snowflake eel help

[steelrain]

I just got home and my snowflkae eel is upside down and blown up like a balloon....
this mornig about 5 hours ago, it was fine now it looks as if its going to explode
All the water parameters are within spec except for nitrate which is about 80, A little higher than it normanlly is...
other fish in the tank, A clown triggwer a huma trigger and a blue damsel are all fine, there is copper in the tank and has been in the tank for a few months now to take care of a ICH prolem I had. I have been slowly getting rid of the copper using carbon and water changes.
Any suggestions??????????

 

[beth]

Yes, remove the copper...eels have little tolerance for copper!
Anyway, why are you continueously dosing with copper? That is a bad idea for any fish.

 

[steelrain]

The copper has been in the tank with the eel for atleast three months and the eel has been fine I only dosed the copper once but there is still some, not much just what has not been cleaned out by the carbon and the water changes.....

 

[steelrain]

who said anything about """continueously dosing with copper"""?

 

[fmarini]

Hi:
sounds like gas buildup,(usually a bad thing). Can be caused by bacteria, a twisted or impacted colon, or from trauma.
What have you been feeding this eel, when was the last time it ate, and was the food alive at some point?