Help needed identifying disease

[Aderynglas]

I've spent ages searching the usual web sites and quite a few others to no avail.

One of my female rams is afflicted with what initially presented as white spot. She was immediately removed to a Q tank and treatment commenced. Unfortunately this had no effect on the spots which then grew bigger untill they looked like clear blisters a couple of mm big. The spots are only on the head around the eyes and on the operculum. The fish is still eating and doesn't seem depressed although her colours are those of a stressed ram. The blisters around her one eye are now affecting the eye socket itself and the eye is beginning to protrude, the flesh around that eye is swollen and looks as if it has also become infected with fungus.

So far treatment has included a general disease cure which had no effect, this was then removed (total water change) and white spot treatment (malachite green, acriflavin, quinine sulphate) and Melafix added to the new water (yesterday) so far this has had no effect, in fact the eye area looks worse. The tank has a working filter to ensure good water quality.

All water parameters are excellent (ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10, ph 6.8 )

I'm afraid this fish won't make it if I don't find something that works soon.

Any ideas ??

TIA Paule

[OrionGirl]

Sounds like either an internal parasite, or an internal parasite combined with a bacterial infection. WetmanNY's site has the best info on treating internal parasites...

[Aderynglas]

Thanks for that, I've already been on Wetman's site but nothing there is remotely like what I'm seeing .

The ram hasn't got any worse since the Melafix/white spot treatment and is still eating, the swelling around her eye is not any worse and the white fungal looking area is smaller. Having said that tho, the spots on the other side of her head are now getting bigger and turning from white to clear. Still no sign of spots anywhere else on her tho.

I just wish I knew what I was dealing with.

[peifc]

Sounded like popeye to me.

Most popeye is due to poor water quality or direct water jet on the fish face or eye. One of my Blue Dempseys got that once because he was hidding from my Jack Dempsey at the filter water jet.

He got the same symptom you described. It started out as a small pimple. Then it increased in size. I transferred him to another tank. Did water change. And put some popeye medicine in. A week later, he eye was back to normal.

This is just my opinion and experience. I think you should look into popeye and see if it looked like what your ram has.

[Aderynglas]

Thanks Peifc,
I had considered this but having seen pop-eye in various different fish, I have to say this is nothing like it.

There have been a few more spots appearing now, one on the pectoral fin and two on the top of the head, and they are starting to grow. When they get to a couple of mm they are clearer with a whitish bottom. She also has two shreds of what look like fungus on her dorsal fin.
There is no scratching or flicking, and no clamping of fins.

Because she looked so depressed i got her out of the medicated water and she is now in water with salt added and some Paragon (normal dose) and she is looking much more interested in her surroundings.

This is the most baffling thing I have ever seen in 30 years of fishkeeping :confused: