# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Medical Question - Angelfish with swollen anus?



## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Hi all,

I have two koi angelfish in a heavily planted 20H. All has been well so far, I've had them for about 3 months. They share the tank with 2 Bolivian Rams, 2 Yo You loaches and 5 Gardneri killies. No one bothers them, they're the bosses. The other fish have all been in there for over a year, some for 2+ years. These angelfish were the most recent addition.

I recently fed some frozen bloodworms, and soon afterwards noticed one had a bright red ball/bulge at the anus of one of the angelfish. After my first panic, I thought perhaps it had a bit of constipation, and the color was from passing the bloodworms. Its behaviour was normal (its the pushier one when its feeding time) so I decided to take a wait and see approach.

But its still there today, and while it was looking "better" at first, it seemed to swell and get redder after feeding everyone.

This fish is feeding eagerly, and displays very normal behavior. The only change behaviorally is that now and then it twitches its ventral fins (the long draping ones), as if trying to dislodge the blob at its anus.

Is this just a terrible case of constipation? Is this some sort of infection? (a friend's cat had an infection in an anal gland...... surgery was required). Is it a sign of some sort of parasite or something? Ive never seen anything like this.

Thanks for any ideas you have on this, and what I could do.
-Jane


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

hmmm dunno. 
Is it pooping ok?
Can you get a picture?


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

WHEW!!!!!! I think he's OK. 

Last night I fed the "Sweetwater's Zooplankton", which comes in a little jelly jar, and is mostly Daphnia in a kind of liquid slurry. I've noticed that fish seem to pass this very, very quickly, perhaps in part due to the high moisture content (purely conjecture).

So..... early this morning, he had the biggest poop I've ever seen on any fish hanging off him. It was nearly 2" long and easily 1/8" (3+ mm) in diameter! He's still a juvenile, body barely 50¢ piece size. Eeew, and Ouch! (sorry to be so graphic). Thankfully, it has fallen away, and he's had a more normal, proportionate poop since. He also looks slimmer, where he had been a bit bloated looking. I'm hoping that this was just an isolated constipation or compaction problem, and not something that will repeat (I imagine complications could prove lethal). I've put a shot of Stress Coat in the water, in case there's any abrasion which happened. I'll do a partial water change and add more Stress Coat this evening. 

Poor Guy! At least he didn't SEEM distressed about it, but ouch!

Thanks for the response Betty! I'm hoping to be digital picture capable soon. 

-Jane


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

That's good to hear.









In theory aloe vera sounds like a good thing as does for example melafix... but remember that you're adding plant sap to the water than fish gotta breath... very different than putting aloe in a burn on your finger. I personally won't use either for that reason.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Hmmm, that is an interesting point. I hadn't thought of it that way before. Hopefully something similar will not happen, but if it did, perhaps just a bit of aquairum salt (said to help gill function) as an anti-bacterial aid.

Thanks Betty.

-Jane


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