Sick cardinal

[Bray84]

My cardinals look like its ill, can someone is from this pic please

Water test are fine apart from nitrates at 10 and phosphates at .04

 

[Bray84]

Can some help with any info as what's growing in pic opened up and has now came off and there's hole in side of fish

 

[dingusplease]

Could you please clarify what you think is wrong? I don't know much about Cardinals, but it would help if you pointed out what in the pic you think could be a problem.

 

[Bray84]

Hi if you look at the pic it's the pink swollen bit under the tail fin, don't know real name.
Thinks could be worm or some kind of parasite. Started with lump and started getting bigger then turned pink, few days later looked like open wound then went to catch him and big chunk of him popped off and he had big hole in side of him plus fins started looking bad. He's getting better now tho which I can't believe.

 

[dingusplease]

Hi if you look at the pic it's the pink swollen bit under the tail fin, don't know real name.
Thinks could be worm or some kind of parasite. Started with lump and started getting bigger then turned pink, few days later looked like open wound then went to catch him and big chunk of him popped off and he had big hole in side of him plus fins started looking bad. He's getting better now tho which I can't believe.

Hmm I can't think of anything. I'm glad your cardinal is getting better though! Make sure to keep a close eye on him though - if the ailment was a parasite it may attach again (like how ich can "disappear" and reappear.)

 

[Bray84]

That's the thing no one really got idea who I've asked, will do just hope ain't nothing to bad as had ich last year and that was a pain to kill off.

 

[54seaweed]

my cardinals look just like yours and yours looks fine to me , they are a shy fish and if someone messes with them they tend to hide and sometimes hang close to the rocks
that hole is his gill

looking again the rear of the fish butt seems to be inflamed
almost like when there getting ready to spawn a nest

 

[Bray84]

Mine ain't shy he's the boss of the tank apart from the female clown when she's in a mood lol. Don't mean be rude but if didn't know what gill was wouldn't have fish. It's above it's butt as they poop from there vents and do they make nest when they mate?