Red Marks Like Small Internal Bleeds On My Rams

[Katch]

I have a pair of Golden Rams and every so often one or the other gets a small red mark (bigger than a pinprick) that seems to spread out a tiny bit in a spidery fashion (it looks like a small bleed just under the skin spreading along capilaries).

They show no other symptoms at all and it usually goes away within a week. Fish are healthy in every other respect; feeding well and courting.

I can't see anything in the tank that they could be injuring themselves on.

They share they tank with other inhabitats and none of the other fish show these marks.

 

[WILDER]

How many gallons or litres is the tank.
How many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.
How often do you do a gravel vac and water change.

Red veining, and bleeding bemeath the skin can be septicemia.

 

[Katch]

90 litres with very good filteration.

2 rams
7 pygmy corys
3 splash tetra
3 otos
5 celestial pearl danio
5 neons

perfect stats always, ph 6.4, CO2 ~30ppm during photoperiod, nitrate never more than 40ppm, 30-50% waterchange and vac every week.

lots of plants.

I've seen these marks appear and disappear 4 or 5 times now over the past 3 months (current age of the tank). Other than that these 2 fish are the picture of health and have spawned in the tank.

 

[WILDER]

Any signs of flicking and rubbing, excess mucas, darting, erratic swimming, laboured breathing.

If not it sounds like septicemia to me.
Add an internal bacteria med.

 

[Katch]

very very occasional flicking from a few of the tank inhabitants - which I've put down to fish just having an itch.

The rams do seem to be breathing more rapidly than the other fish but I could just be being paranoid.

What med should I use that is filter and invert safe (oh I forgot 3 Amano shrimp in my stock list)

 

[WILDER]

Are the fish showing any of these signs.

Red inflamed gills, or pale gills with excess mucas.
Swimming in a jerky movement.
Spitting food out.
Weightloss


What's the make of the test kit you are using?

 

[Katch]

None of the above (the Rams have a huge appitite!)

API liquid test kit.

 

[WILDER]

What's your location for a bacterial med.

Keep a look out for parasite signs.
I would take the bacterial route for now.

Maracyn plus, maracyn 2.

 

[Katch]

UK

 

[WILDER]

There anti internal bacteria med by interpet but it not very good on septicemia.
You could try double dosing. As you can double dose in severe cases.
Also you can double dose with esha 2000.

 

[Katch]

Hmm thanks for your input, I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Katch]

Here's a question;

getting hold of antibiotics is a real pain in the but-t here in the UK but I do have access to oxytetracycline. I've seen that this has been used to treat septicemia.

how would I go about deploying this med if I were to use it?

 

[WILDER]

How many mg is the oxytetracycline.

I would only use antibiotics in isolation, as they wipe the benefical bacteria out in the filter.

Crush the tablet with the back of the spoon into a powder.
Get a jug of tank water and stir the powder into the tank water till it disolves.
Then add to the tank.

 

[Katch]

250mg coated tabs - I've just had a play to see if I can remove the coating and get to the med; and I can. I'd say I probably retrieve about 100mg.

 

[WILDER]

You can add antibiotics to there food, but forgotten the dosage.
You would have to ask in tropical discussion.