Large Green Terror Sick

[Sher_Khan]

Hi All
Please could some take a look at my green terror and suggest what’s happened with the guy, he was such a perfect specimen up until about a week ago when suddenly his mouth seem to have swelled it looked like his teeth wet protruding almost, I fist put this down to him swallowing something large, but then noticed one side of his mouth had a huge lump, fast forward to yesterday and the lump has burst and now looks like an open wound.
He is off his food and generally no where near as bossy as usual and still has his mouth open all the time, any suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[SalviniCichlidFan]

Columnaris maybe?

 

[duanes]

Here is an example of a Columnaris infection, yours appears to be the same.

It comes from gram negative bacteria which is most virulent in water temps above 82'F.
You'll need an antibiotic effective against gram - bacteria.

 

[SalviniCichlidFan]

if it really is columnaris, then... oof, my condolences to the OP

 

[Randles]

A week ago? Wow, that looks like its been going on for longer than that surely? That's a lot of damage to go from "such a perfect specimen" in just a week. You need antibiotics asap if there is any hope of saving him. I wish you and the GT the best of luck.

 

[duanes]

Symptoms are not that obvious at first.
The general color of the fish intensifies, it stops eating, and begins to hover

Mine were in quarantine when I first spotted the disease ( I usually QT all new fish at least 3 months before adding to a community).
But the disease progresses quickly, once noticed it only lasted a few days it died.
It was during a summer heat wave, there were 2 more of the same species in the tank, and both also died soon after.
I believe the quick progress of the disease was hastened by the heat.

 

[Randles]

Symptoms are not that obvious at first.
The general color of the fish intensifies, it stops eating, and begins to hover
View attachment 1494547
Mine were in quarantine when I first spotted the disease ( I usually QT all new fish at least 3 months before adding to a community).
But the disease progresses quickly, once noticed it only lasted a few days it died.
It was during a summer heat wave, there were 2 more of the same species in the tank, and both also died soon after.
I believe the quick progress of the disease was hastened by the heat.
View attachment 1494548

Never knew this, thanks for the info. It's sounds well nasty!!

 

[duanes]

This disease is very insidious, and has many incarnations.
In live bearers it often presents as fungus like tufts, and back in the 60s it was often called live bearer disease.
In cichlids it often appears as the atrophied jaw anomaly, early on when FHs appeared, it was called Flower Horn disease/Duck Lips.
Both eras were times when hybridization was exceedingly popular. I theorize there is a connection, that along with the fish being hybridized, so is the bacteria, becoming a super bug.
Perhaps also, the overuse of antibiotics in trying to bring many weakened individual FHs to market.

And when conditions get tough for the bacteria, it forms inert spores with impermeable cell walls, that resist meds, and dryness.
The spores can remain viable in a smudge of dry mud for extended periods, that reawaken when they come in contact with water again, to reinfect a tank.
Once the 3 cichlids in my QT tank died, I disinfected the entire tank and anything its water touched with bleach.
At any indication of its return, I now euthanize all fish in the tank symptomatic or not.

 

[Sher_Khan]

Thanks to everyone for the replies, he’s hanging in there for the moment, I’m quarantine him and at the moment he just seems to shy away and is not eating, no other fish has any issue I hope it doesn’t spread to any others ?

 

[Gourami Swami]

Get some antibiotics, that will be your only hope. I would use something like API furan