Blue Ram Protruding Anus Update: Help!

[silverchild23]

Please Advise

One of my German Blue Rams has a noticeably extended anal vent (or ovipositor). It is about 2mm long, white (same as skin colour), doesn't look irritated or red, ad has nothing visibly coming out of it. It just looks like the anus/ovipositor is sticking out further than it should be. It has been there for over a week and seems to have grown very little. I have only had the ram for about 4 week, and otherwise it seems fine, is eating fine and swimming about happily.

V Strange.

Does anybody know what this might be and how to treat it?

Many Thanks

TANK: 240L Juwel Rio (4ft), Eheim Pro External Filter, Planted tank. 4x Angels, 4x Keyholes, 2x Blue Rams, 6x Rummynose Tetra and 2x BN Plecos. Conditions: Nitrite 0, Ammonia 0, Nitrate Around 20, pH 7-7.5.

 

[silverchild23]

Bump

 

[WILDER]

Sounds like internal parasites to me with the fish not growing, enlarged anus which we can get with worms.

http/www.flubenol.co.uk/

 

[silverchild23]

In response to the post in the New Cichlid Forum - please find attached a crude artists impression (cannot get a photo as yet) of our female blue ram. What do you think it could be? An anus or a vent?



Thanks to anybody

PS. She seems perfectly happy, and is eating fine.

PPS. Ignore Photo with anomoly behind tail - this is wrong. The correct one is the first image. Thanks

 

[silverchild23]

Bump.

I know it's not technically an emergency (i hope), but it only let me put the picture here. Does it sound like an ovapositor to anybody?

 

[WILDER]

Can't make anything out, can you enlarge the pic or describe it.

 

[jpedersen024]

I would say ovipositor, based on what I saw with my two females. (one of which I was convinced was male previously..) Is she a mature size? Mine just 'grew' them in the last little while... a sign I took (with their growth in size) to mean they had become sexually mature.

Unfortunately my opinion is discounted since one just died from something.. either bacterial or parasite..
But the other is swimming happily, and content. With small white tube poking out constantly, and no signs of disease or distress.

So that's my .02!

 

[jpedersen024]

actually.... take a peek at my pics in Gotta Save my Ram... just below.

Ovipositor is clearly visible. See if yours looks similar.

 

[bullhead]

I have only ever noticed a extended ovipositor on my females,blues or bolivians,never seen anything resembleing that on a male.Maybe a parasite of some kind,just a guess.If it is acting fine and seems in good health other wise I would worry too much about it

 

[silverchild23]

Well I put it down to an ovipositor as I dont think it was causing her any trouble.

However, after being her happy usual self last night, I found her this morning in the top corner of the tank near the filter outlet gasping. She has no other symptoms of disease. It seems to be identical to what happened to my male blue ram a couple of weeks ago - he was fine, then within 12 hours he started gasping then died. I dont understand it. I've tested the tank in the last couple of days for copper, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia and there are no descripencies. I did the usual weekly 25% water change day before last. I have lost a couple of rummynose tetra in the same manor. No external signs, just heavy breathing and submitting to a corner before dying.

I always put the bubbler on intermittently and have a pretty good flow of current from the external filter (dont have too much of a current because of the angels).

I HATE this, because I've had to come to work today knowing that she's sick and she needs help. But I have No Idea what to do. I just put the last ram death down to nature but it's looking more like some kind of hidden epidemic. Everything else in the tank seems absolutely fine. I just dont get it. It's upsetting me so much, and part of me knows that the female ram who was so beautiful looks like she'll either die by the time I get home or tonight.

Has anybody had similar symptoms/death?

NOTE: I dont think it's worms because I dosed them all with flubinol on 1st and 3rd day just over a week ago.

PLease Help

NB: Does Anybody think it could be plistophora (neon tetra disease)? as it was the tetra that went first, and all the gasping fish have shown similar symptoms (gasping, lack of colour, very sudden) - I've heard that the disease is not just in neon tetra.

 

[WILDER]

Look under internal worms.
http/www.fishpalace.org/Disease.html#Worm

 

[Sacha]

Hey, I appreciate I am more than a decade behind this post, however! I would really appreciate resurrecting it because I have had my two German Blue Rams (both turned out to be female) since October and both have been doing well [40 gallon tank, 12 year cycle]. The Rams were added late October and other fish have been added since on a well managed cycle. All has been well, until I did two bad things (due to being in a rush as a result of bad health and subsequent death in the family), 30% cold water change and new plants from ebay. As result one of the 8 cherry barbs got bloat but has since come good after immediate treatment with api e.m. erythromycin, amazing result. Two days later one of the two rams was flicking and upon observation had something protruding from her anus which was pink and had lots of thread like needles. As the day progressed she swelled and looked as though she, like the recovered barb, had bloat. I administered API general cure and today her body is far less bloated and she doesn't have an alien's protruding from her rectum but it still looks red. I have another dose to go tomorrow but do you think this is the way forward? Or is there any other medication which could help.

 

[seangee]

- always best to start a new thread. Its not possible to say without pics but do a search on camallanus worms. If it looks the same its an easy treatment, brand names may vary depending on where you are.

 

[Sacha]

Thank you SO MUCH, and sorry. The pictures you have sent are 100% what is happening to the Blue Ram. I will order medication now. I apologies for not starting a new thread. The truth is I don't know how to but next time I will absolutely work it out. Thank you so so so much. You may well be literally a life saver, and if not you have given her the very best shot she ever had with me as a mother. Thank you and god bless.

 

[Sacha]

Soooo, I cannot work out how to start a new thread... I have tried.
Update on scenario. It took a week to research and obtain Levisole medication. Friday 17th, 25% water change and applied Levisole, 18th the Ram looked better, in between times I ordered flubendazole. 19th she looked bloated and so today, 20th 50% water change, removed all visible shrimps and medicated with flubendazole. I have enough to medicate Levisole after 14 days and flubendazole once a week, thrice more. No deaths as yet. Fingers crossed.
What I cannot understand is where they came from. The tank has been running for 15 years but gradually transitioned to tropical over the years. In October of this year we lost our weather loach (after 15 years) - [i believe it was the heat during the summer that did for him - we put ice water bottle in to the tank every morning but the temperature was still 28+ during the summer], leaving one 7/8 year old panda cory, and so could up the temperature and added (in this order) (140 Gallon tank) 1 panda, 2 bandit, 2 albino corys; two weeks later 2x schwatzi highfin. 1 week later 12 x neon tetra & 2x Blue rams (both turned out to be female); 1 week later 6 honey gourami (1 found squeezed into a knarl hole in some bog wood dead within hours, another zigzagged and died in front of my eyes a couple of days later (after consultation with the fish shop I added API general cure); 1 week later, 8 cherry barbs; 1 week later 5 honey gourami (1 zigzagged and died within 4 hours); 1 week later 6 otocinclus & 8 guppies (1 honey floating dead next day). API general cure again & api e.m. erythromycin. All was well, then I added plants from ebay week before xmas and that's it. N.B.Tank over run with asian trumpets but all born and bread. The only thing other than the plants is that I use the same hose for my pond and tank, and also have an outdoor "bucket" for live food that I feed my tank. So have the worms come in on the plants, the hose or the live food from outside? What do you think and more importantly am I using the right meds?