Ram molting?

Beeker

Beeker

Aquariaholic
Oct 8, 2004
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My Ram Cichlid looks like he is molting. Some of his scales are pulling away, he has a little red dot on his side near his belly, and he is acting as if he is weak. He swims around but hides a lot. When I fed him and the rest of my fish in that tank, he swam up to the food as if he wanted to eat, but then he backed away. I soaked some food in garlic juice and squirted it to him with a rinsing syringe and threw a couple pieces of minced garlic in but he didn't seem too interested in the food and not at all in the garlic. I first noticed his condition a few days ago and I have been treating with Melafix and Primafix, but there has been no change. I don't want to lose him. Please help.
 
Sounds like fish TB. I'd isolate the fish ASAP, and monitor the others. If it is TB, you'll want to eathanize--no cure, contagious. Be careful--do NOT put your hand in there if you have any cuts or scrapes. Fish TB can infect people, requiring serious antibiotics and sometimes surgery.
 
Oriongirl, I'm so glad to see you!
Thank you for the info. I don't have anywhere to put him at the moment. Can I put him in my snail tank? It is a 20 gal. long tank with thousands of MTSs and Ramshorns. Not much of anything else. He would infect them wouldn't he? Then I wouldn't be able to feed them to other fish I was considering getting (snail-eater). Would the stress of changing tanks make him worse? I would have to do some thorough cleaning. My other fish are fine so far.

I have already put my hand in the tank numerous times. I do have a papercut. Is it possible that it could be something other than TB? I have to get tested now, right?
 
I don't think the snails would be prone to the infection, but you'll have to be careful whenever you work in that tank for a while. I'd give them a good rinse in freshwater before feeding them, as well.

You won't need to get tested--just be aware that you've been exposed, and if you start noticing any odd growths or aches, particularly around joints on the finger with the papercut, go to the doctor immediately and tell them you've been exposed to marine mycobacterium (that's the bacteria). This is NOT the same as tuberculosis in humans! I've been exposed, too, and after 4 years, no problems. So, I don't worry about it--just keep it in the back of my mind, just in case.
 
OrionGirl said:
Sounds like fish TB. I'd isolate the fish ASAP, and monitor the others. If it is TB, you'll want to eathanize--no cure, contagious. Be careful--do NOT put your hand in there if you have any cuts or scrapes. Fish TB can infect people, requiring serious antibiotics and sometimes surgery.
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How do you determine that the fish have TB and not something else? I'm still struggling with my fish being sick. I've treated for what others suggested may be internal parasites, and two of the fish seemed to respond to the treatment, but two others are still hiding most of the day, and are now eating less than they had been. They all spend most of the day just hanging out in the water, not swimming around like they used to.

The only one who had any signs of scales lifting up seemed to get better when I upped the temp and added salt (also had some areas that looked like fungus that cleared up with temp & salt treatment). None of them are showing signs of red sores, but all seem to be swimming a little bit tilted and have a slight s-curve to their spines (one quite noticeably), keep fins clamped a lot, and prefer to come out only when the lights are off. I'm worried that if it really is TB, that I've exposed myself so many times.
 
Thank you Oriongirl. You have always been a great help. :)
I have to clean out the snail tank. I've been feeding them tablescraps and they poop an awful lot. Once it is clean, I'll switch him over. I'm afraid of stressing him out and making him worse. He doesn't like not having friends. Every girlfriend he has had (3) has died. The poor guy. If he has TB I wonder if he got it from one of his girlfriends. None of them showed signs of it though and my other fish are all fine.
 
I came home from work around 5:30 and he was hiding under the driftwood looking a little lopsided, but still moving his fins. I fed the tank, watched him not eat, just stay where he was for about an hour and left with the feeling that it would be the last time I see him alive. I got home at 12:00 and found him dead by the heater. The rest of my fish are fine. I don't know what is going on. :sad:
 
Isn't TB quite rare?

I don't think there was enough information to make a diagnosis, there are a few other diseases that could make the scales peal away... I don't have Dieter Untergasser's book right handy, otherwise I would look them up.
 
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