Help Sick Blue Ram

[Kevstir]

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Tank size: Juwel Vision 180ltr
pH: 6.4
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: just above 5 (tap water 0)
kH: no test kit
gH: no test kit
tank temp: 25c

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

1 female blue ram losing colour and breathing heavily, gills also swollen , looks like a bit of white spot on its top fin but not sure as its the only place she has it , other than that she acts fine and still feeds well, iv noticed a few other fish flashing but not a lot and they have no obvious signs of illness , its only the 1 ram that's showing any real sign of illness.

Volume and Frequency of water changes:

Every Friday i do a 25% water change.

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

other than stress coat no other treatments used

Tank inhabitants:

See Signature

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):

Male Blue ram last Thursday, noticed a little flashing before then but it wasn't enough to think there was anything wrong as i believe fish can do it from time to time without being ill.

Exposure to chemicals:

None

Digital photo (include if possible): Sorry for the poor Quality could only use my phone plus she wouldn't come closer , got great photos of the other to rams too lol

Dont know if this is relavent but last thursday i added a uv steriliser due to having green water for about 2 weeks, its all cleared up now.


Could it be a case of white spot that doesnt realy show the spots

Thanks

Kev

thought this might be relavent as well

i got up on tuesday morning to find one of the pandas looking like this , he was dead by the time i got home , the other 2 Pandas are fine . he looked as if he hadent eaten i days but i feed enough for the corys to get there share .. poor little guy

 

[Kevstir]

Well i woke up this morning and she's got all her colour back and looks like the white spot has gone from her top fin, may be she lost her colour due to me adding better light tubes to the tank last night and getting a little spooked by the brighter light lol...

shes still breathing heavily and her gills still look swollen

 

[WILDER]

Have you increased aeration in the tank with the med and high temp, as it will be rough on the bottom for bottom dwellers as the temp and med reduce 02 in the water.

 

[Kevstir]

i havent added any meds yet m8 as im not sure whats wrong with it, looking on waterlifes site i recon its gill flukes

http/www.waterlife.co.uk/waterlife/treat10.htm

 

[WILDER]

Whitespot look like grains of salt on a fish.
Whitespot can make the gills swell.

The corys looks dreadful did he still have his barbels, also corys are not prone to whitespot.
Did the cory have any fluffy bits on it.

Your dealing with whitespot to columnaris, look under columnaris.
http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm

I'm not convinced yet it is whitespot would of expected to see more fish with it.
Plus corys don't get whitespot and if they have died something going on there more prone to bacerial infections.

Whitespot looks like this.
http/www.2cah.com/pandora/ich_bobjohnson.jpg

 

[Kevstir]

Hi Wilder

The panda still had its barbels you can still see them in the pic , i had a good look at it when i removed it but it didn't show any sign of illness.

I'm also not convinced of white spot , as you say there should be more fish showing symptoms , this has got me so stumped , i have watched the tank for ages tonight (Green water has gone and added better lights so it so much more enjoyable to watch) and didn't notice one fish flash against anything in the tank. i was thinking about gill flukes but there not red and there's no mucus coming from the gills, they just look as if there flapping out further from the body than they should.

the ram in question has actually got all her colour back and is eating fine and squaring up to the other rams so shes not exactly acting ill , compared to the other 2 rams she breathing so much heavier though

here's a pic of here now , notice the colour difference

Kev

 

[WILDER]

Its parasite to bacterial and i'm more inclined to say bacterial at this point, especially with the cory dying.
http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/hdgilld.htm

 

[Kevstir]

Thanks Wilder

I really dot know what to do , the ram has been like this for more than a week now and is still acting normal apart from its breathing , i was in pets at home today and they had some rams( in very bad condition i may add, they has white spt ect) and they were breathing so much more shallow than all 3 of my rams , all other tank mate seem fine , if it was a lack of o2 wouldn't the 8 Cory's i have dart to the surface for air all the time?? its also a plated tank so 02 shouldnt be a prob.

At the moment i suspect some sort of parasite

Also i might add the white spot that was on its top fine has gone , this has got me so stumped as not one disease i have read up on has the same symptoms..

Kev

 

[WILDER]

No flicking and rubbing just laboured breathing.
Bacterial infections can make them labour breath.
If it was a parasite would of expected to see the fish maybe darting around and flicking and rubbing.
Can you try and see behind the gill flap to see if its sore and inflamed looking.
The lfs if there water quality wasn't good it could of damaged the fish gills.

Leave you this for now.
http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...p?article_id=87

 

[Kevstir]

I have noticed flicking now, my male ram was scratching its gills against my plants last night,
the females that is the worst has very enlarged gills, there not red underneath i would say there more paler that they should be , 1 day it loses colour the next its fine, last night it had all its colour and was squaring up to the other female and winning lol.

this morning she had lost her colour but most fish do when the lights are out , will check again tonight, also noticed on of the leopard Cory's scratching against the sand.

this must be some sort of parasite or bacterial infection as its went on to long now to be white spot, if it was bacterial what med would be best ?? if it was parasite and bacteria is there meds that can be used at the same time to tackle both infections??

 

[WILDER]

I would treat for flukes at this moment in time.
No can't mix meds would only advise it in a issolation tank.
If all the fish were bad maybe as sometimes there nothing to lose.
Increase aeration and remove black carbon out of filter if you use it.

 

[Kevstir]

Thanks again m8

I started treating with STERAZIN today , unfortunately it didn't arrive in time to save the other female as it was dead when i got home tonight, the weird thing is the female that died was the strongest one, she didn't show no where near the signs of heavy breathing as the female i started this thread about.

when i came in from work i also seen a panda Cory flicking quite a lot

Hopefully iv caught it in time

 

[WILDER]

You will be surprised how it affects fish the ones you don't expect to make it do.
Good luck flukes are nasty and take sometime to get rid off.
Watch out for bacterial infections.