BIG problem with ram need help fast!!!!

[mr funktastic]

i dont know what is wrong with it. i was pretty sure it was a male but it seems to be almost puffed up and the bottom of it looks... well like its ass is inflamed for lack of better words. maybe it is a female holding eggs? or is this some kind of disease? please respond fast!!!i dont know what to do

 

[mr funktastic]

ok got a picture

 

[aquakev]

a while ago I had something that looked like this in my rams. Have you seen any red thread like things poking out of the bottoms of your fish?- that could be bad.

Also, it could be a female, hard to tell from the pic, but if its a little tube thing, short and stubby sticking out it is in spawning mode. The only reason I dont think it is the tuber thing is that it looks all red and inflamed down there.

You should do research on internal parasites!

 

[aquakev]

here is a site with great articles on freshwater fish diseases, parasites ect. and how to deal with them if in fact it is a problem of this nature.

http://www.simplydiscus.com/library/disease_medications/index.shtml

 

[mr funktastic]

ok i looked through it but none seems to be like what my fish is experiencing. it is bloated and has an irrated skin thingy but.... i dont know nothing really matches

 

[Meredith]

Oh wow. I don't know what that is, but its definitely not right. From what I understand rams can be pretty sensitive to meds, so what I would do until you find out for sure what is going on, definitely daily water changes, and a little melafix wont hurt.
Good luck!

 

[Tiffi]

I'm not sure what it is, but your ram looks pretty bumpy. It might be a female, hard to tell from the picture, but if that are eggs, "she" should have a pink belly all over. The bumbs also seem to be on the back!

 

[TankGirl]

I too suspect an internal parasite, but I do not know. I am moving this over to Unhealthy Fish for more responses.

 

[mr funktastic]

ok now there is a bubble under where the red is on the pic and it appears that more of the botoom is red. could it be internal bleeding? i have an angle a guppy and 2 ottos in the tank right now with the ram so i dont think it was attacked. they are in a 20 gal. i am really getting fraked out

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Try searching on www.fishyfarmacy.com.

 

[TankGirl]

Can you get this fish into a quarrantine tank? I think it ought to be removed from the rest of your fish for diagnosis and treatment, if at all possible.

 

[aquakev]

My suggestion to you is to put the fish into a observation/qt tank if you can, simply to observe it. Try to watch it poop, Look for slimy white, clear or yellowy fecal matter. If a fish that is being fed normally or is not eating as much as it normally would and is bloated

Here is something that I found that reminded me of your fish:
Hexamita is a small (3 -- 18 m) intestinal parasite commonly found in the intestinal tract of freshwater fish. Sick fish are extremely thin and the abdomen may be distended (Simplydiscus.com).

As non of us are there to look at your fish, and the pet store will give you bad advice, you just need to look at the sources I provided yourself and then look for the symptoms in your fish and use your judgement to attempt to do something about it.

My best guess is Hexamita / Spironucleus and it is common in angelfish and the fish that share tanks with them.

 

[Tiffi]

@aquakev: I wouldn't say it's Hexamita, since the fishes are supposed to loose weight when they have that disease. The ram doesn't look like he lost weight at all. Instead he has bumps all over his body (e.g. on the back), a bloated abdomen.

I've looked at all kinds of disease information online and think we should concentrate on the swellings. The only diseases I have found with bloating are abdominal dropsy and fish tuberculosis. If this fish really has tuberculosis you have to be very careful with your tank and don't just stick your hand in there since it can also infect humans. Google around and try to find the best medication/treatment results for these diseases.

If you don't have a microscope, you can't be sure what most infections are, since most diseases don't include all the symptoms, they always look different.

As long as nobody has a different idea (considering the bloating and clearly visible bumps) I would say separate him from the others, try to find a medicament to treat him with.

 

[mr funktastic]

i have no way of seperating him from the others beside a breeding box. i have 2 other 10 gallon but one has guppies in itand the other has a small cichlid. he also seems to be swimming on an angle like his head is higher than his tail when he swims almost like in the picture. now it looks like he/she is resting in the plants just kinda sitting there breathing. i have no idea what kind of medicating it will need so i am at a loss. any other advice is welcome and thanks for the advice so far.

 

[mr funktastic]

 

[workfortheman]

Mr funktastic,
sorry about the stress this is surely causing you. I hate seeing rams go downhill . . especially slowly.

What temp. are you at? The only advice I can give you is set the tank at 85degrees if at all possible. Rams like it this hot, and this might even help combat internal parasites (purely a guess

GL!!! :|

 

[Tiffi]

Well, sounds like he's doing worse . Can't you transfer the small cichlid to the guppies for a short while or so?

I guess there are medicaments that you can treat dropsy and tuberculosis at the same time.

Found this online (http://www.pbsco.com/conwayfish/tips.htm):
"DROPSY
Symptom: The body will have general swelling with protrusion of the scales. The Eyes may also bulge.
Dropsy is a bacterial disease that attacks nearly all the internal organs of the fish, causing a concentration of fluids in body tissue or cavities. Be careful not to confuse Dropsy with Egg Binding, natural spawning cycles or just an obese fish. The scales of a male Cardinal Tetra or Playfairi will stand out from his body during spawning periods. This is normal, but would give false symptoms of dropsy. Tuberculosis can also cause the body to swell and the scales to protrude. But the treatment for Dropsy is basically the same as for Tuberculosis.
Treatment: Dropsy is not very infectious. However, the treatment should be done in a hospital tank. The best treatment for this is a gram negative antibiotic such as Nitrofuran (Furan) or Kanamycin Sulfate. Follow all manufacturers instructions."

Or here are some other great side:
http://www.fishpalace.org/Disease.html#Dropsy

 

[Friendly]

I think it's dropsy. Your ram seems to have the same type of illness one of my Piranhas had. When I saw the pic of your ram I immediately thought of my piranha. I think it's an internal infection caused by bacteria. I quarantined my piranha and battled the infection for a month. Meds didn’t seem to have an affect on the illness. Unfortunately I couldn't save my poor piranha and it died My piranha was also swimming very awkward just like your ram and would rest in the middle of plants.

Some meds that I used on my piranha were melafix, pimafix, and furan2.

Also has your ram been eating?

 

[Tiffi]

@friendly: That is part of the dropsy and tuberculosis infection, that most times medicaments don't help .

 

[mr funktastic]

it is definatly droopsy because the scales are doing the same thing. will raising the temp help possibly? i dont think i can get meds any time soon. i quarantined him to a big breeding box in the same tank and i dont think he has been eating. i will raise the temp and ope for the best. also i dont know if nayone saw it but i put the there is a small bubble that formed under the red spot. just a little clear bubble. what could this be? i hate to see fish get sick and thanks again for all your help.