Fish has severely swollen "throat"/gills, will not eat, twitches (photo attached)
Hi everyone, my freshwater fish Norman (I'm not even sure of his breed) has suddenly fallen quite ill.
Backstory: two days ago, I noticed he had swelling around his anus (sort of like a donut jellyfish), did some googling, and figured it was constipation - possibly from overfeeding. Lots of people recommended epsom salts, so I added 2 tsp (to a 40 gallon tank, which Norman shares with two other cichlids - flowerhorns, specifically).
Two days later, the swelling around the anus has subsided almost 100%, but he has developed severe swelling around his gills/throat area (I've circled it in red) literally overnight. He's normally very active and responsive, but is now staying near the floor - he seems lethargic and stressed out, and will not eat.
The "flesh" underneath his mouth is very swollen, along with his gills, and his breathing seems labored - it looks like he's panting. He's also been twitching his dorsal fin occasionally, and once in a while will just seem to shudder. It isn't just his gills but his throat that's swelling - typically that area is perfectly flat/smooth on him, not bumpy as shown. I don't think it's parasites because of the sudden onset, and because he's just been swimming in the same place, without rubbing himself against rocks/aquarium ornaments.
I assumed the epsom salts would be fine as I used a minimal amount, and the other two fish Norman lives with seem perfectly healthy. Still, I changed their water and fished out detritus. At this point though, I'm not sure what else I can do. Please help, I really love this fish and he's been in perfect health - very lively - until now. Thanks very much in advance, and apologies for the long post.
Hi everyone, my freshwater fish Norman (I'm not even sure of his breed) has suddenly fallen quite ill.
Backstory: two days ago, I noticed he had swelling around his anus (sort of like a donut jellyfish), did some googling, and figured it was constipation - possibly from overfeeding. Lots of people recommended epsom salts, so I added 2 tsp (to a 40 gallon tank, which Norman shares with two other cichlids - flowerhorns, specifically).
Two days later, the swelling around the anus has subsided almost 100%, but he has developed severe swelling around his gills/throat area (I've circled it in red) literally overnight. He's normally very active and responsive, but is now staying near the floor - he seems lethargic and stressed out, and will not eat.
The "flesh" underneath his mouth is very swollen, along with his gills, and his breathing seems labored - it looks like he's panting. He's also been twitching his dorsal fin occasionally, and once in a while will just seem to shudder. It isn't just his gills but his throat that's swelling - typically that area is perfectly flat/smooth on him, not bumpy as shown. I don't think it's parasites because of the sudden onset, and because he's just been swimming in the same place, without rubbing himself against rocks/aquarium ornaments.
I assumed the epsom salts would be fine as I used a minimal amount, and the other two fish Norman lives with seem perfectly healthy. Still, I changed their water and fished out detritus. At this point though, I'm not sure what else I can do. Please help, I really love this fish and he's been in perfect health - very lively - until now. Thanks very much in advance, and apologies for the long post.