Pigeon Chested Endler And Flicking Off Plants. Causes?

I noticed a couple of days ago that one of my endlers has what I can only describe as a pigeon chest, it's abdomen is distended at the front. Anyone know the cause of this please?

Also I noticed that one of my second batch of endlers is doing a flick across plants and the scales round his gills look 'bruised' apart from that he seems ok, is eating and is swimming fine. Any ideas?

Other information is that its been 4 days of treatment with Esha 2000, I expected that to resolve these issues and it hasn't as yet

I know that endlers can look pigeon chested just after they've been fed as they are greedy and will stuff themselves, but it usually goes away after a few hours. But this isn't the cause if it's been like this for a few days. The scales aren't sticking out are they? Is it swimming and eating OK?

The one that is flicking - that can be sign of anything from an itch to ammonia in the water to parasites. If it is the only fish doing it, it could just be the way that fish is. If you do suspect a parasite, eSHa Exit is their anit-parasitic.

Other than that, I don't have a clue  Sorry.


Fishcake just replied as I was typing - worms usually make the fish go skinny, but if the fish ever stops swimming, see if there are red things protruding from the anus. I have been reading up a lot on camallanus worms recently (my apistos had them) and it takes a while for the worms to show. It is mature female worms that hang out of the anus so the fish have been infected for several weeks before the worms become visible.

Hi Fiona,

I hope it is only worms, at least you can treat those!!

I know that with cats that they are initially very skinny with worms as the worms eat all their food but then as the worm burden grows they become bloated as the worm numbers increase in their system. So I reckon that would be the same for fish, that is probably why you have skinny and bloated fish. The bloated one was probably one of the first to become infected.

I don't think you need to use carbon between treatments as eshas products are safe to use together. Just do a water change before starting the new treatment perhaps.

FC76

what about your nitrite and nitrate whats the reading on them