Strange protrusion on one of my fish! Any input?

Hey, All! I have a Pseudotropheus sp. "Williamsi North" juvie that is about one and a half inches long. All of a sudden, he has a large bulge in his abdominal area on the left side. It's almost blocked looking and not really rounded. I don't think it's bloat because he's eating fine acting normally, and has good color. What could this be? A tumor or something, maybe?

I can't seem to get a good photo of it.

cat really help you out with that one.. your in the saltwater forum part

What is he being fed? Many Cichlids are know to easily get bloat due to their long intestinal tracts. If I had to guess something in the abdominal region it would be bloat or also know as Malawi Bloat in these African Cichlids. Look up some pictures of it and see if it matches what your seeing or better yet get a picture of it for us. Good luck!

Yes, I thought Bloat, but he's acting and eating normally, not like they have Bloat... Today it's bigger, almost like a protrusion...

Anyone?

fish will continue to eat w/ bloat for as long as they can.it's probably their best chance of surviving.trying to push it through

Well, usually with Bloat, they get sort of listless and stay near the top or bottom, often even before abdominal distention. This fish is still very active, colorful and eating normally. The protrusion isn't like abdominal bloating, it's more like something on the inside almost ready poke through his right side. I wish I could get a good pic.

Try dosing the tank with epsom if you haven't already, 1 tbsp/5 gallons

I use 1 tsp per five now... you think I should bump it up? Won't that make the water too hard?

If you have a hospital tank, I would put it in there to up the dose of the epsom. If not, it still might be okay. You could also try a 10 minute "bath" for the fish in a bucket of tank water that has epsom salt: 2 TSP/1 gallon. I would not continue to feed the fish that is affected. Most of the time, if a fish has bloat, it will not eat nor be active, like stated above.

So, you think it's bloat, too? Hmmm. Maybe I'm completely wrong, but I didn't think so...

No, I don't think it's bloat. You stated that it is still eating, right? Most of the time, fish with bloat will not eat. It does sound like it is constipated though. What's the diet like? and what kind of fish is it?

It's a Pseudotropheus Williamsi North, about 1.5 inches... It almost looks like there is a pointed object trying to poke through his side.

It is a Malawi Cichlid. That is why the first question I asked is what is it being fed because a meaty diet for most of those fish in the area will spell Malawi bloat...

I feed NLS...

Look anything like this? Malawi Bloat

NLS is some good stuff at least it has always worked for me.

No, not at all... it's almost like a corner piece of a Dorito is stuck in his belly and poking out one side.

Yeah, that's all I feed.

As others have suggested perhaps an intestinal parasite?

Possibility, I guess... I would think he'd be acting ill. Maybe I'll buy some of the NLS Thera formula for parasites.

I'm going to try again to get a pic.

Yeah I agree it seems strange he is still eating and acting fine. Based off your description you would think he would be seriously stressed.

I'm almost thinking it's a tumor or something.

We just got a williamsi! :) I would try an antiparasitic. The epsom bath wouldn't hurt either, just don't stress him out too much. Keep us posted, hope it turns out okay :)