yellow lab breeding tips

[jon carman]

If it was in the tank, she could have got it just mouthing feces. When a female breeds, she is stressed, which increases the chance of infection and disease. Bloat is a mystery, and it sucks. That is why I switched all my fish except for the carnivores(fronts, calvus) to almost 100% veggie flake. I give a small weekly krill treat, and a cichlid xtreme or new life a few times a week. But the main staple I feed 90% of the time is veggie flakes.

I feed often, 3-4 times a day, but just enough every fish is fighting for a couple flakes. Then I usually forget to feed them at least 1 day a week, which is a little on purpose, and a little lazy.


But is bloat isn't dealt with quickly, you can loose your entire tank. I have lost entire tropheus colonies in less than a week from bloat. Just keep an eye out for a fish that isn't with the pack, or acting normal. He will be the next to go.

[angel]

The first time I was dealing with bloat it wasn't bloat, but a penny in the tank. I didn't know it was there. The symptoms were so much the same, I kept treating for bloat and it didn't work. I lost almost all of my tropheus before finding it.
A few times since then, I've had bloat here. It came after they were overfed brine shrimp once, and once with aggression in the tank. Fixed the issue quickly on both. One more problem with a beautiful fish I just couldn't seem to keep--one male one female and the male bloated after spawning. He didn't make it. Replaced him with a wild and he was fine but two females didn't make it with him. Put him in the community tank and he was fine, so was everyone else. You just never know! But it is treatable if caught in time, and that's the good thing. I often wonder if the thing that causes bloat couldn't get into the fish through the water since they constantly move water through their gills. Wish someone would figure out the mystery. Thing is, I used to be afraid of bloat, and not now. I hate it, but it's not a death sentence for the entire tank unless nothing is done to stop it. Hope she pulls through.

[signde]

well i came home today and she was done.

with that being the third fish i've lost in two weeks i'm going to assume i have a problem with bloat. i'm not sure about the 1st fish, my iceberg hap, as he was wedged between some rocks so tightly i had to remove them to get him out so he might have been a rockslide victim. regardless all signs say i have a problem.

it occurred to me earlier that the only thing i've done different recently is supplement everyone's diet with a live or frozen brine shrimp treat one day a week. after the comment about brine shrimp i reinforced a theory that some of them could have gorged themselves more than others and that could be the root cause.

everyone in my tank is a carnivore except the yellow labs, i didn't think brine shrimp would be a much of problem. having said that i'm going to avoid that and anything else other than nls cichlid formula / high spirulina foods. i'm going to fast them today and tomorrow... i've read that helps clean out their digestive tract.

i don't have any clout or a hospital tank but i'm going to fix that tomorrow assuming the critter sells clout.

i assume i need to treat the fish on a one by one basis? everyone seems fine right now and i've never heard of anyone treating an entire tank for bloat.

thanks for the advice, everyone.

[angel]

I don't think they do, but Jon usually has some on hand and I have some here. The important thing is getting the fish treated. Sorry she's gone too

[signde]

looks like petsmart carries jungle's parasite clear which contains metro but i hear clout is better.

one of my other iceberg haps is looking reclusive. if she is still acting this way tomorrow i think i need to treat her.

does no one locally sell clout? overnight shipping is $$$ online and i don't know if that will work since tomorrow is friday.

i might have to call in a favor from someone here if she is still acting this way tomorrow. i could be overreacting but at this point i feel better being safe than sorry.

[jon carman]

I have it, no body else carries it. I will sell you some of mine. I have 100 tablets. If you get them in a hospital tank, 20 tablets should do you over 5-7 days.

[signde]

thanks jon. might shoot you an email or give you a call tomorrow.

[angel]

You'll be glad you did the Clout. None of the pet shop products work for this. I've only ever seen one LFS carry it and usually only 10 tablets at a time, and that's a small shop in Columbia. And they don't tell you exactly how to use it. Always get from Jon. No need to order in mass quantities unless you put in a fish room anyway.

[signde]

it makes me feel better knowing both of you have been through this before.

i went to walmart just to see how much a 10 gallon tank would be. it is surprisingly cheap. also noticed they carry jungle's metro tablet product (parasite clear). i bought since i was there. i've read some success stories with metro... any opinions?

cichlid-forum mods seem to recommend jpc or clout.

also seems that i can soak some of my current pellet food in metro solution and feed to the stock in the main tank as a preventative measure.

[angel]

Soaking the food and using it works to an extent when you're noticing bloat in the tank but there are still fish eating. Helps the others not to get it . But parasite clear will not clear up bloat. It's not strong enough, and clout is the better product when you have a confirmed case. Plenty of us have been through it, and Jon's the one who helped me through when I was having my first experiences with it. We learn by experience. I've not been seriously into fishkeeping more than a couple of years, so Jon's advice and a couple of others here like J.D., Joe, Mike Gibbs, Rick Easterly--I could go on--but their advice is from experience and help from others who have been in the hobby for a long time's experience is invaluable. It's like reading the crib sheet!

[signde]

i read a lot of articles on the subject last night and they confirm everything you have said. metro as a preventative and clout to treat.

also read that the fish may or may not actually "bloat". that was the biggest mystery to me so far. that solves that.

female hap is still hiding this morning and breathing heavily. same signs as my stuartgranti. i'm not taking any chances so it looks like the clout treatment. from what i have read it takes about a week to kill after they start showing signs? hoping it is it not already too late for her.

[angel]

It might not be. If she just started showing signs yesterday and you treat starting today you may have saved her. It takes 4 to 5 days or so of treatment to get rid of the bloat in the tank but you can see improvements in 1 to 2 days. Just don't give up treating so it all goes away.