My ram has a large flesh colored bump (pimple?) - is it treatable?

[splintercat]

Hello,
I noticed today that my GBR has a large flesh colored bump on him. Might even be pimple-like.
He's in a heavily planted 29g tank with 3 other rams, 3 white/2 black skirt tetras, and 14 rummys. Tank's been up and running since April. I've had this ram for a few months now. The tank has an aquaclear 70 and a penguin bio wheel 50 on it. Everyone's fed a mix of veg flakes and shrimp pellets.

About a week ago I added a few apple snails.

Tank has 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 40 nitrates, and ph is around 7.

I do weekly water changes of 30-40 %

[jlk]

Hi! Thanks for the information! How long has he had this growth? Does it have a red/blood shot perimeter or does it appear simply as a growth (like a wart)? Hard to tell from my cell, but is it fleshy or is it fuzzy at all?

Ok, non-fish queries. What brand are the flakes and shrimp pellets? Do you feed anything else or any other type of food? Thanks!

[splintercat]

Hi, thanks for the reply! It's dark in the tank now but I think it was just flesh/pink colored, not really red. I just noticed the growth today but I don't think it could have been there more than a couple days. It seems just fleshy, not fuzzy at all.

Flakes are HBH tropical flake frenzy, pellets are wardley (realized after I got them that they're not thel lucky and instead get best brand, was gonna use them up then get some better ones.) Edit: they are fed once per day. 5 shakes of flakes and 5-6 pellets.
Some days they get lucky and instead get frozen blood worms when I remember... Maybe once a week.

[jlk]

Thanks! I am actually not familiar with HBH foods but toss the wardley stuff. Its one of the poorest quality foods out there. If the fish has no signs of infection (red ring around the growth, fuzzy or stringiness, etc), then my best guess is he has a lymphocystic growth.

This is a viral disease that causes fleshy tumors/growths. Its not fatal but can be unsightly and disfiguring. There is no treatment. In some causes, veterinary intervention is necessary if the growth becomes too large or interferes with eating, breathing or swimming. Treatment consists of supporting the fish's immune system. This means perfect parameters and lots of wcs (nitrates should be kept as close to zero as possible) and nutritious diet. New Life Spectrum's Thera A with garlic in addition to some fresh foods would be great choices. Some people claim to have success using daily baths of acriflavine- its worth a try! An aquatic vet may also be able to offer other prescription options. Good luck and please do not hesitate to ask questions!

[splintercat]

thanks for your help! If its viral does that mean its contagous (should I qt him)? I'll try find that food you suggested, but what kind of fresh food would you suggest? I put cucumber/zucchini in sometimes for the snails but the rams don't seem too interested in them.

[jlk]

Its mildly contagious within a species (ie, cichlid to cichlid) but some fish are never affected, some are carriers (asymptomatic) and some are affected. Its only active when a growth is present (like a cold sore). If you have the means to qt him, that's great! If not, just keep the water super healthy.

I don't personally keep rams, but my fish love cooked broccoli flowers, deshelled smooshed peas, spinach, carrots, etc (all cooked). They also love fruits, particularly oranges. Other fresh stuff is what you are already feeding- defrosted bloddworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, etc. Hikari and few other brands offer frozen mixes for tropicals and veggie frozen mixes that may be easier to try for feeding veggies. Keep us posted if you have any concerns or questions!

[splintercat]

Hmm so when I got home from work today the bump was greatly reduced in size, so I'll just stick with frequent water changes rather than try get a qt tank set up (I THINK I have everything for one, but would have to search).

And thanks for the food tips I'll try get a more varied died going! You're being a huge help and I really appreciate it!

[jlk]

Glad to hear this! Stay on top of the water changes and work on some dietary improvements and you should be in good shape! If anything changes, please let us know!