# Green Terror female swollen abdomen



## ssam (Jan 26, 2007)

Hello,

to start at the beginning. This was my dominating fish in my 400 liter tank. I also have a male GT but this one dictated his mooving around (u know how females can be ..  )

A few days ago the her abdomen started swelling. At first i thought that she was holding eggs, but now that she is so swollen i really dont know anymore...
I've mooved her to my quaranteene tank, added epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) and bactopur direct for bacteria threatment. Im really getting scared that its maybe bloat? 
She is not gasping for air and not showing any other signs except the swelling, but she is maybe breathing a little bit faster then my other male GT.
If someone could help me please, i'd be really thankfull, because i have this fish for a few years now.


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

what are your water parameters? What is your full stock list? What are you feeding? What is your WC/vaccuming shedule? Is the fish still eating?


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## ssam (Jan 26, 2007)

water parameters couldnt be better. nitrites, nitrates, ammonia, everything at 0 (she was in a planted tank.

my stock list:
2 GT (1 male, 1 female)
2 severums (1 male, 1 female)
1 plec
1 gibliceps
1 clown loach
a few little cat fish
and thats it

filtering with 2 cannister filters JBL cristalprofi 1200 and eheim 1500 with co2 regulated at the day, at night off.

fish was eating, but very picky, not like before.


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

Hmmm...regardless if its a planted tank or not i would think you should still have some nitrates?....as far as whats wrong with your fish im not the best at this whole disease thing....just trying to help with what i can...how longs has this been goin on with the fish?....do u see any improvement from the epson and medication?......also if the fish is still eating medicated food is always an option....i just wish i could be of more help.....looks to me like maybe the fish is impacted....or about ready to lay eggs....dont go on that tho....id wait for cichlidaholic or robin to chime in theyre great at what they do :thumb:


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## ssam (Jan 26, 2007)

i add nitrates and phosphates to the tank automatically with a special pump. when added at 12, nitrates are about 10, phosphates 0,5 - 2 and that tested with salifert professional tests. this is swollen abdomen is going on now for about 3 weeks.

my other worry is that the swelling is not simetrical, its swollen a little bit more on the left side than on the right one.

This fish ate a LOT before, but now just very little. Im not feeding it now for 2 days because of the threatment.


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## dctrnick (Jul 15, 2009)

I also have a female green terror w/ the same issue.

I noticed some swelling about 3-4 weeks ago; I thought she was getting ready to lay eggs again. As time progressed the swelling has increased and is not laterally symmetrical. However, she doesn't seem to be in any distress and is still eating normally.

At this point I am fairly certain that the problem is being caused by a bowel impaction. The tank substrate is mostly Atlantic beach sand (very fine, gray), but, there is some very coarse crushed coral mixed in. This fish has always made a habit out of scooping up mouthfuls of sand whenever a piece of food hits bottom, and then letting the sand fall out of her gills and mouth - kind of like Oscars tend to do.

I've heard of people using a dropper full of mineral oil on fish as a laxative. Anyone have any experience w/ this or any suggestions?

Thanks.


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

never heard of such sorry


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

What are you feeding, and how much?

It could be impaction from food, or more rarely---eggs. It's possible that it could even be a larger internal parasite. My bet would be food. Are you feeding floating pellets?

By the way, when you said green terror...I didn't realize that you meant this strain. It's a cool fish. I've had that strain before; they look very different than the more common "green terror" gold saum strain.

Try adding epsom salt to clear the impaction.


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

looks gold saum to me?....regarless...any update?


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

No, not the common "gold saum" regardless of the color of the fin edge....look at the scale pattern. On the more common "false" green terror, when seen from a distance---the scales look like rows of spots. The pictures look more like the "true" green terror variety---the scale pattern does not look like rows of spots. The second picture shows the difference the best.

There are actually several similar fish that are called Green Terrors in the hobby. Even the ichthyologists disagree about the status of the genus. I've kept several variants, and they are definitely different fish. For fishkeeping purposes, it doesn't really matter. The care is the same.


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## ssam (Jan 26, 2007)

Nothing new really. *** had the fish in my QT tank (110 liters), and threated it with some antibacterial medicine and epsom salt (magnesium salt with a little salt for saltwater aquariums). The situation is still the same except the fish is not eating regullarily anymore. I had her in my QT tank for 14 days, now i have retourned her to my mixed tank so she has more space. The only difference i noticed that the "cloake" (the place where the fish poops  sorry, but i dont know the propper english word) is like blown up like a ballon, very large... really dont know what to do to get her okey again.

Im feeding some special big flaker for carnivores with some spirulina flakes and food for my pleco and gibliceps. all other fish are fine, the problem is just with her. Any suggestins?


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

im sorry i have no idea?.....id make a shout out to cichlidaholic or robin theyre great at coming up with a treatment.


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## ssam (Jan 26, 2007)

here are 2 pics


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## ssam (Jan 26, 2007)

should i PM them?


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

i dont see why not....send either of them a pm with the link to the thread in it....it cant hurt? Theyre here to help and **** good at it.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

How much epsom salt did you add? The dosage for being egg bound or constipation is 1 cup per 100G of water. If you added anything less than that, I would increase it now. Also, with any water changes, you need to replace the amount of epsom salt applicable to the amount of water you remove.

She appears to be egg bound, but I'm a bit concerned over one side being larger than the other. This sounds like some sort of internal mass, and if so, this may be a blockage that is causing her to swell like that. She may not be able to eliminate waste at all. It could even be a combination of being egg bound and constipated.

I think I would put her back in isolation. I don't think you're dealing with regular bloat per se, but if you can put her in quarantine, you can also try feeding her some blanched green peas...This might loosen her stool and allow it to pass so you can clear her out and get a better understanding of what is going on.


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## ssam (Jan 26, 2007)

she was in my community tank only for an hour, then i put her back. The problem is that shes not eating anymore. Is there a way to forcefeed a fish?!

The QT tank is about 100liters (30 gal). *** added 40 grams (2 big spoons of epsom salt). Should i add some more?


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Hi,

How much Epsom salt? Ideally you want to use 1 tablespoon per five gallons, dissolved first and added over several hours time.

What kind of antibiotic are you using? It could be an internal bacterial infection but in order for an antibiotic to work you have to be using the right one AND you need to treat for the recommended lenght of time--usually about ten days.

Don't feed the fish for 3-5 days. (Fish can go for weeks without food so you won't be hurting it).

There's a number of conditions that will cause a fish to swell up like this. Sometimes it's from the fish gorging themselves. It can also be from an internal bacterial infection. A fish can also have some kind of tumor or blockage which is not always treatable.

My advice to you is to make sure you're using the proper amount of Epsom salt, fast the fish for 3-5 days and treat with an antibiotic for a full ten days. If there's no improvement then you may need to switch to a different antibiotic. Without knowing what sort of bacteria the fish may or may not be dealing with you might need to try several different antibiotics before you hit on the right one. But don't rush it? Antibiotics take time to do their job.

Metronidazole would be my first choice.

Robin


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Looks like Robin and I are ganging up on you! :wink:

Your answers are within our posts!

Good luck!


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

:roll: oops--didn't notice that this had gone onto page two so I missed Kim's post(s).

I wouldn't try force-feeding the fish. Food may actually make the situation worse.

Robin


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## ssam (Jan 26, 2007)

about the feeding... so or so she doesn't want to eat anymore...

i've threated the fish with Nifurpirinol (Sera Baktopur direct) twice (2x 3 days) but no results...


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## ssam (Jan 26, 2007)

she passed.... *** burryed her, so the topic can be closed


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

Sorry to hear that---she was a nice looking fish.


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