How to Help Fish Constipation?

Constipation is really troublesome and you might be thinking that how it is possible that a fish can get constipated. But yes, fish do get constipated and it is not really difficult to treat constipation in fish.

Just like humans need fibers to relieve constipation, in the same way, fish also needs fibers in constipation. Constipation can be really dangerous for your fish but can be relieved earlier by adopting good strategies.

Contents

1 How to Help Fish Constipation?

How to Help Fish Constipation?

Constipation and indigestion are uncommon in fish if your pet is got attacked by this issue, then try to treat it as much as possible. It is not as problematic to lead a fish to death, but worse conditions can be dangerous.

Your fish can become ill for prolonged periods of constipation remain untreated. Certain fish species are more prone to constipation than the other ones. The type and amount of food you give do your pet also plays a great role in its health conditions.

You must learn the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of constipation to make your fish completely fine as soon as possible.

What are the Causes of Constipation in Fish?

There can be several causes of fish constipation which are;

Insufficient food intake

If your pet is not consuming the right amount of food, then it is the first main cause of constipation. The quality of food also matters a lot. Sometimes when you are feeding bad quality manufacturer’s food to your fish, it is likely to become prone to constipation.

There might be a possibility that the food you are providing to your fish is non-nutritious or unhealthy. Just like the bad or insufficient quantity of food can cause problems in humans, in the same way, fish can also become prone to such health conditions because of unhealthy and insufficient food.

Fish need fiber to your fish so that it can get out of trouble. Fiber will increase the motility of the fish stomach and bulk the poop to came out. It is your moral duty to cure your fish as soon as possible. You should check if your fish has dropsy or not.

Swim Bladder Disease

When your fish has swim bladder issues it will be constipated for sure. When the swim bladder cause swells up because of any infection or disease, the waste didn’t come out and pet fish become constipated.

The swim bladder is a symptom of the whole range of ailments. Any kind of bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic infection or just an injury can cause the swim bladder to swell. If you see the symptoms of bladder disease in your pet, treat it as soon as possible.

If your fish is free from swim bladder disease then definitely it would be free from constipation as well.

Lack of motility

Most of the time when your fish is not moving so much, there is a disease. But it is not true every time. Your fish might not be moving because it is bored in the aquarium.

There can be many reasons for this, like bad water quality, disease, metals in water, stress, etc. It is also your duty to play with your fish and make it active. Because sometimes fish just need attention and want to play.

If you don’t give time to it, then fish will be definitely kept sitting at the bottom of the tank and remain inactive. The other thing that you can do is to put some toys in the fish tank and let her play herself. If you have no time to spend with your fish, then just play at the time while giving the food to it.

Like food on a stick and move that stick in water and fish will follow it really quick. This will also help to move and digest food properly otherwise it will swim upside down.

Only Feeding Freeze-Dried Food

If you are only feeding your fish with flakes or freeze-dried food, then there are also the chances of constipation. This is because this food doesn’t have a proper amount of fiber in them. Flakes and freeze-dried food are extremely dry and swell up when you come in contact with water.

Fish eat them before they get really swelled up. That’s why, these things should be considered as a treat, not as a part of regular food. You can feed apples to a goldfish.

Too Much Blood Worms

A high quantity of bloodworms in the fish diet is not good. They should also be treated as a treat, not as a part of a staple diet. Their high quantity can cause health issues and make a pet fish fat.

Although they are very nutritious for your fish, they shouldn’t be fed to the pet daily. Because continuous usage can cause harm instead of providing the benefit. You can use an alternative like daphnia that will give an almost equal amount of nutrition.

What are the Symptoms of Constipation in Aquarium Fish?

There are a few symptoms that may help you to tell is that your fish is constipated. If you notice these symptoms in your pet fish, then your fish has most likely to have constipation.

Stringy poop

If your pet fish is excreting stringy poop, then it is a main symptom of constipation. But it is hard to spot this symptom because you’re not watching your fish for 24 hours.

But still, there is a chance to observe these kinds of feces. The feces of a healthy fish goes down into the substrate while the stringy faces hang in the water. Sometimes the feces does not come out completely and remain stick to the fish body.

This is a clear indication that your fish is constipated.

Bloated Belly

Another very common signs of constipation and fish are the bloated belly. If your pet is facing trouble in emptying its bowels, then definitely pieces will remain inside the body and become hard to be expelled out.

In this case, a fish belly becomes bloated. You can clearly see the bloated belly of your fish. The more the tummy is bloated, the more severe it will be constipation.

That’s why it is recommended that you should start taking care of your pet as soon as you see a bulging tummy. Treat your pet as soon as possible before the conditions get worse.

Swimming Troubles

In extreme cases of constipation, your fish gets troubled while swimming. They get incredibly uncomfortable while swimming.

Maybe it is suffering from bladder disease or bloated belly and that’s why it is having swimming troubles. These kinds of conditions really make a fish to feel sick and doesn’t swim properly.

Fewer movements/ lethargic

Whenever a living being is sick, it feels lethargic and there is very little movement. The same is the case with pet fish.

Then it is healthy it swims around actively and happily. But when there is a sickness condition, there is a pain in the fish stomach, and does not move properly. Instead, it is lying at the corner of the tank bottom or did not move from its place.

Spitting out food

Although it is not a clear sign of a constipated condition but most of the time it indicates health issues. When the tummy is already full it’s so much food that is not coming out, then definitely it will not eat more.

Your pet doesn’t eat food in this case or spit out food from their mouths. If you notice this symptom along with some others in terms then definitely it is the sign that you are looking for. Otherwise, fish may be just spitting the food because it is bad, odorous or any other issue in it.

How to Treat Fish Constipation?

Once you figure out that your fish is constipated, the next step is to give treatment to your fish as soon as possible. There are different methods to treat fish constipation and most of them revolve around the high fiber diet.

I will tell you those methods here and you can choose any one of them which you can do with ease.

Give Peas to your Fish

You can use peas to treat your fish constipation. You might be thinking that you have to just drop a pea in aquarium water.

First of all, you should have to take some fresh peas and boil them for 30 minutes. If you are using a frozen pea, then boiling time should be increased more.

When the peas get softened enough, then take them out. Make them cool to give them to your pet. You can directly put them under freshwater or leave them out as such.

When the temperature normalizes, then take their skin off. Now the pea is ready to be served to a constipated fish. You can add carrots to fish food for better results.

You can feed the whole pea as such to your pet if it is big enough to eat the full pea. If not then cut the peas in half and then give it to your fish.

Once you have fed your fish with some peas, then do not give any other food for 24 hours. If you think that your fish is getting disturbed and want some food, then feed it with those boiled and softened peas again.

Observe your fish’s condition then, check out that either its condition is improving or not. Check out the fish poop, if it is heavy, non-stringy and coming out properly, then your fish is fine. Once the blockage gets removed you can take back your fish to the routine diet.

Give Epsom Salt Treatment

If pea is not working for your fish, then try giving them Epsom salt. It acts as a mild muscle relaxant, so it will help your pet with constipation.

Let me tell you about how to use salt in aquarium water for your fish. First of all, take some water from your fish aquarium & place it into a clean container.

Now, add 1 teaspoon of this salt to the container, 1 teaspoon for 5 per gallon. Stir it well until it gets completely dissolved. Now slightly pour the container water into the aquarium.

But if there is only one constipated fish and all others are completely fine, then you should quarantine that sick fish. Similarly, pour the salt water into a separate aquarium and keep your fish there.

Observe your fish for about a week and keep on noticing that either constipation is dissipating or not.

Use Some Daphnia

You can also do some amount of Daphnia to your pet fish. They have chitin-rich skeletons that are rich in fiber. They can be a good fiber-rich diet for your fish in constipation.

How to Prevent Constipation in your Fish?

The prevention strategies are always and always better than treatment. So here are some of the constipation prevention strategies.

Variety of Diet

It is a must to give your fish a variety of diets to deal with health issues. Along with the manufactured food, you can also give you a fish some live food to eat.

Your pet fish will definitely not face such kind of health conditions if it is getting nutrients from all varieties of food. Fish can eat bananas, you can add this to their diet.

It will provide a complete roughage that is used to keep the intestine moving. When the intestine will work continuously, the food will be digested properly.

Most people always give the manufactured food to their fish but it is also preferred to give natural food to your fish along with the factory food.

Like there are blood worms, blanched peas, shrimp, shrimp eggs, some nutritive plant leaves like spinach leaves and almond leaves, etc. Try feeding your fish with fresh food rather than freeze ones.

Just like we need fresh food for our good health, in the same way, fish also needs a healthy and fresh diet to stay healthy and protected from diseases.

Final words

Give healthful and variety of food with fiber or roughage to your fish and keep its health conditions good. A fish with a good, healthy, and full tummy will be happier with its life. So, give the best to your fish and take care of its good health.