Sick Rams... need help!

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Dwarfnut

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Nov 27, 2002
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I just noticed several of my Gold Rams in my 75 gallon tank are sick! They each have one eye that is swollen and cloudy looking with some curly white things in them... What is this??!! The tank is well established and nothing has been added recently, so where did whatever this is come from? How do I cure it?

Thanks,
Bill C.
 
I don't know what it is but it sounds like some kind of parasite but only one eye is strange. Ask at a reputable LFS in your area. Medicating rams is hard as they are sensitive to medication. Use a 1/2 dose for a longer time.
 
I wouldn't necessarily use that as a blanket statement--while I agree that Rams seem to be a little less hardy, half-doses of medication may not be enough to kill the parasites, and may, in fact, make them drug-resistant. A low-level dose for twice the time helps parasites more than hurts them (although it hurts them some initially).

Plus, we don't know what drugs are necessary...the Rams may take them in stride.

Are there any Rams that are very aggressive in that tank? It sounds like there's been some fighting, but I wonder why only one eye is hurt on each...
 
Thanks for the replies so far, any other ideas?

I asked two different LFS's yesterday and neither one had a good idea of what I was talking about. I treated with a dose of Paragard and we'll see what happens. I did notice last night that one of the Rams had a swollen belly that looked almost translucent... so maybe she's prego or something and some fighting has been going on!

We'll see!

Thanks,
Bill C.
 
Well, I didn't really mean that she was PREGNANT pregnant, just that maybe she was full of eggs and about ready to spawn! I didn't check this AM before work to see if anyone had died, but they all seem to still be eating ok and moving about ok.

Bill C.
 
That's good.

I have to correct the misconception of pregnancy for non-livebearers when it comes up b/c some people use that as an excuse for extremely swollen stomachs after a full meal for a Pictus Cat, for instance...I apologize for having corrected you in the process.
 
Watch carefully while medicating rams. They are very hard to medicate. I have lost a few to medication so please use caution. I know it was the medication that killed mine because they weren't the sick fish in the tank. It happened on 2 separate occasions with 2 different medications, clout and maracyn.
I know about the drug resistence theory also but I like to err on the side of caution with rams and medication.
 
I understand the need for caution, but I will urge caution from the other side....and that doses for Rams should be ascertained before either side is taken...we need a pretty reliable source to tell us exactly what regimen we should use before we use ones that are deviant from normal!
 
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