some baby cuckoos into the mix, would be much nicer than some ugly half-cast peacocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 PH is sitting a little low at 8.0 but it's been constant at that for a week; no fluctuation. It doesn't seem to have any abnormal breathing patterns and its become a bit more active now; has been eating regularly etc. Is moving around a bit more now but has still got a big gut. Whats the best way of sexing? If she is female I'm going to be over the moon as I've got a few peacocks that have been breeding and would love for her to throw some baby cuckoos into the mix, would be much nicer than some ugly half-cast peacocks. Hey, The pH sounds fine - I wouldnt worry about that. Generally it is a good sign if they are still eating normally. To sex multipunctatus: (I assume we are talking about ~10cm plus fish here) - Males usually have a long slender frame. Viewing the fish from the side, you should be able to see a short papillae close to the vent. - Females are more compact in size with a blunt fleshy vent Cheers Joel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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