Haplochromis Venustus - Internal Bacterial Infection

Question
Dear Chloe,

I bought a house and the previous owners left me a 55 gal. cichlid tank with 8 cichlids and 2 catfish.  I have never owed fish before and would like to keep these fish alive as long as possible. It seems like a fun hobby.  I have owned the tank for a month now and the once hungry Haplochromis does not eat anything and appears to be bloated in its abdomen.  One of the other ones, Pseudotropheus Lomardoi, has a similar bloated look but continues to eat.  Is this a sign of an internal bacterial infection spreading through my tank?  If so, how can I treat this?

Thanks,

Scott

Answer
Hi Scott,
When fish have an internal bacterial infection they usually refuse food. So in this case, if the fish appears to be bloated this can be an early sign of dropsy. In later stages dropsy would give the fish a "pinecone" effect on the fish with it's scales sticking out. Dropsy is usually very difficult to treat and when the fish begins to suffer it should be euthanized.

Regards,
Chloe.