green terrror

Question
I have a green terror that shares a tank with african cichlids, tiger barbs and an eel. Today I noticed one of his eyes is very swollen, and he is not eating. He is acting very timid and not himself. My normally very hungry eel is not eating either, though he shows no sign of illlness otherwise his lack of appetite. Please help!!

Answer
Hi Melissa,
 Unfortunately that doesn't sound good.  Swollen eyes are usually one of two things: someone bit him badly, or his very stressed (and has what is called popeye).  Popeye is often aggravated by poor water quality in the tank and that can even be the source of stress.  Are you doing regular partial water changes?  You should be changing around 20% of the water in the tank once a week, every week.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>