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PLEASE HELP! My favourite bichir has a swollen throat!

E

elbereth

Plecostomus
MFK Member
What's wrong with my baby? His throat is bulging out! I noticed it (not this bad though) about a week ago and since he's also been getting fat I thought maybe he's a bit bloated. Didn't feed for a few days. Fed him this morning and the throat bulge came back worse than before. I searched on WWM, Google... couldn't find anything. I then asked on a Facebook polypterus group page and someone said they had a similar experience with food getting stuck in their bichir's throat; they were able to remove it. I tried as gently as I was able but there doesn't seem to be any food there. When I tried pressing on the bulge from the outside in hopes the 'food' would move closer to his mouth so I could pull it out, it only seemed to make his tongue move, as if the tongue is swollen at the base. (His tongue is an unpleasant yellow as well.)

He looks worse than he had when I took the picture and I fear he won't survive the night but if he does I'd like some advice. And if he doesn't, I want to be more prepared if this ever happens to one of my others bichirs. If you're ever seen this in one of your polys, please share your experiences!

Poly.jpg
 
Happens with cb fish. A growth/tumor. Don’t think it’s something swallowed. If it’s acting normal then I’d leave it alone for now.
 
So it's irreversible? I thought it was food related because it suddenly came back as soon as I fed him again.
Is there somewhere you can refer me to find some literature on these sorts of conditions? Any idea what causes it?
 
I know zero about polys, but on the remote possibility that this may help, I thought that I would add it.

Best of luck on a speedy recovery.

RD. said:
It is absolutely species specific, and with fish is for sure a balancing act.

Lots of info on the net regarding this subject, here's an interesting paper from 2016.

www.researchgate.net

(PDF) Water as a source of macronutrients and micronutrients for fish with special emphasis on the nutritional requirements of two fish species: The common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

PDF | In contrast to terrestrial animals, fish can ingest minerals from food or directly from water. Although micro- and macro-elements are needed in... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate
www.researchgate.net www.researchgate.net

This portion under Iodine caught my eye, 15-20 years ago I ran across someone on a cichlid forum that had an N. venustus (a carnivore in nature) that had a large growth in its mouth, to the point that it could no longer eat. The owner was at a loss and was looking for help. I recommended trying an iodine supplement in the water and see if that helped. I don't recall the exact timeframe, but I believe that within approx. 2 weeks of supplementation the growth disappeared, and his fish was once again eating.

"Hyperthyroidism (goiter) induced by iodine deficiency is more frequently observed in carnivorous than herbivorous and omnivorous fish. (WatanaBe et al. 1997)"

I also recommended that he switch brands of pellets, or at the very least add another brand that I knew contained an adequate amount of iodine in the raw ingredients. (kelp/algae) Last I heard/read his fish was healthy and doing well.
Click to expand...
 
elbereth said:
So it's irreversible? I thought it was food related because it suddenly came back as soon as I fed him again.
Is there somewhere you can refer me to find some literature on these sorts of conditions? Any idea what causes it?
Click to expand...
When this has happened no intervention or meds were able to fix it. Just a unfortunate turn of events. No cause identified except suspecting maybe from being captive bred and some genetic mess up.

Always appreciate the input rd!
 
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