Topic: Prolapse? Parasite? Help!

[wendyjo]

One of my rasboras has what looks like "meat" hanging out of its back end.  It doesn't look like worms, altho I've never had worms in my tank so I can't be sure.  It is whiteish pink, almost rounded in shape and kind of looks like eggs, but I'm pretty sure it's not eggs unless it could be parasite eggs.  It also kind of looks like there are 2 of them - one on either side of it's fin.  Maybe a prolapse?  I am stumped.

Tested my water and parameters are 0, 0, 10.  There's been no new additions to the tank the since the summer and the tank has been established for about 4 or 5 years.  No other fish appear to be affected, and the fish with the problem appears to be acting normal, but his color is off and he doesn't have that red glow like the other have.  I've quarantined him and added some a Jungle Parasite fizzy tab and some Maracyn 2 (the Maracyn because prolapses are prone to infection, or so I've read).

I've included a pic and 2 videos, altho I can't get close enough so the fish for it to really be clear.  But maybe someone has experienced this and can identify the problem.   It's the fish on the left in this pic.



Videos here:

http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/ladysoth/sick%20fish/?action=view&current=new216.mp4


http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/ladysoth/sick%20fish/?action=view&current=new215.mp4

[Cholly]

I can't see it well enough to be sure, but I would tend towards prolapse too, even though it's an egg layer. Little booger can really move, can't it?

[wendyjo]

Can they get eggbound where the egg just sticks out like that for days?  I know they can get eggbound internally but never heard of the eggs hanging half in/half out.

No change today (took those pics last night).

[Cholly]

I don't think so, if it came that far out I'd expect it to come all the way out, along with the rest of them. It's not like rasbora eggs are big.

[wendyjo]

Well I finally put this guy down tonite.  I treated with parasite meds and Maracyn and while he didn't seem to get worse he didn't seem to get better either.  It crossed my mind to cut him open and look for worms, but in the end I didn't feel up to it as I've been sick all week.  I'm almost positive it was a prolapse.

I also had to put down a guppy with dropsy.  I know most people freak out about dropsy but in my experience I've only ever had isolated cases of it even in a well populated tank.  I'm keeping an eye on all my fish tho, as sometime over the past month I also lost one of my albino cories.  Hopefully these incidents are not all related.  

[Cholly]

Not all that common with egg layers, but it does happen.

[EowynJane]

Hi WJ... sorry, I meant to reply to this yesterday but forgot. 

It's hard to see but I vote for prolapse as well, I've seen it a few times but have never been able to cure it.  Sorry you lost him  

I've also had isolated cases of dropsy in a crowded tank (Endlers), where no other fish were affected.  Tank was well established and water tested ok, apparently it can happen out of the blue sometimes.  Sorry about your guppy also

[wendyjo]

Chainstore guppies - I'm sorry to say I don't expect them to last too long.  I have no idea what happened to my albino cory tho - he must have died and been gobbled up.  I seem to go thru cycles of losing fish to what seems like different things - I'll lose a few over a matter of months and then everyone will be fine for half a year or so.  All my fish come from the chainstores.  I kind of consider myself lucky that I've never had any serious outbreaks of anything.

I also have an old betta who is showing his age.  He has a large cyst or tumor on his side, under the skin.  And he lays around halfway on his side most of the time.  But he eats well and if I turn the tank light on and the rooms lights off he'll still patrol the tank and flare like a lunatic.  I dunno when I got him but it's been a few years and he was close to death and nursed back to good health.  I gave him a round of antibiotics a few months ago, and I keep a bit of salt in his tank but I think he's just getting old.  I reckon I'll lose him soon too but I've been saying that for months

[EowynJane]

That's to bad   I know I've said that about old pets... doesn't really make it any easier when the time comes unfortunately.