bloated common plec

p charlton · Post by **p charlton** » 06 Dec 2007, 19:34

not been on for a while i know someone who as realy bloated common plec around 5-6in in size she as been told its egg bound i dont think it is any veiws welcome thank you

Plecofanatic1989 · Post by **Plecofanatic1989** » 06 Dec 2007, 20:52

Maybe it's just very well fed?

p charlton · Post by **p charlton** » 06 Dec 2007, 21:24

dont think its that mate its realy bloated

Plecofanatic1989 · Post by **Plecofanatic1989** » 07 Dec 2007, 01:52

maybe an internal parasite. Normally they manifest themselves as a sunken belly, but I suppose some would drive the fish to eat more, causing bloat. I cannot say for sure what the problem is. There is another thread about a bloated zebra plec. Maybe same problem. I don't think that that was ever resolved.
Here's the thread. http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... hp?t=21508

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 07 Dec 2007, 19:12

she as been told its egg bound i dont think it is

I agree.

The usual causes of bloat are either constipation and/or an internal bacterial infection.

The constipation is caused by an inappropriate diet with insufficient fibre.

The internal bacterial infection is caused by either poor water quality or old age. Given that a 5" common is not by any means considered old, I suspect the former.

Suggest to your friend to cut pack on prepared/frozen food, feed lots of veg and carry out 25% water changes every 2-3 days for a few weeks.