I have a 6 year old bolivian ram that has started to show a white film on his scales. I know that he is quite old and I believe this is a bacteria infection due to his age. I am hesitant to put him through any type of treatment. the first thing I am concerned about is will this bacteria spread to my other fish? I read that it isn't really an opportune infection since the aquarium always will have bacteria in it. it seems to be a disease that occurs when the tank is not well taken care of or if the fish already has a problem such as mine being so old. this aquarium has been set up for 10 years. all parameters are normal and a 25% water change is done every 5 days. all other fish are healthy. my ram is eating, swimming and acting normal. I am thinking of just letting this run it's course. I don't think he would survive the treatment. just don't want other fish to get infected. any advice?
bolivian ram
- Thread starter jpchin
- Start date
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You did a great job keeping your ram alive so long. They are not the most durable fish in the hobby. It sounds like you keep your tank very clean and the chances of a bacterial outbreak are probably small. The ram 's fate is a judgement call. If you believe he is a threat to his tankmates then of course take him out of the tank. Life for a weakened fish in an aquarium is usually not pleasent as they are constantly picked on. Personally I wouldn't keep one in that condition. Good luck.
thanks so much for your reply. I agree that I don't want him to suffer.
at this time he is acting totally normal. eating, swimming, and in no distress. he is in a 55 gal. tank with rainbow fish. they are very placid fish so no danger of them beating up on him. my plan is to observe him for the next few days to see if his condition deteriorates. I've had him so long that I feel I need to give him a chance to recover especially since this is an opportunist condition and not one that is necessarily contagious. I will euthanize if that becomes necessary even though it will be very difficult.
thanks again for taking the time to respond to my post.
at this time he is acting totally normal. eating, swimming, and in no distress. he is in a 55 gal. tank with rainbow fish. they are very placid fish so no danger of them beating up on him. my plan is to observe him for the next few days to see if his condition deteriorates. I've had him so long that I feel I need to give him a chance to recover especially since this is an opportunist condition and not one that is necessarily contagious. I will euthanize if that becomes necessary even though it will be very difficult.thanks again for taking the time to respond to my post.
