Ram cichlid wound

jsnf

jsnf

AC Members
Dec 30, 2008
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Calgary Alberta
Hello,

I have a male Ram cichlid that appears to have 2 scrapes or wounds on one side of his body. it appears as if the scales have been scraped off as there is no colouration on those two spots. Does anyone have any idea as to the cause of this? I don't have anything particularly sharp in the tank. It has a moderate amount of plants and 1 piece of driftwood, but i've never seen him scrape the wood. Could it be caused by something else i.e., something bacterial or fungal? I just put some mild parasite killer into the tank, incase its caused by some sort of parasite. He still has his appetite and swims normally. I just don't want it to develope into something worse.

Thanks
 
Hey there and welcome to AC if I didn't say so already :)

Can you give the following info ?

a) tank size, tankmates
b) when was tank set up ? is it cycled ?
c) test water with a liquid drop test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate
d) its just a bare patch right ? no sign of a 'cottony' texture to it ?
e) what kinda water change/gravel vac regime is the tank on ? (frequency and how much water changed)
f) what water conditioner are you using.
g) any changes in the tank recently ? (decor, tankmates etc)

Sorry if these are basic Q's for you to answer - but the more info the better.
Generally, fish recover from these little incidents very quickly without medication. I would usually prescribe a daily 50% water change over 3 or 4 days and I would be surprised if this did not give you visible improvement.

If however this didn't work, and the area demonstrated growth/infection (cottony texture/bloody streaks, the bare area spread) we might need to consider meds including antibiotics.

For now, do a great big water change, and give us the info sought above and we'll hopefully sort him/her out.

Broadly speaking, never underestimate the healing power of pure clean water.
 
My tank is 19 gallons, and i have one other ram in there with him, 1 Chinese algae eater, and 6 cardinal tetras.

I tested the ammonia level and it was below 0.1. It was in between the lowest (.025) and second lowest (0.1) on the ammonia tester card. The Nitrates are low as well ( i couldn't really tell the exact amount because the water wouldn't turn pink when i tested it so it didn't match up to any of the colours on the card). Also, there is a fair amount of plants in the aquarium for a 19 gallon, so i think that helps to keep the ammonia and nitrate levels low.

The water has been cycled (the cardinals have been in there for almost 2 months, while the Male ram has been in there for about one month.

The wound does not really seem to be cottony, but is best described as a scrape with some (scales maybe?) hanging off.

I forget the brand of conditioner I'm using, but it's standard stuff i bought from the fish store that removes chlorine from tap water.

I'm using coarse gravel on the bottom (but it's farely rounded and not angular). I try to do a water change once a week, but i only exchange maybe... 10-15 % of the water each time.

For the Filter, I'm running two power filters (one is meant for tanks up to 19 gallons, while the other is meant for a 20 gallon tank). I'm using two of them because my tank is 19 gallons, so i figure one will not be enough. I used to run an underground filter, but because my tank is planted, I removed it.

Also, thought I'd add that I put abit of paraguard in there (less than the recommended dose) incase it's some form of parasite. I know ich is common to cichlids but I don't believe its ich because it's not small specks. It's rather large, maybe 2 or 3 mms

Also, about a week ago, one of my other Rams died. It died shortly after laying eggs. It didn't have any visible wounds or anything. It started to lose colouration and lost its appetite, and she stayed near the bottom, barely moving. The other ram is new but I don't think shes the cause of it because the spots have been there before she arrived.
 
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Thanks for the info.

Your ammonia should be zero in a cycled tank, but from the results you describe I am wondering if perhaps it is effectively zero for your test kit - can you confirm the brand name of the kit, and whether it is paper strips or liquid drop ?

What kind of algae eater do you have ? Was it described as a siamese algae eater or chinese algae eater ? If so please post pic - some of those buggers attack other fishies causing the kind of damage you describe.

two rams in a 19 can be a lil much (noting that there was three up to last week) - your fish possibly picked up an injury in a fight. A bit like the way bruises develop on us, so can it be the case with fishies. Do you know if the two survivors are male/female ?

In any event, as your tank seems to be showing detectable ammonia, I would presrcribe a large water change to reduce this to zero (say 50% shouldn't take long in a 19G) and another one every day for the next 3 or 4 days should clear up the injury. If it doesn't meds may be necessary.

Long term, two male rams (if thats what you have) may not coexist entirely peacefully in a 19G tank)...continue to monitor behaviour/injuries etc.

Can you test nitrite ? In any event, if there was nitrie showing a water change as described above would be necessary.

How long is the tank set up ?
 
Hey thanks for getting back so quick.
http://www.aqua-fish.net/imgs/fish1/chinese-algae-eater-1.jpg
That's a link to a picture of the type i have. I know for a fact that it's not him because i added him yesterday. But could you confirm for me whether this type does attack fish? If it does, I may have to remove him before he does any harm. I was told by the fish store that this type is harmless, because i made sure to ask them whether or not this type attacked fish or ate plants.

I don't think it was picked up in a fight. Sorry I may have confused things, but I HAD 2 and they were a pair, until the female died leaving behind the male. The new Ram was added yesterday to keep him company. I'm fairly certain the new one is a female (shorter dorsal fin, and also has traces of pink on it's belly). Also, the new one is quite abit smaller than my male, so i doubt she'll be picking on him any time soon.

I'll go do a water change now, incase its the ammonia in the water.
 
You're welcome :)

I'm no expert, but thats a Chinese Algae Eater to me. Those guys are capable of aggression and attacks which could cause the injury to your ram. If so, I would get rid of it.

Lets wait and see if anyone agrees with my ID - post the pic you have here in Freshwater Bottom Dwellers and you will get some good advice on what you have.
 
I used to have one and I think you are right coler. They can latch on to the side of your other fish and suck the slime and scales off. Sometimes the attacks are bad enough to kill.
 
Man I'm annoyed right now. I was told that the chinese algae eater will stay small and that he was full grown when i bought him (hes about 1.5 inches). Also, i was told that these fish are strict algae eaters and will not attack other fish. I just did some research and it turns out that these fish grow upwards of 11 inches and become quite aggressive later on. Basically the woman at the fish store completely lied and told me the complete opposite of what was actually true :swear:. Worst part is, I don't know how I'm going to remove with all the plants in my aquarium.

That being said, I don't think that's the cause of my Rams wounds though. Those were there before i introduced the algae eater.
 
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