Getting really scared for my big girl....she is around 7 yrs old now, and stopped eating around a month ago since then I have been able to coax her into taking a little mussel or shrimp or bloodworm....but only by putting it on to a fork and literally placing it at her mouth to try and initiate a reaction, its been more than 2 weeks ssince she would even do this.....When she didn't eat for a week I treated the tank with Octozin which is a source of Met thinking she may possibly have early signs of bloat or impaction....but 2 courses later she still shows no inclination to eat, she is now very lethargic sitting almost on the bottom of the tank...
This all started in my opinion when she got into a fight a couple of months ago with a 12" Umbie he bit her eye....which became infected....after treating with anti-bacterial meds the infection cleared up it left the eye still a little 'mangled' looking but at least the infection cleared. She stopped eating while the infection was at its worst but after it cleared up she began eating again with gusto and I was so relieved, the only thing that was different was she wouldn't touch prawns which she had loved before but now would only eat pellets and food sticks....when she stopped eating the second time after about a week....she developed a large patch of new black pigmentation round her affected eye...this is still there yet...it is definitely pigment not bruising....which I've never seen with a fish before and after much forum searching and googling haven't seen anyone elses fish do this either....i'm thinking maybe some of the bacteria got behind the eye and travelled up the optic nerve causing some kind of brain infection....
The tank is a 255gal she is in there with some other large cichlids an Irwini and 2 Silver Arros.....params are all fine Amm= 0 Nitrite =0 Nitrate 20-50, water is changed 25-30% weekly, no other fish is affected...(Umbie now in his own 135gal), or bothering her(at 20"+ no one goes near her)....I have more Octozin on order to try a third course...but not sure she is going to make it, last couple of days I have done an extra W/c may do another tonight....
Any thoughts ? I'm especially interested to hear if anyone has seen or heard of another fish develop 'spontaneous' pigmentation...
hating fishkeeping right now....
This all started in my opinion when she got into a fight a couple of months ago with a 12" Umbie he bit her eye....which became infected....after treating with anti-bacterial meds the infection cleared up it left the eye still a little 'mangled' looking but at least the infection cleared. She stopped eating while the infection was at its worst but after it cleared up she began eating again with gusto and I was so relieved, the only thing that was different was she wouldn't touch prawns which she had loved before but now would only eat pellets and food sticks....when she stopped eating the second time after about a week....she developed a large patch of new black pigmentation round her affected eye...this is still there yet...it is definitely pigment not bruising....which I've never seen with a fish before and after much forum searching and googling haven't seen anyone elses fish do this either....i'm thinking maybe some of the bacteria got behind the eye and travelled up the optic nerve causing some kind of brain infection....
The tank is a 255gal she is in there with some other large cichlids an Irwini and 2 Silver Arros.....params are all fine Amm= 0 Nitrite =0 Nitrate 20-50, water is changed 25-30% weekly, no other fish is affected...(Umbie now in his own 135gal), or bothering her(at 20"+ no one goes near her)....I have more Octozin on order to try a third course...but not sure she is going to make it, last couple of days I have done an extra W/c may do another tonight....
Any thoughts ? I'm especially interested to hear if anyone has seen or heard of another fish develop 'spontaneous' pigmentation...
hating fishkeeping right now....
