Growing Out My Green Terror

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The fish is now sick and is refusing to eat. He is producing white stringy faeces but other than that he is acting normally. For the last few days, he will take food but spits it out after chewing it for a minute or so. I've tried soaking his food in Epsom salt but I can't get him to swallow it. Is there any non oral treatment I could try?
Thanks
Steve


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If you have the courage, use a pipette and put a few drop of epsom salt solution directly down the fishes throat. Otherwise, (what has worked for me quite a few times), is to treat with Tetra Parasite guard for the maximum amount of treatments (which I thinks is 3) per the directions on the box. After the last treatment, the fish starts to eat again, and I feed the epsom salt soaked pellets for 5 days.
 
If you have the courage, use a pipette and put a few drop of epsom salt solution directly down the fishes throat. Otherwise, (what has worked for me quite a few times), is to treat with Tetra Parasite guard for the maximum amount of treatments (which I thinks is 3) per the directions on the box. After the last treatment, the fish starts to eat again, and I feed the epsom salt soaked pellets for 5 days.

Thanks, I'll have a look for the parasite guard tomorrow. I'll consider the pipette technique a last resort


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Thought it was time for an update six months on. Firstly, regarding his sickness...

If you have the courage, use a pipette and put a few drop of epsom salt solution directly down the fishes throat.

After everything else failed, this is exactly what I did and it brought him back from what looked like the brink of death. Thanks Rocksor.

A couple of months ago, he made the jump into the big tank and has settled in nicely. He shares this with a firemouth, 18 tiger barbs, a bristlenose plec and a green phantom plec. The introduction didn't go as well as I'd hoped - my firemouth knocked him around quite a bit and chased him a hell of a lot for the first few weeks. He lost his long trailers and had a small chunk missing from his tail fin. This settled down fairly quickly though, his appetite went through the roof and his growth has been really noticeable.
I just got back from a weekend away and my housemate told me that the two of them had been fighting and that the GT wasn't backing down. Although I haven't seen them fight myself, they are definately acting differently around each other - the GT still seems fast to get out of the firemouth's way, but the firemouth is now flaring at him, which he never did before. Whilst I was doing a water change tonight I noticed the firemouth's face is actually a bit scratched up although I can't see any damage on the GT, so I guess he must be holding his own. Anyway, some pics...
Photo 28-08-2013 20 54 04.jpgPhoto 28-08-2013 20 54 06.jpgPhoto 28-08-2013 20 56 21.jpgPhoto 28-08-2013 20 56 24.jpgPhoto 28-08-2013 20 56 36.jpgPhoto 28-08-2013 20 59 13.jpg
As you can see, his tail fin has grown back completely, although his streamers aren't as long as they were.

Steve

Photo 28-08-2013 20 54 04.jpg

Photo 28-08-2013 20 54 06.jpg

Photo 28-08-2013 20 56 21.jpg

Photo 28-08-2013 20 56 24.jpg

Photo 28-08-2013 20 56 36.jpg

Photo 28-08-2013 20 59 13.jpg
 
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