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This article is not meant to replace existing articles about Malawi Bloat, but to supplement them with more causes, diagnosis and treatments.
There is an excellent article already on this site about Malawi Bloat. This article is meant to cover a few points that the other guide did not cover. As the article mentions there are three main causes for Bloat. Stress, Improper Salt usage and Improper Diet. The most important of these causes is of course stress, it is usually the cause of most fish diseases. The point that really needs attention though is Improper Diet. I have killed a few Cichlids and other fish with bloat and it has A LOT to do with diet! One of the worst foods you can feed Cichlids (because of their long intestines) is brine shrimp. Even for Cichlid fry, Brine Shrimp is a big no, no. Why are Brine Shrimp so bad? Brine Shrimp are tiny crustaceans and as such, are slightly hard. Because of this texture and small size their hard parts get caught in intestinal walls and their size allows them to stay caught in there, causing a blockage. Think of it as the same way Velcro works. Malawi Bloat is mostly a death sentence to the fish it affects. The cure success is lower than with other diseases. The key is to avoid it altogether. If there is one thing I have read and learned about Bloat it’s that if your fish are herbivores, then avoid high protein foods. Make sure the foods you feed them (ie: Mbuna) have Spriulina in them and that it is high on the ingredients list. Peas are good too. Both are natural laxatives and will keep things moving along smoothly in their long intestines, avoiding the potential for Bloat. I feed my African Cichlids nothing but Veggie Blend foods or Spirulina Algae based foods and have never had another problem with Bloat since. Avoid feeding live or frozen foods like Bloodworms, Tubifex Worms, Brine Shrimp, Krill or any super high protein foods. This method has two benefits, they avoid blockages and cuts down the exposure to foreign parasites or bacteria. Most foods, even veggie foods contain some high protein meat, including Krill, Brine Shrimp and worms. The difference is when these foods are combined with veggies in say a flake or pellet food, they are not whole. The ingredients are crushed and pulverized into powder and in some cases even sterilized, lessening the potential for foreign hitchhikers. Whole Tubifex Worms and Bloodworms (even freeze dried ones) are actually the worst choices for fish foods because these worms carry many foreign parasites and bacterium. Feeder fish are a bad idea too. In addition, you should NEVER feed your fish beef heart or any type of warm blooded animal protein because warm blooded animals carry an entirely different set of parasites, fungi and bacteria that fish have NO tolerance against. That’s why most fish foods are made with Fish Meal, not beef, chicken or pork! It’s not natural. It doesn’t happen in nature (with the exception of Pirahanas) and it should not happen in captivity either. Fish eat other fish, algae and the occasional worm or crustacean. The best way to tell how appropriate a food is for herbivores is to make sure the minimum amount of protein in the food you buy is under 40%. Anything higher than 42% seems to cause Bloat problems and 46% to 50% is way too rich. HBH, Hikari, Omega One, Nutrifin, Dianichi and New Life Spectrum all have excellent veggie blends that have all kinds of other good veggies for your Herbivores, like Kelp, Algae, Carrots and Alfalfa. Your Cichlids will get all the protein they need in veggie food and the other ESSENTIAL veggies that will help that protein move along those intestines just fine. One last note and it’s just a cool fish fact is that Cichlids intestines are FOUR TIMES their body length, just to give you an idea of how long they really are! Veggie food is a good idea for avoiding bloat in any fish, carnivores included. I feed all my fish veggie food periodically just to supplement their diet. The result is much healthier and more disease resistant fish. Now for the only cure for bloat known to work and is as follows: IMPORTANT (1) DO NOT FEED ANYTHING during this process. (2) Start this procedure as soon as the fish shows symptoms (spitting familiar food, hiding during feeding, etc.)
Medication required: Clout (Aquarium Products) or any medication containing Trichlorphon as the main ingredient. If you cannot find something with this drug, then a cure with Metronidazol is recommended (ie: Jungle’s Internal Parasite Guard or Jungle Parasite Clear Tablets.) Metronidazol is also known under one of it’s brand names Flagyl. Clout (Triclorphon) is the most widely used cure for bloat though.
Day 1: Move fish to quarantine tank and treat with Clout at full strength (1 tablet / 10 gallons--remove carbon from filter)
Day 2: No water change. Treat again with Clout at half strength.
Day 3: Do nothing
Day 4: Do an 80% water change and treat with Clout at full strength
Day 5: Do nothing
Day 6: Return fish to main tank only after symptoms have subsided and the fish has been healthy: (eating, swimming, breathing normally) for a week.
RESIST the urge to try feeding the fish until after the treatment is over and do not cut the treatment short regardless of whether the fish looks better or not. If at any time during the treatment your fish seems to be experiencing stress as a result of the medication then do an immediate 75% water change.
The only other treatment that has a positive effect on bloat is Epsom Salts. Not only do they act as a laxative for the affected fish, it also acts to draw excess moisture out of the fish, which also helps the condition especially if it is caused by GBD or Gas Bubble Disease. Bloat can be imitated by one other condition that causes the “pine cone” or raised scales appearance. Gas Bubble Disease happens most often in during the winter months. Hot water, when it comes from a water heater has gas bubbles in it. The only way to get rid of these gas bubbles is though gas exchange (heavy aeration of the water) An simple Aquarium Air Pump in the warm water about 30 min to 1 hour before changing the water will get rid of the gas bubbles. The reason it happens is the more heat used to keep the water hot in the hot water tank the more gases build up in the water (your water heater works harder in the winter to keep the water hot) What happens to your fish if you don’t get rid of the gas bubbles in the water? The same thing that happens to a diver when they don’t decompress properly, they get “the bends” the fish version of “the bends” looks exactly like Malawi Bloat and in extreme cases is treated the same way, with Clout. The gas bubbles in the water get trapped under the fish’s scales and causes the scales to appear raised (pine conned). These gases also get into the fish’s bloodstream. If you suspect that your fish have got GBD rather than Malawi Bloat then the first course of treatment is Epsom Salts and if that doesn’t improve the condition of the fish after a day or two, then use Clout. Using the methods outlined in this guide for bloat will increase your fish’s chances of surviving Malawi Bloat dramatically. Even if your fish dies from the bloat, don't feel too bad, it's tough to beat even for the most experienced of fish keepers and the mention of Bloat makes most experienced fish keepers cringe because they know it's a 50/50 chance the fish will live, even with treatment. |
Cichlid Keeping 
