Shaina

My Green Terror stopped eating over a week ago now. His stomach is becoming concave, and he's refusing all sorts of foods he ate well before: hikari cichlid gold, omega one color pellets and FD shrimp (even soaked in garlic). Finally out of desperation I gave him a guppy...he ate it immediately and seemed to perk up a bit, but is now failing again. (Note: The guppy was one that I've had for 3 months and which was to my knowledge disease free; also the symptoms appeared long before I gave it to my GT).

He's also pooping constantly...thin white with slight bulges in it every couple of millimeters. None of the other fish seem to have these symptoms as yet.

Ideas for what this is? How to treat it? Tankmates include scaleless pictus catfish, but I could temporarily move him to my spare 10g for treatment as needed (he's only 3" right now).

I've heard white feces often means parasites, but I would like to be as sure as possible before treating as I understand many of the treatments are hard on the fish. Medicated foods may not be an option as he's refusing to eat, so I may need other ideas.


Thanks so much for any and all help...I'm really worried about my little guy, and the LFS's don't seem to know what it is or how to treat it.



Tank Parameters:
90g
0, 0, 20ppm nitrate
Weekly/bi-Weekly water changes
pH 7.1
Temp 77 F

AlyeskaGirl

I am sorry your fish isn't feeling well. Deff has an internal parasite. I'd move him/her to your Q-tine.

"Sunken Belly—If the fish is eating and continues to lose weight, there is probably an internal parasite present, especially if the waste is stringy. If he is not eating and appears emaciated, his loss of appetite may be caused by parasites or by something else. A sunken belly may also be caused by Tuberculosis. Try to identify other symptoms."

Source Link: http://www.centralpets.com/php/searc....php?Story=470

Shaina

Thank you -- any suggestions for easily obtained treatments?

AlyeskaGirl

Parasite Clear Tabs Tank Buddies by Jungle Labs. They don't upset the biological filter.

http://www.junglelabs.com/pages/details.asp?item=TB636

kojen

i have used the jungle tablets with my fish and they have all responded well. You just have to remeber to take carbon out if you use it because it will take the medication out of the water and you can retreat like 24 hours later

Shaina

Thanks I don't use carbon on my tanks anyway (without a specific reason) so that's no problem. Particularly not a Q tank.

I'll try to find some locally otherwise I'll be ordering it.

AlyeskaGirl

I don't have carbon eather unless needed to help take out meds.

I wish the best of luck for you and your sick fish. Keep us posted!

Shaina

Well I picked up the Jungle PC and dosed the 10g he is in right now, so we shall see *crosses fingers*

Also picked up a frozen food for cichlids in hopes of enticing him to eat.

AlyeskaGirl

Good luck!

kojen

good luck mine has never turned down frozen foods but he loses interest very quick with any type of food. I bought blood worms, vegetables, and shrimp, as well as his flakes, and dehydrated foods. I have to keep changing them alot because he will lose interest and quit eating them. I definitely think that they are just picky fish. I hope yours pulls through they are very cool fish and have alot of personality. I also had alot of luck by putting him in with a convict and firemouth some more aggressive fish because it makes him fight for his food so he shows more interest.

Good Luck

Shaina

Well he rejected the frozen cichlid food yesterday (though the rams, angels, firemouths, etc. in other tank gobbled it up like a homemade Thanksgiving pie).

But! Just now he is looking a bit more lively...actually taking interest when I walk into the room, and...he ate a piece of FD mini krill! He still has the long white stringy feces hanging there (gross, I know), but it's a step in the right direction...

Box says to repeat treatment after 48 hrs and a 25% water change, so I'll be doing that tomorrow.

Here's to hoping...I've gotten really attached to this little guy

AlyeskaGirl

That's great news!!!

kojen

good hoping things are starting to look up mine is right around four inches big right now and his colors just keep getting brighter. they re awesome fish

Shaina

Thanks, all *keeps fingers crossed*

He was in with 3 Firemouths and 3 Pictus catfish, so there was competition. For a while he was fine (not king of the tank, but certainly not missing out on food/territory either), then suddenly he started being listless and the first post symptoms appeared. He started hiding when I walked into the room too, instead of charging the front glass, and even when food was right in front of his nose he would just turn and swim away.

I'm thinking after this treatment I will move him to my 29g for a while to ensure he's back to eating well and in full health, then move him back to the 90g. The 10g is just easier to dose, and since he's small enough right now, I put him in there for the actual treatment.


ETA: My *spare* 29g, not the 29g in my sig! My poor neons would never survive that...nor would the Oto, baby BNs, Kuhlis, and possibly the Rams...just thought I better clarify, lol

Shaina

Update:

Still in the 10g. After the second water change and treatment (Sunday) he didn't seem to change...wasn't eating again, and was either hiding or listless all the time. Let that treatment sit until Tuesday, then did a 50% water change. He seemed to perk up a little bit, and as of Thursday afternoon the long strand of feces was finally gone, and he even came to the surface of the water to get food. He's still quite thin and not yet himself, but I think we may have turned a corner.

I'll be keeping him segregated for a while to keep a close eye on him. If Sunday it doesn't look like he'll need any more treatments, I'll move him to the spare 29g so he has more room. As for now I'll just keep doing 50% water changes every day/other day since he's in that little 10g.

*keeps fingers crossed*

Thanks to all those who have been pulling for him!

AlyeskaGirl

Hope things are still going well!

Shaina

Well he's still alive anyway...

I left him in the 10g for an additional week because I wasn't satisfied that he was recovering well enough, and didn't want to shock him with another tank move. He was still being shy and picky, but he was at least eating FD minikrill, though he turned up his nose at anything else. A fish can't live on krill alone (or at least, that's what my mom told me back in the day regarding Skittles), so on Monday I actually made him food...basically a combination of a few cichlid recipes which consisted of mostly whole shrimp with beefheart, spinach, peas, spirulina, kale, cucumber, and a small amount of Vita-Chem, which I froze in sheets that I break as needed.

He *loves* the stuff and has been making a marked improvement since then. He's back to coming to the front top of the tank when I approach, and spending more time in open water instead of just hiding and looking miserable. I'm moving him to the 29g today to give him more room to finish recovering before reintroducing him to the 90g.

Thanks again for your advice Hopefully Banner will continue on his road to recovery!

AlyeskaGirl

I am so thrilled that he is doing well.

Your very Welcome!