White fleshy lump on my Ram! 05/11/08 Hi WWM crew, <Greetings.> I am truly hoping you can help me. Having scoured the web for an answer I am at a loss. First up - tank statistics: 63L, 4 rummy nosed tetras, 3 albino cory's, 3 female + 1 male guppies, one Male and one Female dwarf gourami, and finally one Male + one Female German Blue ram. <Hmm... somewhat overstocked, and more to the point not all these fish are reliable investments. Dwarf Gouramis and Rams are very low down the scale of "good value" fish thanks to a combination of poor farming practice and very specific requirements. For example, Rams need soft, acidic *very warm* water (around 28-30C) to do well; anything else and they become very disease prone. Your Guppies would hate you with the heat of a nova if you put them into sufficiently soft and acidic water for the Rams to do well, while the Corydoras would be severely stressed by the high temperatures Rams like, being essentially subtropical fish. Now, whilst all these fish are sold as "community tropicals", my point here is that that's more a marketing gimmick than a reflection of biological reality.> My problem lies with my male Ram. A few weeks ago he developed a white lump on his back, just at the join of his dorsal fin. At the time he was guarding the latest batch of eggs that the female laid. I had removed a few of the eggs to raise myself (left them suspended in the main tank in a net near the water flow from the filter), as the eggs left with the parents succumb to fungus. In order to feed the fry that hatched from the eggs I had removed, I used green water from an outside "pond". <Whilst I'm thrilled your fish are spawning, I'd suspect that the cyst is somehow related to the fact your fish is (presumably) not in ideal environmental conditions. There's really no two ways to put this: Rams require conditions that *aren't* those enjoyed by most community fish. When kept in community tanks, they sooner or later manifest a problem because their immune system isn't working 100%.> I was slightly concerned about the lump on the male ram, but as he was feeding and acting normally I just hoped that it would resolve itself. It didn't seem to bother him at all, in as much as he guarded another batch of eggs a couple of weeks later. The lump hasn't resolved itself and has recently got much larger and is rather "fleshy" looking now (not cottony). It is cream coloured and lately has red streaks through it, making me think this is blood. <Could be one of at least two things. The first is Lymphocystis, a disease that is reasonably commonly seen with "advanced" fish like Cichlids. It's a viral disease the causes of which remain unclear, but in the wild at least, biologists usually put the appearance of Lympho as being related to water pollution. For the aquarist, the best that can be said is that it's a sign that all is not well. Lympho isn't treatable, but under good conditions will clear up after a few months (or years!). The second option is a simple secondary infection similar to Finrot; i.e., damage to the superficial tissues has allowed bacteria to form a mass of necrotic (dead) tissue. Because the "lump" is red and sore-looking, I'm favouring this latter.> He seems to be in some distress now, as he isn't feeding and seems to be "breathing rapidly" with a wide open mouth (not a the surface of the water though). He is clearly off colour as the female laid eggs last night and nothing she could do could get him interested. <Ah, if the infection is spreading, then yes, that would account for respiratory or other distress. In any case, definitely need to assume Finrot (or similar) and treat with a suitable antibiotic/antibacterial.> I have now seen the appearance of 2 red dots on him (looks a little like blood blisters), one further forward than the fleshy lump on his dorsal but still at the fin/body join; and the other dot on his anal fin, where it meets the body. <Blisters are commonly associated with Aeromonas/Pseudomonas infections of the type that cause Finrot. Put simply, the immune system is overwhelmed by the bacteria, allowing tissue to die. Blockages in the blood vessels result in the red colour.> Having now realized that this is not going to fix itself, I am currently treating him with Bactonex (1ml: 1.66mg Aminacrine hydrochloride + 0.025mg Methylene blue). I have a feeling that perhaps he's picked something up from the pond water that I introduced in order to feed the young fry - He is the only one in the tank that is sick however. I've attached 2 photos that I took (as best I could) that show you the lump, and the two red spots. <While it is certainly possible "something" came in with the pond water, in reality these secondary infections are typically caused by bacteria in the aquarium anyway. Aeromonas for example are "good" bacteria when the fish are healthy, playing a role in the nitrogen cycle by breaking down feces and uneaten food into the ammonia the filter can deal with. But when the fish is weakened (e.g., by being kept too cold) the bacteria can become troublesome. This is *prime* problem with Rams, simply because they have evolved to live in very warm water.> I do hope you can help me identify what disease or parasite he has so that I can treat him appropriately. He is my favorite fish as he is stunning and has grown into a great dad :( <Rams are indeed lovely fish. But they do need warm (28+C), soft (1-3 degrees dH), acidic (pH 5-6) water -- which is not what most of us keep our community tanks at. Because of this, the vast majority of specimens die a few months after leaving the fish farm. For aquarists after a hardier "ram" cichlid, I'd heartily recommend the Bolivian Ram Mikrogeophagus altispinosus, a species that lives in cooler, harder, and more neutral water conditions. Not so pretty perhaps, but easier to keep. Apistogramma cacatuoides is another superb little South American dwarf cichlid ideally suited to "normal" water chemistry.> I look forward to hearing from you soon! Worried Ram Owner. <Hope this has helped. Cheers, Neale.>

RE: White fleshy lump on my Ram! 5/15/08 Hi Neale, Unfortunately my ram was dead last night when I returned home from work. <Sorry to hear that.> Strangely, his white lump had disappeared... <Likely decayed away...> Thanks heaps for your advice, I'll take it onboard and redistribute some of my fish! <Very good. Trust me on this... keep fish that *all* like the same conditions, you job is a lot easier!> Saddened Ex ram owner <Cheers, Neale.>

More fish issues... Ram et al fish dis.... env. and "medicine" derived   4/7/08 Again I come to you. I don't know if I will be "talking" to the same people that I did last week but the Black Sailfin Molly Passed away :( And he succumbed really really fast. It was less than 48 hrs after first sign of fin rot (turned into body). I started treating with fungus cure about 10 hrs before he died but I am guessing it was too late. Well, I don't know if it was because I moved him back into the main tank from my QT (thinking he was doing better, it all started with just a shimmy that stopped) or what (I actually think he might have caught the fungus in the qt tank because I have never "disinfected it" I only changed the water. At any rate...the humpback Danio and possible neon tetra diseased tetra are still alive and seem okay (not eating well but a little) and I have developed more problems in my main 100 gallon tank. UHoh. Well, a few weeks ago my Bala sharks (3 out of 4) started showing fin slits and pieces missing. <Something/s awry here...> They were otherwise healthy so I just added some salt and they haven't gotten any worse. <Not all animals, plants... tolerate salt/s> BUT on of my German Rams and possibly on my giant Gourami there are signs of fungus and/fin rot. (attached photos) <I see this/these> Due to the size of the tank Maracyn treatment would be way too expensive <And not efficacious> and I cant put them in the qt tank for fear they will catch what those other two fish have (I don't know what to do with them) I do have a 20 gallon with 3 guppies, 2 neon tetras, 2 dwarf Gouramis, 4- 3 month old molly fry, <See WWM re... Mollies are not compatible here... need "other" water conditions> and 1 platy (I am thinking about moving them to the 100 gallon and using this as a qt tank and crossing my fingers). I am currently treating the 100 gallon with PimaFix and MelaFix <... see WWM re... my copious opinions re... these are junk products... Cause far more problems than they'll ever be worth> because it was the only thing I could find that wouldn't kill my plants, wasn't too expensive and wouldn't mess with my biological filter <... this is not so> (although after taking out my carbon filter media I did have a slight ammonia spike despite my 3 bio-wheels) My parameters have been fine (0,0,10)up until yesterday (when I had the slight (less than .25) <... toxic> spike and I did a 25% water change) so I am not quite sure WHY I am having "outbreaks" but I need to help my Ram and the 3 still split fin Bala's (like I said haven't got any worse) any recommendations? And how exactly will I know when it will be safe to put my neon tetra back into my 20 gallon and give my dad back the hunchback Danio to re-enter into his tank? Thank you SO for your time <... The vast majority of your issues here are environmental and secondly psychosomatic/"medicine" derived... Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwdis3setsfactors.htm and the linked files above to gain valuable insight and perspective... and on to the further input archived on FW disease/health... Fix the environment of the life you have and its health will improve. You don't likely have a "very" pathogenic situation... Bob Fenner>

Sudden death of blue ram  7/5/07
WWM Crew,
<Scott>
Yesterday morning I noticed that one of my blue rams was hiding in a corner which is not typical behavior. Then in the evening when I returned from work she seemed to be resting behind a piece of drift wood (also not typical). When I fed them last night she came out but this is where things get strange. She seemed to be hungry, but kept eating the same little speck of food over and over again alternately spitting it back out. It is the only piece of food she paid any attention to even though there was many floating past and landing nearby. This morning I woke to find her lethargic with frequent trips to the surface for air. Then within minutes of the light coming on (it is on a timer) she went belly up.
<Yikes... frightening>
The other ram seems to be in terrific health, as do the other occupants in the tank, including 4 silver dollars, 3 Corys and 1 bushy nose pleco.
The water seems fine (0,0,<10) Ph-6.8 and temp-78.
It's a 75 gallon tank with an EHEIM Pro II filter drawing water from the bottom and from a surface skimmer, and pumping it back in via a 3 foot spray bar just under the water line so it agitates the surface.
The only (possible suspicious) recent introductions are two pieces of Malaysian drift wood that was boiled several times over 3 day period before putting into tank 4 weeks ago.
Another mishap at the same time as introducing the driftwood was that Vacuumed all the gravel at the same time (since I removed all the décor to rearrange with new wood) which is something I usually do not do because the water always clouds up when I do that, and yes the water clouded up and is still cloudy.
I do not have live plants, and only allow algae to remain on the back wall for the pleco.
I can't think of anything else to tell you.
Should this be something to be concerned about (further fatalities?) my fault?) or does it sound like an isolated event?
Scott
<I'd almost bet large sums on the latter... Had you had the/se Microgeophagus long? Perhaps the one just got something "stuck" (like a piece of wood) somehow, somewhere in its buccal cavity or alimentary system. Bob Fenner>

German Blue ram problems  6/20/07
Hi WWM Staff!
<Ave!>
I have a 55 gallon south American Community tank. It has 2 angel fish, 2 German blue rams, a couple cardinal tetras (working on getting to 6), 5 green fire tetras, 3 red phantom tetras, 4 black phantom tetras, a handful of guppies (male) and some otos.
<Apart from the guppies (which need hard/alkaline water) an excellent set of fish ideally suited (or requiring) soft/acid water. The only question marks are the Otocinclus, which personally I have found to be troublesome, and the red phantom tetras, which are subtropical fish. In other words, the Otocinclus I have seen suck the mucous from the sides of larger fish, in doing so causing serious damage. Others have seen this on discus, so I wouldn't be the least surprised if they went for angels as well. Red phantom tetras prefer fairly cool water, around 20-22C, and will be noticeably less hardy when kept in warmer water. At the least, ensure the tank is clean, not overstocked, and has adequate oxygen for these tetras to be happy.>
A few months back I had an outbreak of a fish plague which wound up killing off quite a few fish.
<Fish plague??? Never heard of it...>
I think it may have been neon tetra disease mixed with some internal parasites.
<No, doesn't work like that. Internal parasites are shorthand among hobbyists and retailers for "damned if I know" explanations. Internal parasites are relatively rare for a variety of reasons, but primarily because these parasites often have complex life cycles that cannot be completed in aquaria, and so they die out. The #1 source of internal parasites is people feeding feeder fish to predatory fish, and after that parasites infecting wild-caught fish. Beyond that, don't get too hung up on the idea. Now, Neon Tetra Disease *is* a serious problem, but to be fair it is only somewhat dangerous to cardinal tetras and almost never seems to trouble other common tetras. NTD is best dealt with by removing infected fish *on sight* since the bacteria goes from the corpse to healthy fish when the healthy fish nibble at the corpse or are otherwise exposed the bacteria as the corpse decays. If you do this, you can short-circuit NTD relatively easily. Naturally, any neons infected at the retailer will die, but at least any neons you buy that are currently healthy will stay that way.>
I got that cleared up 2 months ago and have only added 2 fish since then. It has been a month since any fish were added, and those fish were quarantined for 5 weeks prior to introducing them into the aquarium.
<Very good.>
Currently, I am having a problem with my oldest German blue ram. I got her (I think it's a her) about 5-6 months ago. When I got her, she had a white fuzzy growth on her dorsal fin that has been cleared up for 3 months.
<Likely fungus.>
Within the last couple of days, her behavior has changed. She is hiding more often, seems to have some trouble staying horizontal (sometimes her face is tilted toward the ground and sometimes her tail) and she has stringy, whitish clearish feces trailing from her anus.
<Almost certainly Hexamita ("hole in the head") disease. Treatment is extremely difficult, and relies on antibiotics, which may be available either at your retailer (primarily the US) or from vets (most other places). See here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hllefaqs.htm >
She does eat and will occasionally "defend" her territory...but is acting strangely. Her belly looks like it is slightly sunken in. The temperature is at 82-85 degrees, the ph is 8.4, nitrate below 5, weekly 50% water changes.
<Well, the pH is far too high for most of your fishes. Rams are notoriously sensitive to the "wrong" water conditions, and despite their wide sale and low price, they are actually very difficult fish. You need soft/acid water, certainly less than 10 degrees German Hardness (dH) and a pH around 6.0-6.5. The guppies cannot tolerate such conditions though, and will get sick very quickly if exposed to such conditions. The other fish should be fine, though as mentioned earlier the red phantoms will resent the high water temperature.)
I feed daily a mix of a New Life spectrum small fish formula .5mm sinking pellet along with a pinch of Wardley's Total Tropical flake. I have really become attached to this fish and would like to save her, but I have no idea what is wrong with her. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Yours truly,
Jamie
<Hope this helps. Neale>

Red, Protruding Spine-like things... Ram hlth.  – 06/08/07
Hi there,
<Hello.>
I have three Bolivian rams in my 40 gallon tank along with some other tank mates and I just recently lost one of my rams. He had these red spines that were protruding from his underside. Now I am noticing that the surviving three also are beginning to show signs of this.
<Hmm... are these spines associated with the fins, or sticking out of the body far away from the fins? Without a photo, it's difficult to identify the problem.>
Do you know what it is and if so, how would I go about treating this?
<My first guess would be finrot. When the fins decay, the membrane goes but the spines remain, and these could be the red spines you're seeing. Untreated, finrot will kill fish. It is treatable using a variety of commercial medications. Ideally, choose a remedy that treats fungus as well, as the two things often happen together. Now, finrot is 99% of the time a symptom of poor water quality, so check the ammonia and nitrite levels especially. Bolivian rams (like most other dwarf cichlids) are also very sensitive to high levels of nitrate. You should be doing 50% water changes weekly, and the nitrate level should be well below 50 mg/l. Ideally, as close to zero as is practical. Hardness and pH aren't terribly important, but you're aiming for low to moderate hardness and a pH around between 6-7.>
I really like these fish and I don't want to lose anymore.
<Yes, they're lovely animals.>
Thanks and I look forward to your reply,
Trish
<Good luck! Neale>

Re: Red, Protruding Spine-like things – 6/8/07
Hi Neale,
Thanks for your reply.
<You're welcome.>
Now, I would believe you except that my levels are all good and I always do water changes... Now the other thing is that these guys' fins are beautiful! There is nothing wrong with any part of any of them.
<Okay.>
This red spiny thing sticking out is protruding from the anus so is coming from inside the fish. The one that died had them really big and they would go in and out. The fish now just have a small piece poking out. Do you still think this is finrot?
<Ah, the plot thinnens. No, this doesn't sound like finrot any more. More like intestinal worms. Rather rare in freshwater fish kept indoors, but they do occur. If these worm-like things are wriggling about and obviously alive, then they're definitely intestinal parasites. You will need an anti-helminth (anti-worm) medication to treat these. Depending on your local laws, you will either be able to obtain such drugs from your retailer or from a vet. In the UK for example, Flubenol is available over the counter from aquarium retailers but most of the others used by American aquarists are not. Your own mileage will vary, as they say. The only other thing they could be is stringy faeces. This is actually very common in cichlids, often through the wrong diet or as an additional symptom to things like Hole-in-the-Head disease. In this case, the stringy faeces hang out the back of the anus like threads, but are clearly inanimate. If this is the issue, it's a case of identify the problem, then treat. Diet can be fixed with, for example, more vegetables in the diet. Hole-in-the-Head usually requires antibiotics.>
Trish
<Hope this helps, Neale>

Problems with German Blue Rams  6/3/07
> Wet Web Media Crew,
Hello - I just had all 10 of my German blue rams die, within an overnight 8-hour period. I have them in a 70-gal tank, with barbs. We have not had any problems - they just died overnight. I purchased them from an excellent breeder 7 days prior - he raises mostly angels and discus for sale in his home. Water temp is 80, pH is 7.4, no nitrites, ammonia or nitrates present. Any ideas?
< Rams like warm (82 F), clean (0 ammonia or nitrites, 0 nitrates?) acidic water. If all these conditions are being met then it could be diet. The breeder may have been feeding something different. next time get some of the same food from the breeder and slowly accurate the fish to you food over a week or so.-Chuck>
Two of my large barbs are now developing Popeye. One was listless, almost blind - so I just took him out of the tank. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The German blues were beautiful - I am very bummed! Thor
< The bodies of the rams might have caused an ammonia spike and stressed the other fish. Check you nitrate levels again. I find it hard to believe that you have zero nitrates. treat the infected barbs in a clean hospital tank with Metronidazole.-Chuck>