Strange spots on balloon belly ram

[Neo1]

Hello, recently I purchased a balloon belly ram. And like the look and personality of the fish very much, however I noticed about a week or two ago that it had some white spots on its fins and body…. I immediately treated for ick because it is in my community tank… however on further inspection I don’t believe its ick, and Ida not visibly spreading to the other fish. but I have no idea what it could be, it’s unlike any fish illness I’ve dealt with before, also I’ve noticed some of my other fish scrubbing on the gravel which is abnormal, however no sign of these “spots” on the other fish. The only other thing I’ve noticed out of the ordinary are some what I believe to be(rhabdocoel flatworms) gathering on the glass. Any ideas about these “sores”

this last picture also includes the “flatworms” hopefully that’s what’s im seeing anyway

any help identifying what’s going on with this ram would be appreciated… i would hate to lose the little guy, and want to deal with it before it becomes an issue for the rest of my tank

 

[GaryE]

The tail looks like there could be spots of Ich. It's a parasite, and if you see one spot, the entire tank is infected. Or maybe infested, as this is a living creature.

Tomorrow is Sunday,and Ich always comes when it's hard to get meds. But get a treatment you must, ideally one with malachite green as an active ingredient. I'd do a pet shop run as soon as I could. Use it as soon as you can, and follow the product instructions. Different countries have different med mixes. Speed matters here. It's an aggressive spreader, and it kills.

The blue spotting in the fins is natural, and there may be an old injury cyst on a fin ray. I suspect Ich because I think I can see smaller spots, out on the edges of the tail fin. They would be slightly raised if it's the parasite.

Balloon bodies are a cultivated deformity of the spine, and the fish who have this issue are more delicate. People don't realize what it is when they buy them, but it's a cultivated scoliosis, and it can cause a compression of the digestive system. Ich is harsh for any fish, but a balloon is in greater danger.

Ich is a common pet shop problem.

I would not use salt with a salt hating ram (you'll see those treatments online). Raising the heat only works if you don't have a heat resistant version of Ich. If you agree and see the raised, grain of salt cysts on the fins, use the meds. The photos aren't 100% clear to my eyes.

 

[Neo1]

The tail looks like there could be spots of Ich. It's a parasite, and if you see one spot, the entire tank is infected. Or maybe infested, as this is a living creature.

Tomorrow is Sunday,and Ich always comes when it's hard to get meds. But get a treatment you must, ideally one with malachite green as an active ingredient. I'd do a pet shop run as soon as I could. Use it as soon as you can, and follow the product instructions. Different countries have different med mixes. Speed matters here. It's an aggressive spreader, and it kills.

The blue spotting in the fins is natural, and there may be an old injury cyst on a fin ray. I suspect Ich because I think I can see smaller spots, out on the edges of the tail fin. They would be slightly raised if it's the parasite.

Balloon bodies are a cultivated deformity of the spine, and the fish who have this issue are more delicate. People don't realize what it is when they buy them, but it's a cultivated scoliosis, and it can cause a compression of the digestive system. Ich is harsh for any fish, but a balloon is in greater danger.

Ich is a common pet shop problem.

I would not use salt with a salt hating ram (you'll see those treatments online). Raising the heat only works if you don't have a heat resistant version of Ich. If you agree and see the raised, grain of salt cysts on the fins, use the meds. The photos aren't 100% clear to my eyes.

Thank you for your reply! And good eye spotting the small spots on the tail and anal fins. I suspected ich at first also, and treated the tank right away with API”super ick cure”. i have had success treating ich multiple times in the past with that supplement so it is my go to! Sadly the spots did not go away but they also haven’t spread or transferred to the other fish. However Seeing as it has been multiple weeks since noticing these marks. I feel that Ich would have transferred to the other fish by now. The white spots on the fins look almost like small snail eggs in person, and the large spot on the head stumps me….. I thought maybe an injury at first but if it was and injury it should have healed by now. I am still leaning heavily towards parasites I just have no idea what !? But I’m fairly confident that it is not ich as I’ve had multiple cases in the past and have been successful dealing with “most” of the cases…. But this looks different to what I’ve treated in the past, these spots are much larger and haven’t multiplied like ich normally does. Also they are slightly “off white” where ich normally shows bright white to my eyes….. I will treat the tank again just to be safe.

 

[GaryE]

Look up Epystilis.

I thought the spots were too small to be that, and didn't have all the background when I responded. It tends to be larger but it persists like you describe.