Sorry! That's Awful I hate to hear it.

A lot of people lose fish this time of year. I think it's because so many new fish are purchased and added to tanks over the holidays.

J Martin...Malawi cichlids have long digestive tracks to allow for total/slow absorption of nutrients. Higher protien diets will just clog them up and bloat them. This problem arises more when vegitable and meat eaters are kept in the same tank and share a diet. Although other factors could be at work, this type of bloat isn't contagous...but is systemic to the tank. If multiple fish get this bloat its from the diet being fed to the fish and not from each other. I know you've been into fish for a long time. You may have personnal experiences which suggest these symtoms must be be dealt with through removal of affected fish. Most books just say the causes are not fully understood.

Jerry, you mostly right, but I can add from my own and other hobbyist experience, that even if bloat starts because of the diet, ill fish will be able to pass it to other tankmates, in a very short period of the time
Bloat is contiguous for sure.
Also, many fish have easy form of bloat, which is not caused by the bacteria, rather wrong diet, if caught in time, it's easy to cure.

I know it's caused primarily through diet, but I have seen it spread many times. My first response to this disease is to stop feeding for a week or so. and remove any affected fish. I've been feeding the same diet for years and years, and it only arises when I put new fish in the tank.

Normally I quarentine, but my quarentine tank is full of babies rightnow :)

Did you put them down?????

not good hope it is all under control.. my new $5 peacock is still swimming from yesterday .. hooray ..

That's rough James. Hope everything turns out OK for you.

This isn't the first, and it won't be the last time I I lose fish to this disease. I am not too upset. But thanks for the condolences.

Yeah I will "put them to sleep" later tonight.
If anyone ever has to a kill fish and is squeamish. The least unpleasent way to do it is to put them in a margerine or other plastic container of water and put it in the freezer over night the fish just basically go to sleep. For the less squeamish just whack the net with the fish in it off a hard surface. It's instaneous and painless for the fish.

RIP little buddies

I hate Bloat

I'D Freeze em as I couldn't whack em on a counter or harder surface...Poor Guys I hope they went into the freezer... ;)