Clown with prolapsed anus

[apwhite]

I have a clownfish who has been showing signs of being constipated and now he appears to have a prolapsed anus. I’ve being doing some research but I can’t really seem to find anything I can do to help him. He isn’t eating so adding things to food wouldn’t be helpful. Is there anything non food related I can do? How serious is this issue and what are the chances of it resolving?

 

[reeferguy3303]

What are the signs of it being constipated

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

epsum salt (magnesium sulfate) if you dip your clownfish in it its a relatively safe laxative.

 

[vetteguy53081]

epsum salt (magnesium sulfate) if you dip your clownfish in it its a relatively safe laxative.

Epsom salt does not work in saltwater as there is salt in the water already nor does peas- these are freshwater tools. Brine shrimp however will work if fish is eating. It can in addition to constipation be caused by a parasitic infection. This will usually correct itself and at times as simple as adding vitamins to the foods will help. Good water quality is a must during this event and if starts to look infected , treat the fish in a quarantine setting with seachem Kanaplex

 

[apwhite]

What are the signs of it being constipated

Mainly very thin white stringy poop (not like parasites but dosed with prazipro just in case and still didn’t resolve)

 

[apwhite]

Epsom salt does not work in saltwater as there is salt in the water already nor does peas- these are freshwater tools. Brine shrimp however will work if fish is eating. It can in addition to constipation be caused by a parasitic infection. This will usually correct itself and at times as simple as adding vitamins to the foods will help. Good water quality is a must during this event and if starts to look infected , treat the fish in a quarantine setting with seachem Kanaplex

Gosh isn’t eating so is my best bet just to keep the water as clean as possible? What would signs of infection be?

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

Yo vette guy i said to dip it in magnesium sulfate, not in salt water plus magnesium sulfate.. you never heard of a freshwater dip?

i only have been breeding clowns 30 years what would i know?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Gosh isn’t eating so is my best bet just to keep the water as clean as possible? What would signs of infection be?

redness and inflammation. Generally retracts on its own. Do not feed the fish anything solid- Brine shrimp is best bet

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yo vette guy i said to dip it in magnesium sulfate, not in salt water plus magnesium sulfate.. you never heard of a freshwater dip?

i only have been breeding clowns 30 years what would i know?

Ive been doing this 40 years if time is of significance and if you are recommending epsom salt- You need another 30 years to learn and I have breeder clowns myself which has Nothing to do with a rectal issue. The fish is in salt already - why would you use epsom salt??? This is a treatment for goldfish and other FW species- Not marine

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

i disagree ive used it plenty of times on clownfish and on stingrays as well.

i sure would not recommend kanaplex to someone whos never used it without mentioning to use a binder (like seachem focus) either

 

[vetteguy53081]

i disagree ive used it plenty of times on clownfish and on stingrays as well.

i sure would not recommend kanaplex to someone whos never used it without mentioning to use a binder (like seachem focus) either

The kanaplex is suspended and absorbed by the fish and NOT added to the food. While it can be added to food, many do not realize the implications of adding too much nor did I state add to foods as I never recommend kanaplex added to foods. Focus as a binder with metroplex is typical but you are so intent on arguing instead of realizing what is stated why many get confused when advised of treatment.

Epsom salt

I see epsom salts frequently recommended here on r2r as a treatment for swelling in marine fish. Could anyone shed some light on how that could be effective? Epsom salts are magnesium and sulphate, both of which are usually plentiful in marine aquaria. At the dosages I see recommended...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[gbroadbridge]

Yo vette guy i said to dip it in magnesium sulfate, not in salt water plus magnesium sulfate.. you never heard of a freshwater dip?

i only have been breeding clowns 30 years what would i know?

Sea water already contains around 1300 ppm magnesium and sulphates.
Epson salt is useless for constipation in salt water fish.

Guess what - you've had it wrong for 30 years

 

[lion king]

@vetteguy53081 I don't use epsom salt for other reasons, I also like your take. Epsom salt has other ingredients I find questionable and it's also used as a fertilizer, so I've seen some unexpected algae burst after some have used it. Mg is the active ingredient and I have found using reef mg to be safer and very effective.

I have found at least reef level mg helps with many digestive issues, I keep my predator tanks at 1400ppm, and I boost it up to 1600ppm when I have an issue. I wrote a thread "why mg" where I documented a bloated angler and boosted mg to clear him. Many that keep fowlrs don't keep proper levels of mg as well as other elements that are valuable to the overall health of fish, fish do absorb elements from the water column.

In this case it sounds like internal parasites, and since prazi didn't clear it, I suggest metro. Once cleared the prolapse should resolve itself, maintaining perfect water conditions to prevent any secondary infections.

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

really the effects of magnesium even on humans is not exactly very well understood.. .

The idea is that the fish swallows some of the elevated magnesium, which isn't absorbed by the fish's intestine and then acts as a cathartic. Basically the same way that mag sulfate or mag citrate relieves constipation in humans.

im well aware of that common internet theory says otherwise. but i also know what ive seen firsthand.

 

[vetteguy53081]

@vetteguy53081 I don't use epsom salt for other reasons, I also like your take. Epsom salt has other ingredients I find questionable and it's also used as a fertilizer, so I've seen some unexpected algae burst after some have used it. Mg is the active ingredient and I have found using reef mg to be safer and very effective.

I have found at least reef level mg helps with many digestive issues, I keep my predator tanks at 1400ppm, and I boost it up to 1600ppm when I have an issue. I wrote a thread "why mg" where I documented a bloated angler and boosted mg to clear him. Many that keep fowlrs don't keep proper levels of mg as well as other elements that are valuable to the overall health of fish, fish do absorb elements from the water column.

In this case it sounds like internal parasites, and since prazi didn't clear it, I suggest metro. Once cleared the prolapse should resolve itself, maintaining perfect water conditions to prevent any secondary infections.

Thank you for chiming in and agree.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Sea water already contains around 1300 ppm magnesium and sulphates.
Epson salt is useless for constipation in salt water fish.

Guess what - you've had it wrong for 30 years

Nope, he's got it right.

 

[92Miata]

@vetteguy53081 I don't use epsom salt for other reasons, I also like your take. Epsom salt has other ingredients I find questionable and it's also used as a fertilizer, so I've seen some unexpected algae burst after some have used it. Mg is the active ingredient and I have found using reef mg to be safer and very effective.

Epsom Salts is magnesium sulfate. Fertilizer is Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. Epsom Salts contains none of those things.

really the effects of magnesium even on humans is not exactly very well understood.. .

There are literally thousands of studies. Compare this to marine fish, where there's literally no evidence, and the comparison is ludicrous.

 

[1epauletteshark]

Wow its getting heated in here...

 

[lion king]

Epsom Salts is magnesium sulfate. Fertilizer is Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. Epsom Salts contains none of those things.


There are literally thousands of studies. Compare this to marine fish, where there's literally no evidence, and the comparison is ludicrous.

I don't have a fresh bag of epsom salts but you can read it for yourself as it explicitly says "can be used as a fertilizer". You can also read the ingredients and there are some which 1st is not natural to the ocean and 2nd no one knows anything about what effect they may have. You can add whatever you like it your aquarium, I'm just trying to help people think.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I don't have a fresh bag of epsom salts but you can read it for yourself as it explicitly says "can be used as a fertilizer". You can also read the ingredients and there are some which 1st is not natural to the ocean and 2nd no one knows anything about what effect they may have. You can add whatever you like it your aquarium, I'm just trying to help people think.

Fish poop "can be used as fertilizer" too...