Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => The Emergency Room => Topic started by: Fiona on November 12, 2015, 08:39:46 PM

Title: Otinoculus with grossly swollen abdomen. Infection maybe?
Post by: Fiona on November 12, 2015, 08:39:46 PM

I mentioned on here previously that we lost a dwarf suckermouth that had a very distended belly. I assumed initially that it was an egg laden female, post mortem after it died showed it's guts and abdomen were empty and it was full of air. I was thinking it was just one of those things but I've just spotted another, the poor thing looks like it's swallowed a giant pea but unlike the first one, it's vent leading back to it's abdomen is blood streaked.Its eyes aren't bulging, it just has this huge belly!

I doubt it's going to survive and will euthanise it because it must be so uncomfortable, unless anybody has any ideas.

Also is there a disease that could cause this? I've googled but found nothing definate.

Title: Re: Otinoculus with grossly swollen abdomen. Infection maybe?
Post by: Sue on November 12, 2015, 09:05:38 PM

I have never come across this before, I'm afraid. I don't know what to suggest. The blood streaked vent doesn't sound good and is definitely suggestive of an infection of some sort, though whether bacterial, viral or something else (protozoan perhaps?) it is impossible to say.
 
I will now keep an eye on my otos, when I can see them.

Title: Re: Otinoculus with grossly swollen abdomen. Infection maybe?
Post by: Alex_N on November 13, 2015, 01:26:32 AM

I've just purchased 4 Ottos so I became a little alarmed after seeing your post the same day.
I've had a look around and found this.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/fish-planted-aquarium/66873-pregnant-ip-just-morbidly-obese-otocinclus.html#/forumsite/20597/topics/66873?page=1

Hopefully it will help narrow down the problem.

Title: Re: Otinoculus with grossly swollen abdomen. Infection maybe?
Post by: Extreme_One on November 13, 2015, 11:33:13 AM

Watching with interest as I am picking up 6 Otos tomorrow.

Let us know how it goes Fiona, and good luck.

Title: Re: Otinoculus with grossly swollen abdomen. Infection maybe?
Post by: fcmf on November 13, 2015, 01:09:45 PM

Sorry to read about this.  I think this sounds similar to what my Huge Cory (RIP) had:
http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=1963.0 Huge Cory [see post #9 in particular]
http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,2070.15.html [see post #16 in particular]
http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,2087.15.html

I never really got to the root of this, or successfully treated it, but a dropsy-like condition was one of my thoughts.  Perhaps one of the stronger meds you were getting from USA might be effective - if so, will read with interest.

Title: Re: Otinoculus with grossly swollen abdomen. Infection maybe?
Post by: Fiona on November 13, 2015, 10:39:03 PM

The affected fish have been the larger ones that we assumed were females and they had the same roundness displayed in that linked picture but like I said I did do a postmortem and there was nothing inside, no eggs and an empty bowel. From my limited experience, these fish don't gorge, even if there's an excess of food.

These otinoculus aren't new, they're ones we've had for about 2 years, the biggest were about 2 inches long and we know one was born in the tank.

I can't find the ill one at the moment but they do disappear and there's no ammonia in the tank, that said it could have died and been eaten.

After all the worry when we first had them and then finding a baby and the elation of that, this is a bit of a kick in the teeth to be honest.  :(