The first place to check when fish illness arises is the water parameters.
Have you tested the water for levels of ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and if so what were the EXACT results? Also, what is the water's ph?
Is the affected fish still in the 29 gallon tank?
How many fish are in the tank now with the Green Terror and how are they doing?
.
I have had the 125 gal with large cichlids (parrots, oscars, etc) for 10 years with excellent results. I do not test my water. I've never had a problem. I do make sure the water temp is constant and I have a routine of changes and salt, etc.
Yes, he is in the 29 gal tank. I divided it in two with a drain board that allows for circulation of water. Same temp on both sides. I took out the convicts who were trying to get to him, but left in the small plecostimus, who is improving from fungus(?) on eyes. How can this tank go so wrong?? I used water from the 125 and ceramic media from there also. Did not have new tank syndrome and this tank has been set up for a couple months.
It sounds as if your tank maintaince program is excellent and combined with your experience makes you an excellent fishkeeper.
As the pleco has had a fungus and the green terror is ill it would be a good idea to test the water and please don't take this as casting a question mark on your husbandry skills. Water parameters sometimes get thrown off even to the best and most experienced aquarists and the great (and humble) ones will always test the water as it eliminates the doubt of water quality problems because if ammonia and/or nitrites are present or nitrates are high then no medicine in the world can cure a sick fish.
Now it's quite possible that a new fish could have brought in the illness or that there's something different in the new tank that was not present in the main tank. An example of this would be a tank decoration. Some decorations begin to chip and give off toxins in the water. I don't know if any of these situations apply to your case but it's good to check them out.
Ok--as for a treatment plan: 1) Test the water and verify it's good
2) Change 25% of the water.
3) Add 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt per every 5 gallons of water (I'm sure you knew this already)
4) Begin to treat the fish with a medicine called General Cure, see link below, which not only contains metronidazole (which you mentioned you had tried prior) but another medicine called Praziquantel. The combination of these two medicines might just be able to put the fish over the top and cure him.
It might also be a good idea to drop the water temperature to 78f degrees as this will slow the fish's metabolism a little bit and allow for a higher oxygen level in the water.
So give the above recommendations a try and please let me know if you have any questions.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16807
Could you please tell me what ideal parameters are for him? I feel like a dunce and can't believe I've obviously been so lucky all this time.
This is what I have wondered, also. I bought a piece of African wood from drs foster& smith that just keep giving off tannins, though it was soaked for several days before I put it in the tank. I'm taking that out and dropping the temp a couple degrees as suggested. I'll get the water tested tomorrow. I hope I'm not too late. He just lays there and every time I approach I think this is it, and then he tries to get up, but only for me. I am just crazy about Webster. He had such a personality...more like a puppy. Can I get ahold of you tomorrow or sometime?
Generally speaking, Green Terrors are hardy fish and do not require stringent water parameters. The basic water parameters for them are:
Water temp= 74f-82f degrees
Ph= 6.8-7.6
Water hardness- soft to slightly hard.
Some caves placed in the tank such as an overturned plant holder with an opening for them to hide in.
It's highly probable that the tannins the African wood is leaching out are causing the ph to drop. How low and how quickly I cannot say. The only way to have verified this would have been to test the ph prior to adding the wood and then continually testing the water's ph while the wood was in the water.
Is a ph drop a problem---possibly. So it would be a good idea to take the wood out of the tank, just to be on the safe side.
And please don't feel like a dunce. What's happening to you has happened to just about all fishkeepers, your's truly included.
You can contact me anytime you'd like. All you need to do is continue with this same post. If for some reason I'm not on line I will get back to you as soon as I sign on.
Yes, let's hope for the best and hope it's not too late as the longer a fish has been sick the lesser the chances are for recovery.
Ok- great.
My name is Ric.
You're most welcome.
YOUR TROPICAL FISH RESOURCE
OVER 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE W/TROPICAL FISH---BREEDING, MAINTAINING, CURING