# Constipated or absolutely starving?



## Jammy (Nov 19, 2011)

I've been away for a week, and rather than let my fiancee try and remember to feed my fish daily I told her to put in vacation blocks which last four days. Now my other goldfish has happily ate it but I don't know about my five WCM minnows but they seem quite healthy. My Black moor however seems to be dying, floating at the top occasionally swimming down for five seconds before floating to the top again.

Now upon my return I treated it as constipation so he's in a quarantine tank with aquilibrium salt as well as swim bladder infection treatment. I've put some peas in there to help flush his system which has worked plenty of times before.

But his condition is worsening, he now can't swim altogether but just floats on his side. I can tell he's still alive because of his mouth and gills. So I've put him in a net with a pea so that he's closer to the food. 

But I've had a second thought, and I'm wondering if I'm treating him wrong. My partner hasn't paid attention to who's been eating the block so what if he has not eaten since I left him 7 days previous. Problem is when I search for symptoms of hunger for fish I get all sorts of rubbish about them darting to the surface. I'm not interested in that, I'm interested in the symptoms of hunger when it's life critical.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

1 week without food won't kill any fish. symptoms of fatal starving are a sunken in belly and being unable to eat, or if it can eat, to absorb food. 

No, you have more to worry that he discovered the block and ate it all at once or ate something inedible such as a piece of gravel or plastic plant.


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## Jammy (Nov 19, 2011)

emc7 said:


> 1 week without food won't kill any fish. symptoms of fatal starving are a sunken in belly and being unable to eat, or if it can eat, to absorb food.
> 
> No, you have more to worry that he discovered the block and ate it all at once or ate something inedible such as a piece of gravel or plastic plant.


Then what would be the solution to these kind of problems?


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## Ladayen (Jun 20, 2011)

It seems like your doing everything you can. If he ate something he shouldn't have there is nothing you can do. If he ate too much you'll just have to see if he can work it out before the toxins build up inside and poison him. Just keep the water clean.


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## phlyergirl (Nov 6, 2011)

I would fast him for at least four days and see if that helps. Has he eaten any peas? Is he pooping green from the peas?


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Have you tested the water for ammonia and nitrates? Those weekend feeders are awesome at producing nasty waste. Next time I would just let the fish go without food.


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## Jammy (Nov 19, 2011)

Well he's passed since then, so fasting would never of been an option as he was weakening too quickly. I tried to hold a pea his mouth to help flush his system more quickly but he never nibbled even when his mouth was touching it.

Thanks anyway everyone.


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