I recently added a German Blue Ram to my tank (probably about 3 weeks ago). For the past few days he has had a red bump on his anus. I am not certain whether this is constipation or parasites. All of the other fish in the tank appear healthy. How can I still the difference? Thank you.
German Blue Ram - parasite or constipation?
- Thread starter danafinch
- Start date
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jlk
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hi & welcome! What are your exact water parameters (amm, nitrite, nitrate, ph)? Is he eating & pooping? Have you noticed any other symptoms (strange or stringy white/clear poop, unusual behaviors or swimming, bloating or shrunken stomach, fading color, etc)? Have you seen any worms or anything strange? Are you able to qt? Some more info will help us to help you better!
Total ammonia = .5ppm (free ammonia detector registers 0)
Nitrites = .25ppm
Nitrates = 10ppm
pH = 6.0
He has been eating although he doesn't seem to eat much (he likes the frozen brine shrimp the best, I just put some cucumber in so we will see if anyone likes that). I am not certain about pooping since I am gone most of the day. Before this all started my girlfriend said she noted some stringy white poop hanging off of him. Otherwise he seems healthy. Colors are good, doesn't appear bloated or sunken. His swimming appears normal although he doesn't move around a ton. I have not seen any worms and all the other fish in the tank appear healthy. I had two otocinclus die recently. I had read that they have a tendency to do that so I was not really concerned. They didn't appear abnormal in any way when they died. The third oto is still alive and also appears healthy. I am not able to quarantine.
Nitrites = .25ppm
Nitrates = 10ppm
pH = 6.0
He has been eating although he doesn't seem to eat much (he likes the frozen brine shrimp the best, I just put some cucumber in so we will see if anyone likes that). I am not certain about pooping since I am gone most of the day. Before this all started my girlfriend said she noted some stringy white poop hanging off of him. Otherwise he seems healthy. Colors are good, doesn't appear bloated or sunken. His swimming appears normal although he doesn't move around a ton. I have not seen any worms and all the other fish in the tank appear healthy. I had two otocinclus die recently. I had read that they have a tendency to do that so I was not really concerned. They didn't appear abnormal in any way when they died. The third oto is still alive and also appears healthy. I am not able to quarantine.
jlk
Aquarium Advice Addict
Your tank is not properly cycled yet with ammonia & nitrites present. This should be your first concern because you will need to do water changes (probably daily) to drop your toxin levels down. Heres a link with more info:
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!
I would suggest treating your tank with a anti-parasite product that contains the active ingredients metronizadole & praziquantel. I believe Jungle makes one as well as a few other brands & they are carried by most Petsmarts/chain type stores. Alternately, you can purchase prazi & metro online from a few places (DrsFoster & Smith, American Aquarium Products, National Fish Pharmceuticals are a few). Good luck & dont hesitate to ask questions!
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!
I would suggest treating your tank with a anti-parasite product that contains the active ingredients metronizadole & praziquantel. I believe Jungle makes one as well as a few other brands & they are carried by most Petsmarts/chain type stores. Alternately, you can purchase prazi & metro online from a few places (DrsFoster & Smith, American Aquarium Products, National Fish Pharmceuticals are a few). Good luck & dont hesitate to ask questions!
The tank has NOT completed cycling. I recently moved my fish to a new/bigger tank and the tank has not completed cycling. I test the water daily and do regular water changes.
Should I still go ahead and treat the fish with an anti-parasitic or just do more water changes?
Should I still go ahead and treat the fish with an anti-parasitic or just do more water changes?
jlk
Aquarium Advice Addict
I am glad to hear your staying on top of your water changes! Are you possibily able to qt the fish in question for treatment? If not, you can try treating but it may be a bit tricky because healthy water needs to come first or meds will not help. If you are only doing one water change a day, you can redose the amount of meds you are removing (ie- 50% wc, redose 1/2 original dose). Hope this helps!
I picked up some Tetra Parasite Guard today. Hopefully that will do the trick. I also ordered some Levamisole HCl just in case the parasite is camallanus and the first treatment is ineffective. Thank you again for your input.
So I am on my second dose of Parasite Guard and the German Blue Ram isn't looking very good. I woke up this morning and he is just hoovering at the top of the tank in the same place. He also has some white squiggly poop hanging off of him. Is there anything else I can do for him?? I also bought Levamisole, should I try treating with that next? Thanks for your help.
jlk
Aquarium Advice Addict
How do your water parameters look? I would do a water change asap & finish the whole treatment of the parasite meds before considering new meds. Im sorry he is not doing well. Good luck!
I just checked the water parameters and they are perfect...
pH = 6.4
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrate = 0ppm
nitrite = 0ppm
I don't think it's a water issue. When I was talking about the other medication, I meant I would complete this cycle, put the filter back in to clear out the first medication, and try the other medication (if he makes it that long).
I still don't see any worms but his anus is very red. Like I said, all the other fish are healthy. Any other ideas?
pH = 6.4
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrate = 0ppm
nitrite = 0ppm
I don't think it's a water issue. When I was talking about the other medication, I meant I would complete this cycle, put the filter back in to clear out the first medication, and try the other medication (if he makes it that long).
I still don't see any worms but his anus is very red. Like I said, all the other fish are healthy. Any other ideas?
jlk
Aquarium Advice Addict
Im glad your water isnt an issue right now. Yes, complete these meds, do a wc & run carbon to remove anything that may be left & give the levamisole a try. I wish you luck!
DragonFish71
Great white snark
Remember that rams are sensitive fish, treat them at half dose for a longer period of time. Not to mention some meds can disrupt the cycling process. So do both the BB and the GBR a favor and do the half doses.
Example: the product says 4 drops per gallon (we'll use a 10g) daily for 4 days. That's 40 drops a for 4 days.
You instead do 20 a day for 8 days.
It really makes it easier on the sensitive fish
Example: the product says 4 drops per gallon (we'll use a 10g) daily for 4 days. That's 40 drops a for 4 days.
You instead do 20 a day for 8 days.
It really makes it easier on the sensitive fish
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