I wish I could give you definitive answers why feeding frozen foods correlated with fish deaths. The company wouldn't be in business if this were a habitual issue. Could be a coincidence. At our wholesaler we fed frozen brine and bloodworms to certain fish, everyday, and didn't have problems.

As to the sunken belly, I vaguely remember a fish diseas called consumption.

I did a Google and came up with a site that described "hollow belly". Here's a copy & paste:

Fish Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium)
S: Fish may lose color and appetite and become hollow-bellied. Fish become lifeless and often crippledÂwith a bent spine. Fish develop ulcers under the skin and may rupture causing open sores and "pop-eye."
A: This disease is highly infectious and deleterious. Bacteria can remain living in the gravel to infect other fish when they are weakened. Some success has been achieved by treating infected fish with antibiotics (Oxytetracycline and Kanamycin), although often it is best to kill the fish and put it out of its misery. When removing piscine tuberculosis victims, do so with care, as this disease can be transmitted to humans.

Thank you much. Well I removed the one (one died already) and treated with mild salt, and very mild clout in food. So far doing ok, but not sure. Found site that mentions wasting disease. I switched to Hikari (sp) frozen... triple sterilzed, and I could tell right out of the 'bag' huge difference. He is swimming, eating, so on, so time will tell. From what I've read also, they can carry these parasites (causing 'wasting syndrome') which when stressed, cause them to manifest... without a micrascope hard to tell, but he is hanging in there, doing better so far. Best Sherry

(ps, he was quaranteened)

Keep us posted.

Petiolaris,

Well the little lovely passed, just swimming, feeding along, more active then the other three 'chickens' which hide during day, and active at night. Again, one day ok, next dead. I am always shocked. His little stomach looked like it had a knife slash in it. No kidding. What ever it was, again wish I had a microscope, (have enough science degrees to do this, but no money for microscope), was fast in the end and drastically altered his (and other guys) stomach! Gutted is not an exageration!

I didn't bury this guy in my terrarium as I usually do, and for first time flushed for worry as one person's post mentioned, tb. Not sure.

My question is this. He was taken out of 20 regular, and put into own seperate hospital tank where he seemed to be ok. (well not ok, but not worsening, and eating, taking meds in food so on...)

So put him in 10 gallon quarantine tank with 3 cories (slight fin damage from maybe tetra nips) recovering aok. and one resuce betta after months of fighting flexibar columinars bacteria now fine (knock on wood) and put him there.

He was doing great, although I noticed his stomach was not filling out, even though he ate like a little pig - well that said it all. The whatever won, and lost, as the host lost as well. I loved these cories.

I have no idea how this came about except after dd, gourami caused stress, and latent tb or wasting disease (viral?) came to the surface. ( a year I've had them, and all was well, until I try to 'change things', ie add or move so on)

So will keep the gourami alone, and just have cat tank... cories at bottom and glass (asian) cats along top with guppie (female) whos swims with the school.

So my question is, can I add the 3 cories to the 20 gallon tank. They may have got what he had? But then he came out of the 20 gallon regular (verses the 20 long I have) as did his mate. so, I am watching the original tank to see for any cories with same. I can wait a few weeks and see how it goes, I suppose. Any thoughts much appreciated. Thanks Sherry

Waaaaaaaa!