Blue Ram illness/Injury ID

[bored4]

I have a blue ram that ive had a little over 2 weeks now. the day after i got him i notice a big pink-ish/orange-ish bump on his head. It turned into a big cut out of his head. at first i thought maybe he got tore up some how but now i dont know. These pictures dont show the greatest detail of the hole but its the best i could get.

What do you guys think? could it be Hole in the Head? If so how should i treat it?

 

[mel_20_20]

This is not Hole in The Head. Do you notice that his eye is bulging out more than when you first got him? I can't see his right eye, but the left looks like it is bulging,
which would be popeye, in addition to the obvious inflammed lesion on his head.

There are several causes of popeye, most cases occur when there's an internal infection. It can be bacterial, viral, or mycobacterium it is hard to know without swabbing
the ulcer and examining under a microscope, and most of us don't have the equipment or the knowhow to do that, but this definely looks like infection of somekind.

Do you see any areas of redness on any other part of his body? At the base of the dorsal fin, caudal fin, and/or around the pectorals, or the anal vent? Do you see any
splotches on the body or thin red streaks, that look like a red blood vein?

You said a hole has opened up. He's slick and shiney so I can't really see an open crater-like lesion.

Please be very careful handling him, that is to say, with your bare hands. This could be bacterial but Rams are prone to fish TB which is contagious to humans, and usually
enters through a cut or sore, or even dry cracked skin. It may not be, but to be safe, please wash up carefully and don't expose yourself anymore to any thing that comes
from, or has been in the tank.

Can you tell us more about your tank?
How long set up?
What size?
How many occupants and what kinds?
What kind of filtration?
What kind of substrate?
Planted or plastic?
What are the parameters of the tank: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, temperature?
What kind of test kit do you use: strips or liquid test kit?
How often do you do water changes and how much do you remove and replace each time?
What kind of water conditioner do you use?
How do you clean and maintain your filter?
Feeding schedule and types of food?
Do you vacuum the substrate when you do water changes, and to remove any uneaten food?

Can you describe his behavior in the days and hours leading up to this?
Where did you get him, and do you know if he was wild caught or tank raised?

I'm sorry to ask so many questions, but these will be helful to everyone that tries to help with this illness. We have to consider all the contributing factors.

 

[mel_20_20]

Could you get some more shots of him in the water? I'm sorry he's sick, poor guy.

 

[bored4]

Do you notice that his eye is bulging out more than when you first got him?

When hes in the water his eyes look fine. i think it was just the way the pictures were taken that makes it looked Popped out.

I have a standard 55g.
There's 20 neon tetras, 6 peppered cory's and 4 blue rams, 2m - 2f, 4 or 5 ghost shrimp. Few MTS, 1 pond snail that i know about.
Cascade 1500 canister filter
Black sand
Planted, w/ one plastic plant
ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate less than 5ppm, ph 7.6, temperature 80F
API master test kit
water changes once a week and 15 gallons each time. I fill the 5 gallon bucket 3 times.
I dont use any water conditioner, i have well water thats been tested from the tap and everythings good on that end

Feeding twice a day, one in the morning and one at night, lights are on 12 hours. im still learning what they like, but something a little different each time. But mainly flakes, brine shrimp pellets.

"Do you vacuum the substrate when you do water changes, and to remove any uneaten food?" Yes.

Can you describe his behavior in the days and hours leading up to this?
Where did you get him, and do you know if he was wild caught or tank raised?

I got him from preuss pets in Lansing, MI. They breed them. they actually try to breed everything they sell themselves. He hangs out by him self most of the time but i think that is mainly because the 2 females like the other male more. Maybe that because they knows hes not 100% right now. He still eats tho and they do sometimes all swim together.

On a side note on day 6 of them being in my tank the healthy male and one of the females spawned. 3 days later i had wigglers but when checked on them the next morning (day 4) all the wiggler were gone. Earlier tonight i noticed that, that same male spawned with the other female on a sword leaf. Im hoping i can remove that leaf and put them in another tank so i dont lose them this time.

Here's some older pic, ill try and get new ones tomarrow.

These were when it was just a bump on his head.

These are from i think 5-8 days ago. as you can see a chunk of his head is gone.

 

[DavidZ]

Really, contagious to humans?
Did you approach the breeder with this problem?

 

[mel_20_20]

Fish TB can be transmitted to humans, but it doesn't look so much like it in the photos of him in the water. I would still exercise care.

It looks almost like an injury, but the fact that you saw it developing over the course of several days, the orange-ish, pink-ish bump, the points that look like they were coming to the surface like a boil or pimple, and then the missing chunk, that actually appears to be an ulcer, all seems to be more indicative of an infection.

This is probably an aeromonas infection, though we wouldn't be able to know for sure without identification under a microscope. As hobbiests we just have to consider all environmental factors, carefully observe all signs and symptoms, and make a somewhat educated guess.

I've seen several cases here on AC of a pimple or boil surfacing, some never errupting to become a crater or ulcer, some that did become an open ulcer, often with unfortunate culmination in the death of the fish.

 

[mel_20_20]

I would definitely ask the breeder if he's observed any symptoms of any of his stock.