my fish looks like she just can't poop. looks like something is blocking it. she swimms sideways to stay upside right. losing ground quickly i don't know how long she can do this before she gets too tired. she still eats but not as much. i only feed every couple of days anyway. i am tempted to remove this blockage by means of tweezers. any advise? wwe don't have anyone in the area to call. her stomach is huge.

Welcome to OFL, first of all. Just wished it was under different circumstances on your side.

It can be hard to tell why a fishes abdomen is swollen, so in case you haven't read it yet, I'd recommend the article on that on this website: http://www.oscarfishlover.com/content/view/55/121/

I assume you mean an Oscar, or what fish is it? As mentioned in the article, feeding shelled peas (thawed) helps sometimes in case it's a constipation. Also adding some dissolved epsom salt is said to be good in such cases. Besides trying that, I wouldn't feed anything else really as long as she is in that condition. Can you actually see something causing the blockage? Thinking so because how else would you think of removing it? I remember someone once told me about a method that helped with a real bad case of constipation in an Oscar for him, will see if I still find it somewhere, was advised/applied by his vet, I think.

With females there is also the possibility she might be egg bound, which needs action as well. Do you know it's a female, and had she been in breeding mood? I read you can try to gently "stripe out" the eggs but I forgot how it's done, maybe someone remembers. Makes no real sense though with a constipation.

Else, couldn't hurt to know a bit more about your tank, maintenance, food, other fish etc.

okay let me introduce myself, my name is lynch and yes it is an oscar, a large one, about 6 inches maybe. i've had her about 3 years and she was pretty much that big when i got her. don't really know how old she is. someone gave her to the pet store. since then though that pet store went out of business, so no help there. she is in a tank with a large plecco and an irridescent shark. about 10 inches in length. they have all been together that long. they don't like any furniture in the aquarium. just bubbles lots of them they like the way they feel on there skin i guess. if you put anything in the tank for decoration they knock it around untill you take it out. maybe they want to play with it? i just leave it empty. anyway she had been trying to stay in her usuall spots at the top of the tank ( waiting for food) untill today now she has moved to the back near the bottom. which makes the idea of peas out of the question. we did try to give her one but they sink and she won't eat off the bottom. so i dryed them out hoping to try again today.if she is sick with swollen abdomen i guess i can accept it but if there is a blockage and it can be removed i want to help. if you find anything else out let me know and thank you.

Lynch, are you sure about the size of your Oscar? Please try to estimate it again, because an Oscar of age 3 or older should rather be double as large. If she's really 6 inches only, I would suspect a genetic defect or her being stunted in growth, which can lead to serious health problems at some stage.

Besides that, I take it that you can't see anything really that would be blocking the anal area (like a piece of gravel or whatever being visible) but you are assuming it is so from the fish looking swollen and not pooping? Sorry about wanting to know that exactly, but if it's "just" a swollen abdomen without anything else visible, that could have even more causes. Is there any chance you could post a pic for us to look at? Are the scales sticking out by chance, like on a pinecone?

You see, there are so many possible reasons for a swollen abdomen, it is mainly a symptom, not a disease on its own. Besides what I already said, it can be due to a parasitic or internal bacterial infection or kidney damage or whatever as well, and possibly other reasons I can't think of now (see the mentioned article). For internal bacterial infections, there are medicines available. If no shop near you, they can be ordered online as well.

We can't say from what we read what it is really, we can only guess in best case. Is there a chance to see a vet?
Else it might help to know about your tank size, water parameters, how often you clean it, what you feed normally etc., plus any physical changes in the Oscar's appearance and behaviour, like if she is breathing heavily or fins, scales or eyes not looking ok. And not sure if I understood it all correctly what you said already, is she possibly having problems swimming to the surface or staying at the bottom of the tank?

Sure wish I could come up with a cure, but makes no sense to try to squeeze eggs out or give her something to help with digestion if that is not what she's suffering from.
Keeping fingers crossed so far, and please tell us whatever you can think of; it's often not a good sign if fish get like that, but can still have a reason that can be helped if you figure out what's causing it.

If your oscar is 6inches at 3 years old then your fish is very stunted, probably from the previous owner keeping it in too small a tank. A stunted oscar only gets stunted in certain areas but the internal organs still grow at the normal rate (the fish will have a swollen look to it). This usually causes problems when the fish gets older and they usually live a shorter life. If your oscars looks swollen round the belly and it had happened quickly(maybe over a week or 2) then stunting is probably not the cause but be aware that your fish may have problems due to stunting

I would advise against squeezing out any obstacle from your fish, unless you can see it and you know exactly what it is, or you may end up damaging the fish. I have had fish with a swollen stomach on 2 occasions, one died and the other lived. Personally i would treat with and anti-bacterial, do daily water changes and keep my fingers crossed. Good luck

Oh yes ... not sure now if I worded that clear enough, sorry - don't try squeezing or anything with tweezers, it might just kill the fish. What I meant was only for the case of it being egg bound, and for that one has to be sure it's what it really has.

hello again, updates on my sick fish. correction on the size she is 11 inches. i never really measured her before. wow! she is a big girl. she has come out from the back of the tank and now remains where she usually is at the top. probably waiting for food. i haven't fed her though. although she deffinately doesnn't like peas. one side of her stomach has shrunk to normal size, although the other is still the same. still looks like something is blocking. i will wait to see what happens. she seems normal otherwise. i will try to send pics once i learn how to do that. yes i am one of those computer dummys. lucky i could figure this out. anyway thanks for the info. i will keep you posted.

sorry im a bit late to welcome but rather late than never i always say.

welcome to ofl.com hope u hv great fun with us and as u hv allready seen the gyus/girls on this site is very helpfull and knowlagable.

if u could post a pic we would possibly be able to access the issue much quicker and maybe give u a more defnit answer.