▷ Constipation in Fish | Details, diagnosis and treatment

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symptoms

external symptoms

  • Thickenings on the body, especially on the abdomen
  • Fish don’t defecate.
  • Fish pinch their fins.

Behave

  • Fish don’t eat.
  • Fish gently sway back and forth.
  • Fish become sluggish.

photos

Photo: Carsten Geissler

Scalar with constipation

Photos: Alp (Forum)

Females with a big belly. After feeding a zucchini, the stomach quickly became swollen and swelled up again within a few days.

Causes of Constipation

Constipation can be caused by spoiled feed, a tumor, or an intestinal disease caused by intestinal flagellates, worms, or bacteria that narrow the anus. In front of the constriction, feces accumulate and cause thickening. Sometimes a fish will overeat and suffer from constipation. Angelfish in particular like to overeat. Sometimes it can be observed that the thickening increases after eating and then gradually decreases.

In young fish, small fish species and fish with weakened intestinal activity, the shells of Artemia eggs can accumulate in the intestine and, in extreme cases, lead to blockage. Artemia should therefore be carefully separated from the shells before feeding.

treatment suggestions

Depending on the cause, treatment is given for intestinal flagellates, worms or bacterial infections.

If no clear cause can be identified, the temperature can be slowly increased to 30° if the fish can tolerate this temperature. The increase in temperature stimulates the metabolism and the constipation may be relieved.

If the affected fish are still eating, laxatives can be administered with the feed. To do this, soak a few flakes of dry food in rhubarb or castor oil. Alternatively, Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) is mixed into the food or about 12 to 15 mg per 100 liters of water are added to the aquarium. A few drops of garlic in the feed are also recommended as a digestive stimulant. Feeding water fleas can also help.
A very light massage, in which you carefully loosen the constipation with very light pressure, can also help.

You can prevent constipation by feeding natural yoghurt or low-fat quark. For this purpose, add some natural yoghurt or low-fat quark to the aquarium about once a week. Only small amounts should be given at a time, as many small flakes easily form in the water.

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