Male Aggie can't swallow, it seems.

[DannyG]

My male Aggie double red, whom I have had for four months or so, and has always been robust and full bellied, has of late had trouble ingesting food. He takes food into his mouth and it either pops back out again, or comes out behind his gill plates. He is exhibiting great appetite (i.e., trying to eat voraciously), but seemingly to no avail. He has slowly lost his full bellied appearance and is getting thinner and thinner, and his vent is protruding. :frown:

I know the whole blood worm difference of opinion (read the threads here). His diet did include frozen blood worms on occasion, but always with a mix of frozen brine shrimp, spirulina brine shrimp, mysis, and occasional daphnia (all frozen) that have been his regular diet. I have fed little if any blood worms since the problem manifested itself maybe a week ago.

To my knowledge he is captive bred from Czechoslovakia. No other tank mates (or his mate) show similar symptoms.

Any ideas? Help.

 

[Mike Wise]

It sounds like a physical blockage somewhere in the mouth or the jaws are locked open. If this is true, I am sorry to say that it would be best to destroy the fish.

 

[DannyG]

His jaws don't appear to be locked open. Someone else suggested it might be gill flukes. Possible? No new fish recently introduced....

What would cause a sudden occurence of a blockage?

 

[Mike Wise]

It could be a piece of sand or gravel stuck in the esophagus. I knew someone who had an Oscar that had this problem. X-ray proved it.

 

[Apistomaster]

Not to sound too contrary but isn't more likely this aggie is in late stage of a disease of bacterial origin? Apistos come and go all the time with sudden death preceded by bloating or wasting yet appearing to be eating or not. The fish probably shows signs of labored breathing and apparently can't close it's mouth. Think of in terms of human symtoms to common viruses; virtually the same symptoms in the early stages of infection, colds, flu etc. What I'm trying to express is that Apistogramma are vulnerable to many internal bacterial infections for which aquarists have no realistic treatments for and on top of that wild Apistos rarely live to be a year old and in aquariums we can extend their life considerably but nature has almost designed them to be the cichlid equivalent to an annual killiefish. Live fast die young. Pseudomonas and mycobacteria are ubiquitous and insidious bacteria always ready to take down an Apistogramma at the first instant a given fish suffers from lowered immune response. The throat may be blocked but unlike the oscar this is more likely inflammatory swelling in the upper G.I. tract than say, a grain of sand.

 

[DannyG]

No signs of labored breathing or any other signs of stress in fact. He appears active, and healthy (other than the aforementioned thinning), good color, and breeding postures (dances, as it were) with his mate. And responsive to my presence near the tank too.

Thanks for all the advice. It seems for now there is not a course of treatment to pursue. At this point I do not have it in me to do anything radical to him. I was wondering if some change in diet might be indicated.

I will sit tight and watch.

 

[fishgeek]

for me taking food into the mouth and then not swallowing suggests either a pain issue or obstructiove issue as mike has suggested

unfortunately with the size of fish clinical examination and furhter investigations are limited leaving the usual ancedotal culprits repeatedly blamed for everything

veterinary texts' suggest foriegn bdy and neoplasia as the two most common reasons for what you are seeing

if you are brave i woud strongly suggest trying to look
or alternatively seeking aid of someone qualified to sedate and examine pharynx thoroughly

andrew