Reef Discussion

[Agent M]

For anyone who hasn't seen my other posts I have a small cowfish with marine velvet undergoing the tank transfer method to try to get rid of it.

A couple of weeks ago I noticed he was swimming oddly during the night, head down, tail up. I did a 50% water change just in case something was wrong and he was fine by morning. Haven't given it a second thought.

He was swimming that way again last night but I didn't pay attention to it and this morning he has streams of small bubbles coming out of his bum as well - which is a pretty good indicator that its bloat (any other ideas? I also have an airstone running?). I see the gas escaping as a good sign as my experience with bloat in native wildlife is that if the pressure gets too great, the gas is blocked from escaping and thats when it kills them. So I'm wondering if I let it takes its course and hopefully it settles down like last time, or if I try to help.

I usually treat the animals with gripe water which is a herbal colic remedy for babies - do you think I could use this on the cowfish? soak his food in it?

Ingredients:

1. Gripe water is a liquid given to infants with colic, gastrointestinal discomfort, teething pain, reflux and other stomach ailments. Its ingredients vary, and may include alcohol, a bicarbonate, ginger, dill,fennel and chamomile. It is typically given to an infant with a dropper in liquid form.

Does anyone have any advice for me? I'm wondering if its mysis shrimp causing the bloat as its his least favourite food and thats all I fed him last night.

 

[RobbieMVFC]

this morning he has streams of small bubbles coming out of his bum as well -




I suffer from the same problem ...lol

 

[ReeferRob]

Their natural diet is mainly benthic worms, that's what I'd try.

 

[Agent M]

I suffer from the same problem ...lol

It actually looked quite comical - he was like a litte choo choo train with a stream of bubbles out the back end.

It seems to have settled down quite a bit but he's not fully upright yet. I've done a 100% water change and now he is busy eating bubbles off the side of the bucket! What the frick is he doing...

 

[ezza]

I always fed fish with gas peas. They help them poo.

As for gripe water, having suffered through colic with my daughter and trying everything... I tend to agree with the GPs opinion that the stuff is pointless and ineffective. You might as well give the baby a swig of port, which is apparently what my mum used to do when we were babies.

 

[Agent M]

I'm not sure how effective it is on babies other than that it is a very old remedy, but it works well on hindgut fermenters like possums. I just wish there were anatomy charts available online for each marine fish so I could have a look at their digestive system.

 

[Agent M]

This was him on Tues once the bubbling had stopped, swimming around with his bum in the air. You can see his insides were inflamed - the dark pink colour through his back:

And by night time he was back to normal:

He seems ok now, no more mysis, back on frozen blood worms, lobster eggs and brine shrimp.

 

[ReeferRob]

Little fella looks pretty good.

 

[Agent M]

Little fella looks pretty good.

Thank you and good! Thats the kind of feedback I need at the moment as I'm learning as I go with him. Part of the problem is not knowing what's normal and what's not when you haven't kept a cowfish before.

 

[MQ-9]

Try get some mussels for him, they seem to do well on them.