Is Rammy Injured Or Sick?

[LakeyGal]

Not sure if this qualifies as an emergency but I noticed on Thursday that my blue Ram has a dink in his forehead and I am wondering if he was nipped by a tank-mate or whether he is ill.

Original Tank stats = (overfiltered 180l) ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, nitrate 50

I am swinging towards a nip as he is swimming fine, plenty of colour, coming up to the glass as per normal eating the same and swimming at all tank levels but am concerned as the wound isn't changing

I moved him into a quarrantine tank with Nitrates of 20 which I am currently dosing with melafix and pimafix to stave off infection/fungus but wonder if this is the right course.

Have some pics though they are blurry:

He looks normal from the side no clamped fins or difficulty breathing/swimming Just has a gash to the top of his left eye

Any views?

 

[jollysue]

Check the pin at the top of the page on Hole in the Head, although I don't know if Rams are suceptible. (I don't know how to spell.) I am always ready to treat cuts and gashes, if I am at all concerned. I no longer use MelaFix often, because of some unresearched negative stuff. I like Mardel products. And Jungle. I like combo anti bacterial and anti fungal. I use the milder one to three dose ones for early detected or preventative use.

I'm sorry, I'm always recommending US meds and then checking the country. I wish we could check the country when we are in the reply mode. Duh!

 

[LakeyGal]

Thanks, I've picked up some eSHa 2000 so I might start using that instead of the melafix combo.
I have wondered about hole in the head but there is no worsening and he is showing absolutely no other symptoms so I was sort of waiting ... luckily he is one of the fish who have a distinct personality so I should notice if he starts to look under the weather.

 

[jollysue]

I think that one can take a long time to develop. Our oscar at work had what I thought looked like it might be hole in the head and he had it for a year or so. He eventually died at about a foot big. I kept tryig to tell them that he was not well. No one listened. They rinsed the filter in high chlorine tap water, put wild things fom the river, lake and ponds in the tank . She was a survivor..until.

Anyway, you might google, get better pics and look for a member with more experience. But also as I understand it is bacterial, so a treatment and clean water won't hurt, imo.

 

[-germ-]

Protozoan and bacterial......
Although to my knowledge it is not understood what role and to what level each of these factors applies.

 

[LakeyGal]

Protozoan and bacterial......
Although to my knowledge it is not understood what role and to what level each of these factors applies.

In that case would I be better off using the eSha 2000 instead of the mela/pimafix combo is there anything else I should do, I'm just watching him and the water conditions at the moment....his dink isn't looking inflamed or red now and I'll confess I am utterly stumped as to my next move. Am going to sit with him and try for a better pic.

 

[jollysue]

Hikari has a med for treatment of hole in the head. They are a very good brand and have had some med breakthroughs. Only you may have to get it online.

Hikari

Have you googled pics of the disease?

 

[-germ-]

Personally on instinct (no great reaasurance) i'd have gone with simple physical damage.....
Heres a great couple of links for physical diagnosis;
http/www.fishyfarmacy.com/fish_diseases/..._disorders.html
http/www.jbl.de/onlinehospitaluk/index.php
Although neither is perfect.
Realistically if it is a simple injury it should show signs of improvement rapidly, i'd continue treating with melafix alone while keeping the tank conditions optimal (maybe increase the tank temp to the maximum that Rams tolerate, to speed up the metabolism and thereby hopefully the healing process, although make sure you compensate for this with increased oxygenation) and if sudden decline in the wound is shown consider TB as a possibility.
Be aware that if the fish has rubbed the scales away it may be indicative of various issues that without other symptoms are almost impossible to diagnose/guess at.
Also that the fish will be extremely prone to secondary infection in this condition, so remain as vigilant as possible.
If it is HITH then vitamin enriched food seems to be the treatment i can find that is most often associated with success.

 

[jollysue]

Yes, germ is correct. My single experience with HITH was that it was very slow. It started with most likely a nick from jumping into the tank cover and never left. It was white around the edges and was about the size of a US dime or penny when she died of no doubt other problems.

So see if it is healing before going into overdrive.

I personally am not a great fan of PimaFix and MelaFix. While I have used it effectively with some fish. It has killed my appistos every time I use it and it delays better more effective and sure treatment. It also killed a gorgeous 12" w/ot Pimwe Frontosa when I treated a Syno in his tank. So I don't use it anymore with Cichlids or Bettas or Gourami.

 

[LakeyGal]

Right, I think his dink is looking (very slighty) smaller this morning so I am going to keep my fingers crossed for an injury. I'm going to carbon all the existing meds out, do a big water change, up the temp to 28C give it 24 hours and then start with the all round eSHa but I'll check out the Hikari meds just in case...

 

[jollysue]

May have to get Hikari online???

 

[jlOisAhoTti]

Check the pin at the top of the page on Hole in the Head, although I don't know if Rams are suceptible. (I don't know how to spell.) I am always ready to treat cuts and gashes, if I am at all concerned. I no longer use MelaFix often, because of some unresearched negative stuff. I like Mardel products. And Jungle. I like combo anti bacterial and anti fungal. I use the milder one to three dose ones for early detected or preventative use.

I'm sorry, I'm always recommending US meds and then checking the country. I wish we could check the country when we are in the reply mode. Duh!

The only reason it's unlikely is because the temperature they are meant to live in is too high for such disease. What temp is your tank LakeyGal?

 

[LakeyGal]

The only reason it's unlikely is because the temperature they are meant to live in is too high for such disease. What temp is your tank LakeyGal?

Main tank is 26/27 but hospital tank is 28/29

 

[jlOisAhoTti]

Yeah, that's too hot for hole in the head. Probably just a gash.

 

[jollysue]

I guess that rules it out for the oscar at work too since his water was always over 80 degrees/27 degrees

Wonder what that hole in his noggin was for a year or more?