Damsel fish with bloated belly

Oliver d · Sep 20, 2018

I have a Blue Devil damsel fish witch has a bloated belly for the last 3 days should I be worried?

James M · Sep 20, 2018

Pictures would help a lot

Oliver d · Sep 20, 2018

Will post when i get home

Big G · Sep 20, 2018

Has the Damsel ever been treated for internal parasites (worms) with meds?
What kind of food is its daily diet?

Oliver d · Sep 20, 2018

It never been treated with anything its been in my tank for 2 yrs.It eats what all the fish get DIY food mix and algae that grows on the rocks.Here are some photos as requested.

Big G · Sep 20, 2018

Good pictures. Have you seen the fish "poop" recently? If so, was it dark and normal or white and stringy?
When was the last time you added anything "wet" (fish, snails, shrimp, corals, etc.) into the tank?

Oliver d · Sep 20, 2018

Added a Thread fin butterfly fish about 4 weeks ago since then nothing,Noticed the swollen belly on Sunday after feeding them Brine shrimps.

Big G · Sep 20, 2018

There are a couple of possibilities. First, the fish is constipated. Yes, that happens. Try feeding boiled green peas with the skin removed. Second, the fish has internal parasite (worms). Always see "white-stringy poop" if this is the case. Use Metro + fish food + Focus, as long as the fish is eating. Try not to over feed and pollute the tank with the Metro laced food. Can use a turkey baster to suck up any uneaten medicated food; or you pull the fish out and treat it in a QT and dose the Metro directly into the water of the QT. The last possibility is some sort of tumor.

Maritimer · Sep 20, 2018

One more possibility . . .

I have two azure damsels (closely related to your sapphire) whose bellies look like that all the time. My third azure, the male, is constantly attending to a plaque of eggs. This could be no more than a female looking for a place to lay.

In most cases, she would either release (yay! coral food!) or reabsorb the eggs.

~Bruce