blue ram flesh wound? 8-23-2009 Last night I was watching my pair of blue ram cichlids and something is not right. They have been inseparable since I got them about a month ago, their colors have been amazing, the female has been red in her belly after a week of having her and last Tuesday they even laid eggs. After the male did not become territorial in terms of the female, they took turns guarding the eggs and worked together as a team, the eggs ended up not producing fry. <Does happen... may require a few "attempts" to get things right. Sometimes adding a few surface-swimming dither fish can help.> Last night I noticed my female had a red spot near her tail, I thought I was seeing things and it was just her belly, but I looked closer and it appeared as though a piece of her was ripped off. <Whatever the immediate cause, does appear to be a secondary bacterial infection. Usually caused either by water quality issues or physical damage, but with this species, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi, other factors come into play. Their quality just isn't good to begin with, and if you've had them less than a couple of months, they may be infected with something they caught on the fish farm or in the retailer's tank. Mycobacterium spp. infections are a particular nuisance. Hard water causes real problems with its high bacterial count, and these fish really do need very, very soft water to do reliably well: pH 5.5-6.5, general hardness 1-5 degrees dH. If a biological filter works, then it's likely the water is too hard and basic for Rams to do well, and they're best kept in soft water tanks filtered with zeolite and carbon.> Also, when I looked at her straight on there was like a weird mark around her eye, almost appearing as though she had a 3rd eye. As I watched her and the male interacting, the male was being very aggressive to her, actively looking for her then pushing her out of the way… basically bullying her around. <Can, does happen; if a male decides a female is too sick to be worth mating with, he may well drive her off to make space for another female. Remember, these fish likely don't form stable pairs in the wild, and may be, to some degree, harem spawners.> For the first time since having them they are separated and the female is basically hiding from the male. Oddly enough the male is not bullying the 5 cardinal tetras at all. <Again, reinforcing the idea that his behaviour is "normal", even if not attractive or desirable.> This afternoon I went to check on the female again while I fed them and she just sitting at the bottom near the corner and did not even move; her not eating is a huge concern for me because they beg for food normally. Is it possible that the male has bit her? <Judging by the wound, no, I think not.> I have included pictures and I’m sorry about the quality, I tried to get the best ones I could. Also, I just want to note that there is NO way this is an issue involving water quality, it’s a 10 gallon/81-82 degrees F, and I do water changes basically every day (5%) to every other & I use stress coat. <The thing with water quality is that at very low pH and hardness levels, biological filtration doesn't work properly, so if you're using a biological filter at all, the water is too hard and basic. Therefore it's always a risk under such circumstances that Rams will contract opportunistic bacterial infections. It's a similar situation to that with other black water fish: wild Discus, checkerboard cichlids, chocolate gouramis, Hemirhamphodon, pikeheads, and so on.> I just need some help/insight as to what is going on asap, love these little guys, they are the most beautiful ones I have yet to see. I greatly appreciate your help, thanks again. <A general antibiotic such as Maracyn or Maracyn II may help, but do review the general issues with Mikrogeophagus ramirezi. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/rams.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/ramdisfaqs.htm Not a cichlid I recommend, and well known for being difficult to maintain, despite being widely sold. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Keeping Rams and Neon/cardinal tetras. 2/25/09
When/if I get them should I use jungle parasite clear on them when they go into the main tank, or should I use a separate, tank.? Also is it better to use fake plants then live?- I know if I did so it would save on lighting and help reduce care in an already "Demanding" setup.
<This is apropos to what? I don't keep track of my WWM correspondence! But if we're talking about Mikrogeophagus ramirezi, yes, quarantine them first for 4-6 weeks, and if they show signs of disease, treat accordingly. But no, randomly dumping in medications without good reason is pointless. As for plants, they couldn't care less. Floating live plants will help the most though, since they remove nitrate as well as provide shade. Nitrate is
the big killer with dwarf cichlids, and the thing you should worry about almost more than anything else. Cheers, Neale.>

White fleshy lump on my Ram! 05/11/08 Hi WWM crew, <Greetings.> I am truly hoping you can help me. Having scoured the web for an answer I am at a loss. First up - tank statistics: 63L, 4 rummy nosed tetras, 3 albino cory's, 3 female + 1 male guppies, one Male and one Female dwarf gourami, and finally one Male + one Female German Blue ram. <Hmm... somewhat overstocked, and more to the point not all these fish are reliable investments. Dwarf Gouramis and Rams are very low down the scale of "good value" fish thanks to a combination of poor farming practice and very specific requirements. For example, Rams need soft, acidic *very warm* water (around 28-30C) to do well; anything else and they become very disease prone. Your Guppies would hate you with the heat of a nova if you put them into sufficiently soft and acidic water for the Rams to do well, while the Corydoras would be severely stressed by the high temperatures Rams like, being essentially subtropical fish. Now, whilst all these fish are sold as "community tropicals", my point here is that that's more a marketing gimmick than a reflection of biological reality.> My problem lies with my male Ram. A few weeks ago he developed a white lump on his back, just at the join of his dorsal fin. At the time he was guarding the latest batch of eggs that the female laid. I had removed a few of the eggs to raise myself (left them suspended in the main tank in a net near the water flow from the filter), as the eggs left with the parents succumb to fungus. In order to feed the fry that hatched from the eggs I had removed, I used green water from an outside "pond". <Whilst I'm thrilled your fish are spawning, I'd suspect that the cyst is somehow related to the fact your fish is (presumably) not in ideal environmental conditions. There's really no two ways to put this: Rams require conditions that *aren't* those enjoyed by most community fish. When kept in community tanks, they sooner or later manifest a problem because their immune system isn't working 100%.> I was slightly concerned about the lump on the male ram, but as he was feeding and acting normally I just hoped that it would resolve itself. It didn't seem to bother him at all, in as much as he guarded another batch of eggs a couple of weeks later. The lump hasn't resolved itself and has recently got much larger and is rather "fleshy" looking now (not cottony). It is cream coloured and lately has red streaks through it, making me think this is blood. <Could be one of at least two things. The first is Lymphocystis, a disease that is reasonably commonly seen with "advanced" fish like Cichlids. It's a viral disease the causes of which remain unclear, but in the wild at least, biologists usually put the appearance of Lympho as being related to water pollution. For the aquarist, the best that can be said is that it's a sign that all is not well. Lympho isn't treatable, but under good conditions will clear up after a few months (or years!). The second option is a simple secondary infection similar to Finrot; i.e., damage to the superficial tissues has allowed bacteria to form a mass of necrotic (dead) tissue. Because the "lump" is red and sore-looking, I'm favouring this latter.> He seems to be in some distress now, as he isn't feeding and seems to be "breathing rapidly" with a wide open mouth (not a the surface of the water though). He is clearly off colour as the female laid eggs last night and nothing she could do could get him interested. <Ah, if the infection is spreading, then yes, that would account for respiratory or other distress. In any case, definitely need to assume Finrot (or similar) and treat with a suitable antibiotic/antibacterial.> I have now seen the appearance of 2 red dots on him (looks a little like blood blisters), one further forward than the fleshy lump on his dorsal but still at the fin/body join; and the other dot on his anal fin, where it meets the body. <Blisters are commonly associated with Aeromonas/Pseudomonas infections of the type that cause Finrot. Put simply, the immune system is overwhelmed by the bacteria, allowing tissue to die. Blockages in the blood vessels result in the red colour.> Having now realized that this is not going to fix itself, I am currently treating him with Bactonex (1ml: 1.66mg Aminacrine hydrochloride + 0.025mg Methylene blue). I have a feeling that perhaps he's picked something up from the pond water that I introduced in order to feed the young fry - He is the only one in the tank that is sick however. I've attached 2 photos that I took (as best I could) that show you the lump, and the two red spots. <While it is certainly possible "something" came in with the pond water, in reality these secondary infections are typically caused by bacteria in the aquarium anyway. Aeromonas for example are "good" bacteria when the fish are healthy, playing a role in the nitrogen cycle by breaking down feces and uneaten food into the ammonia the filter can deal with. But when the fish is weakened (e.g., by being kept too cold) the bacteria can become troublesome. This is *prime* problem with Rams, simply because they have evolved to live in very warm water.> I do hope you can help me identify what disease or parasite he has so that I can treat him appropriately. He is my favorite fish as he is stunning and has grown into a great dad :( <Rams are indeed lovely fish. But they do need warm (28+C), soft (1-3 degrees dH), acidic (pH 5-6) water -- which is not what most of us keep our community tanks at. Because of this, the vast majority of specimens die a few months after leaving the fish farm. For aquarists after a hardier "ram" cichlid, I'd heartily recommend the Bolivian Ram Mikrogeophagus altispinosus, a species that lives in cooler, harder, and more neutral water conditions. Not so pretty perhaps, but easier to keep. Apistogramma cacatuoides is another superb little South American dwarf cichlid ideally suited to "normal" water chemistry.> I look forward to hearing from you soon! Worried Ram Owner. <Hope this has helped. Cheers, Neale.>

RE: White fleshy lump on my Ram! 5/15/08 Hi Neale, Unfortunately my ram was dead last night when I returned home from work. <Sorry to hear that.> Strangely, his white lump had disappeared... <Likely decayed away...> Thanks heaps for your advice, I'll take it onboard and redistribute some of my fish! <Very good. Trust me on this... keep fish that *all* like the same conditions, you job is a lot easier!> Saddened Ex ram owner <Cheers, Neale.>

Sudden death of blue ram  7/5/07
WWM Crew,
<Scott>
Yesterday morning I noticed that one of my blue rams was hiding in a corner which is not typical behavior. Then in the evening when I returned from work she seemed to be resting behind a piece of drift wood (also not typical). When I fed them last night she came out but this is where things get strange. She seemed to be hungry, but kept eating the same little speck of food over and over again alternately spitting it back out. It is the only piece of food she paid any attention to even though there was many floating past and landing nearby. This morning I woke to find her lethargic with frequent trips to the surface for air. Then within minutes of the light coming on (it is on a timer) she went belly up.
<Yikes... frightening>
The other ram seems to be in terrific health, as do the other occupants in the tank, including 4 silver dollars, 3 Corys and 1 bushy nose pleco.
The water seems fine (0,0,<10) Ph-6.8 and temp-78.
It's a 75 gallon tank with an EHEIM Pro II filter drawing water from the bottom and from a surface skimmer, and pumping it back in via a 3 foot spray bar just under the water line so it agitates the surface.
The only (possible suspicious) recent introductions are two pieces of Malaysian drift wood that was boiled several times over 3 day period before putting into tank 4 weeks ago.
Another mishap at the same time as introducing the driftwood was that Vacuumed all the gravel at the same time (since I removed all the décor to rearrange with new wood) which is something I usually do not do because the water always clouds up when I do that, and yes the water clouded up and is still cloudy.
I do not have live plants, and only allow algae to remain on the back wall for the pleco.
I can't think of anything else to tell you.
Should this be something to be concerned about (further fatalities?) my fault?) or does it sound like an isolated event?
Scott
<I'd almost bet large sums on the latter... Had you had the/se Microgeophagus long? Perhaps the one just got something "stuck" (like a piece of wood) somehow, somewhere in its buccal cavity or alimentary system. Bob Fenner>

German Blue ram problems  6/20/07
Hi WWM Staff!
<Ave!>
I have a 55 gallon south American Community tank. It has 2 angel fish, 2 German blue rams, a couple cardinal tetras (working on getting to 6), 5 green fire tetras, 3 red phantom tetras, 4 black phantom tetras, a handful of guppies (male) and some otos.
<Apart from the guppies (which need hard/alkaline water) an excellent set of fish ideally suited (or requiring) soft/acid water. The only question marks are the Otocinclus, which personally I have found to be troublesome, and the red phantom tetras, which are subtropical fish. In other words, the Otocinclus I have seen suck the mucous from the sides of larger fish, in doing so causing serious damage. Others have seen this on discus, so I wouldn't be the least surprised if they went for angels as well. Red phantom tetras prefer fairly cool water, around 20-22C, and will be noticeably less hardy when kept in warmer water. At the least, ensure the tank is clean, not overstocked, and has adequate oxygen for these tetras to be happy.>
A few months back I had an outbreak of a fish plague which wound up killing off quite a few fish.
<Fish plague??? Never heard of it...>
I think it may have been neon tetra disease mixed with some internal parasites.
<No, doesn't work like that. Internal parasites are shorthand among hobbyists and retailers for "damned if I know" explanations. Internal parasites are relatively rare for a variety of reasons, but primarily because these parasites often have complex life cycles that cannot be completed in aquaria, and so they die out. The #1 source of internal parasites is people feeding feeder fish to predatory fish, and after that parasites infecting wild-caught fish. Beyond that, don't get too hung up on the idea. Now, Neon Tetra Disease *is* a serious problem, but to be fair it is only somewhat dangerous to cardinal tetras and almost never seems to trouble other common tetras. NTD is best dealt with by removing infected fish *on sight* since the bacteria goes from the corpse to healthy fish when the healthy fish nibble at the corpse or are otherwise exposed the bacteria as the corpse decays. If you do this, you can short-circuit NTD relatively easily. Naturally, any neons infected at the retailer will die, but at least any neons you buy that are currently healthy will stay that way.>
I got that cleared up 2 months ago and have only added 2 fish since then. It has been a month since any fish were added, and those fish were quarantined for 5 weeks prior to introducing them into the aquarium.
<Very good.>
Currently, I am having a problem with my oldest German blue ram. I got her (I think it's a her) about 5-6 months ago. When I got her, she had a white fuzzy growth on her dorsal fin that has been cleared up for 3 months.
<Likely fungus.>
Within the last couple of days, her behavior has changed. She is hiding more often, seems to have some trouble staying horizontal (sometimes her face is tilted toward the ground and sometimes her tail) and she has stringy, whitish clearish feces trailing from her anus.
<Almost certainly Hexamita ("hole in the head") disease. Treatment is extremely difficult, and relies on antibiotics, which may be available either at your retailer (primarily the US) or from vets (most other places). See here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hllefaqs.htm >
She does eat and will occasionally "defend" her territory...but is acting strangely. Her belly looks like it is slightly sunken in. The temperature is at 82-85 degrees, the ph is 8.4, nitrate below 5, weekly 50% water changes.
<Well, the pH is far too high for most of your fishes. Rams are notoriously sensitive to the "wrong" water conditions, and despite their wide sale and low price, they are actually very difficult fish. You need soft/acid water, certainly less than 10 degrees German Hardness (dH) and a pH around 6.0-6.5. The guppies cannot tolerate such conditions though, and will get sick very quickly if exposed to such conditions. The other fish should be fine, though as mentioned earlier the red phantoms will resent the high water temperature.)
I feed daily a mix of a New Life spectrum small fish formula .5mm sinking pellet along with a pinch of Wardley's Total Tropical flake. I have really become attached to this fish and would like to save her, but I have no idea what is wrong with her. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Yours truly,
Jamie
<Hope this helps. Neale>

Red, Protruding Spine-like things... Ram hlth.  – 06/08/07
Hi there,
<Hello.>
I have three Bolivian rams in my 40 gallon tank along with some other tank mates and I just recently lost one of my rams. He had these red spines that were protruding from his underside. Now I am noticing that the surviving three also are beginning to show signs of this.
<Hmm... are these spines associated with the fins, or sticking out of the body far away from the fins? Without a photo, it's difficult to identify the problem.>
Do you know what it is and if so, how would I go about treating this?
<My first guess would be finrot. When the fins decay, the membrane goes but the spines remain, and these could be the red spines you're seeing. Untreated, finrot will kill fish. It is treatable using a variety of commercial medications. Ideally, choose a remedy that treats fungus as well, as the two things often happen together. Now, finrot is 99% of the time a symptom of poor water quality, so check the ammonia and nitrite levels especially. Bolivian rams (like most other dwarf cichlids) are also very sensitive to high levels of nitrate. You should be doing 50% water changes weekly, and the nitrate level should be well below 50 mg/l. Ideally, as close to zero as is practical. Hardness and pH aren't terribly important, but you're aiming for low to moderate hardness and a pH around between 6-7.>
I really like these fish and I don't want to lose anymore.
<Yes, they're lovely animals.>
Thanks and I look forward to your reply,
Trish
<Good luck! Neale>

Re: Red, Protruding Spine-like things – 6/8/07
Hi Neale,
Thanks for your reply.
<You're welcome.>
Now, I would believe you except that my levels are all good and I always do water changes... Now the other thing is that these guys' fins are beautiful! There is nothing wrong with any part of any of them.
<Okay.>
This red spiny thing sticking out is protruding from the anus so is coming from inside the fish. The one that died had them really big and they would go in and out. The fish now just have a small piece poking out. Do you still think this is finrot?
<Ah, the plot thinnens. No, this doesn't sound like finrot any more. More like intestinal worms. Rather rare in freshwater fish kept indoors, but they do occur. If these worm-like things are wriggling about and obviously alive, then they're definitely intestinal parasites. You will need an anti-helminth (anti-worm) medication to treat these. Depending on your local laws, you will either be able to obtain such drugs from your retailer or from a vet. In the UK for example, Flubenol is available over the counter from aquarium retailers but most of the others used by American aquarists are not. Your own mileage will vary, as they say. The only other thing they could be is stringy faeces. This is actually very common in cichlids, often through the wrong diet or as an additional symptom to things like Hole-in-the-Head disease. In this case, the stringy faeces hang out the back of the anus like threads, but are clearly inanimate. If this is the issue, it's a case of identify the problem, then treat. Diet can be fixed with, for example, more vegetables in the diet. Hole-in-the-Head usually requires antibiotics.>
Trish
<Hope this helps, Neale>

Problems with German Blue Rams  6/3/07
> Wet Web Media Crew,
Hello - I just had all 10 of my German blue rams die, within an overnight 8-hour period. I have them in a 70-gal tank, with barbs. We have not had any problems - they just died overnight. I purchased them from an excellent breeder 7 days prior - he raises mostly angels and discus for sale in his home. Water temp is 80, pH is 7.4, no nitrites, ammonia or nitrates present. Any ideas?
< Rams like warm (82 F), clean (0 ammonia or nitrites, 0 nitrates?) acidic water. If all these conditions are being met then it could be diet. The breeder may have been feeding something different. next time get some of the same food from the breeder and slowly accurate the fish to you food over a week or so.-Chuck>
Two of my large barbs are now developing Popeye. One was listless, almost blind - so I just took him out of the tank. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The German blues were beautiful - I am very bummed! Thor
< The bodies of the rams might have caused an ammonia spike and stressed the other fish. Check you nitrate levels again. I find it hard to believe that you have zero nitrates. treat the infected barbs in a clean hospital tank with Metronidazole.-Chuck>

Rams With Popeye. German Blue Ram with many symptoms  - 04/04/2007
Hello, I have a five gallon aquarium with two German blue rams and two rasbora hets.  The ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and temperature are all ideal.  The pH, alkalinity and hardness are a little high (8.4, 200-300 and 300), but that doesn't seem to be a problem (or at least it wasn't).  I went on vacation and my dad fed the fish every other day, and when I returned, the larger of the two rams was showing signs of Popeye.  I began treating for ich and Popeye that same day (Maracyn 2), as well as using "Formalin MS" (active ingredient:37% formaldehyde for parasites.  After removing everything else from the tank, I have made almost daily 25-30% water changes (still ideal conditions), using a dechlorinator in addition to the other 3 medications.
The ram has darkened considerably, his eyes have discolored from orange to black (I'm beginning to think that he can't see), and he's hanging out at the top of the tank behind the filter.  Sometimes, he's nearly vertical, and he can't swim hardly at all (he moves his whole body instead of his tail).
This is day 12 and the Popeye still has not cleared, in addition to the other ailments.  The white stuff previously on his dorsal fin and between his eyes has disappeared.  I have only seen him eat once (just feeding flake food).  The only other thing to note is perhaps the rams fought while we were away.  The Maracyn is supposed to be treating for fin rot, as the smaller of the rams pectoral fins are shredded, but as it has not cleared up in so long, I don't know what else to think.  Should I try to bring down the hardness?  What should I use, Epsom salt?  Should I change the bio-filter?
I removed the charcoal when medicating , so now the only filter left is the bio-wheel. Please help!  Thank you, Lucinda
< Your rams were probably overfed and this caused an ammonia spike. The spike stressed the fish and all the diseases came out of the wood work. remove the Bio-Wheel and place it in a shallow pan of aquarium water. Check the tank temp. should be around 82 F. Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Treat with a combination of Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace. Treat every other day for three treatments. Change 50% of the water in between the days that you don't treat. At the end add carbon to remove the medication and then replace the Bio-Wheel.-Chuck>

Can't Keep Ram Cichlids Alive   12/21/06
People, Have done all the web searches etc, spoken to local aquarium owners and have been working on their suggestions without it stemming the deaths.
I am after help with why my Blue Rams are dying. The fish live in a communal tank with around 150 other tropical fish (50 of these are Cardinal Tetra). Over the last 5 weeks I have lost at least 1 fish a week. The fish appear to lose colour, hide on the bottom and die within a couple of days.
No other fish have died during this period. I have had a water sample to the local aquarium which has performed numerous tests with nothing found.
Any assistance would be appreciated. Regards Veronica Pattison
< Wild rams come from the open plains of the Orinoco river system in South America. The water is very soft, very clean and acidic. But one other strange observation is that the water is very hot. With no shade trees to cool the water it can easily get up close to 90 F but stays around 85 F most of the time. If you have your tank in the mid 70's to low 80's then it may be too cool for them. there is a genetic strain developed in Europe called "German Rams". These are a little darker in color but are much more tolerant of aquarium conditions than their wild counter parts. These are very popular in fish stores because they are attractive and much harder to kill. A third possibility is that you have purchased some old breeder rams indirectly from Asia. Many farms breed these fish extensively and sell the old breeders to the US. They are old and worn out and usually don't like too long because of the shipping stress. I would recommend that you try some young German rams next time. I would only keep wild rams in a species only tank. These are one of the favorite all time fish.-Chuck>

German Ram With Swim Bladder Problem 9/20/06
Dear WetWebMedia Crew, Can harder-than-desired water cause problems to a German Blue Rams' swim bladder?
< It is possible.>
I discovered the GH in my tank water was at 14 degrees or 250.6 ppm.
A day before I discovered this my blue ram was acting kind of weird, staying near the bottom of the tank under some plant leaves. I have since done a water change with distilled water and brought the GH down to 7 degrees or 125.3 ppm, but it has been 3 days and the ram is still acting strange.
It seems like he is having a hard time swimming. His nose points upward as he tries to swim. He no longer swims with conviction but coasts around the tank and he still sits at the bottom of the tank a lot too.
Is it possible the hard water has affected his swim bladder? Or could it be something else I'm unaware of? Sincerely, Jocelyn
< Internal infections are caused by stress. Poor food, water too cold, too hot, aggressive tankmates, wrong food, etc... You get the idea. Rams originally come from the Orinoco river basin in South America. Their the water is very soft ,acidic and hot! Sometimes close to 90 F. German rams are a line bred domestic form of their wild cousin that is supposed to be much hardier and easier to breed. If you are having problems then I would check the water quality. Ammonia and nitrites should be zero. The nitrates should be under 20 ppm. Less than 10 for wild rams. Try treating with Metronidazole while figuring out the cause.-Chuck>

A Thank You ... using WWM!   7/28/06
Crew,
<<Tom with you this time, Alex.>>
Not a question, but a quick thanks for all of your work.  Story:
One (not so) fine day I noticed some short red wormlike things trailing out of my Bolivian Rams' anuses.  After less than five minutes on WWM, I found a question from a person who had the same species of fish that also had Camallanus worms, and saw how to treat it.  Within a day of discovering the worms, thanks to your site, I had purchased PraziPro and started treating the fish in a quarantine.  Unfortunately, it was too late to save one of the rams, but the other, along with the Zebra Danios that shared the tank, appear to have turned the corner in terms of vitality, eating, etc.  The point?  Within five minutes of opening my web browser, I:  found someone that had the same problem, diagnosed the problem, found the actual ingredient to treat the fish, found a common product name containing said ingredient, and found how to effectively treat using the medication.  Many, many thanks for this great resource - my fish and I are in your debt!
<<A wonderful testimonial, Alex. While I can't take credit for saving your fish, I assure you that I'm proud to be associated with this fantastic group of folks. For all of us, I thank you kindly for your complimentary post and wish you continued good fortune in this great hobby of ours!>>
Alex
<<My best. Tom>>

Ram Cichlid Disease, A Note To All Would-Be Queriers - 05/19/2006
<Before we get to the response, please note that I have had to correct ALL the capitalization in this query.  Please format your questions correctly before sending them!  We're all volunteers here, and really don't have time to fix things like this.  We're offering a free service of sharing information, please respect our crew and don't send in questions in ALL CAPS, no capitalization/punctuation, or other such problems.>
Hi I
<I....  At the very least, respect yourself and capitalize your "I"s.>
wonder if any one can help me I am quite new at keeping fish. I have a male and a female ram in a 30 gallon tank with 12 other small tropical fish.
<Numbers don't help us understand a problem if we don't know *what* the fish are.  I can tell you that 14 fish in a 30 gallon tank sounds pretty jam-packed.>
I have had them for 2 months and every week they have had a batch of eggs that last for about 48 hours and die, but that's not the problem though.
<It is "a" problem.>
I clean the tank once a week roughly about 1/3 to 1/2 the water, temp is always at 27c. Today I noticed white patches on the female, on and near her fin and round her black circles on her sides.  What is it?  Is it treatable?  Can the other fish/ram catch it?
<Without more information (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH readings, other tankmates, history/details of the system) and a very in-depth description or image of the problem, there's really no way we can know what it is, if or how to treat it, if it is something that can spread to the other fish....  There's just not enough information for us to go off, here.>
Please help!!!!
Amy
<Please start reading, on WWM and elsewhere, maybe starting here:  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/cichliddisfaqs.htm .  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Angels, Rams, and Maybe Ich - 05/10/2006
Good Morning~
<Good afternoon.>
I recently purchased 4 small angelfish and also a Microgeophagus ramirezi  (because it was the only one in the tank/store-and very cute) to put in a long 20gal.  
<Uhh, this is a quarantine system, I hope?  A single angelfish will outgrow a 20 gallon tank, let alone four of them....  They're rather territorial, too.>
Did tests this morning: ph: 7.2-0-0-10. Did a water change. Temp is 80.  I noticed a small whitish spot on top of the head (the ram)
<Possibly ich?  I do hope this is a quarantine tank.>
I noticed that some of the other posts say these fish stay mostly near the bottom, but this little guy is more mid-tank-especially after the water change.  
<Probably not a problem, but I would advise that you watch him closely.>
Should I do a smaller water change with RO water... 1 gal with 1 gal tap?...
<Perhaps.>
or add salt... or medicate...
<Only if you're confident of disease.>
or just wait and see.   Any suggestions/ideas on what to do about this would be greatly appreciated.
<I'd go with the "wait and see" for the moment, and be watching him very closely for now.>
Thanks Again,  Judy
<All the best to you,  -Sabrina>

FW Ram and Plant Questions  - 5/2/2006
1. My rams have been doing very well lately but I just have 1 concern. On the bottom of their bodies, they are fine but about half way to their tail and
their body's curve inward. Is their stomach not full? Are they hungry or starving? They always eat but my other fish are really quick and I don't want to put
more food in because if my other fish are full... the rest will go to waste and pollute my tank. What should I do?
< Over feed them some live brine shrimp or Tubifex worms and see if they fill out. You may need to change the food to sinking pellets to make sure they get enough to eat.>
2. I have one Brazilian Sword and it has 4 open leaves and one that is in the process of opening. Will it grow more stalks with more leaves or is this how
little it will be forever?
< The Brazilian sword plant is actually not a fully aquatic plant. The leaves should be out of the water. You plant will slowly waste away after awhile. Try switching to a fully aquatic plant like an Amazon sword.>
3. If there is a slight tear and around that tear, brown spots on one of my swords' leaves, should I cut the entire leaf off because then my plant will
look really skimpy? Also, I if I cut anything off, I should cut it as close as possible to the roots as with any plant right? Thanks
< The Brazilian sword is already rotting away. Swap it out for an Amazon sword.-Chuck>

Gold veil angel rams
I recently purchased 5 gold veil angel rams from my LFS.. they normally get them twice a year and are gone as soon people realize the store has them in stock so I decided to go on ahead and buy them even though they seem to have what looks like as an internal parasite or tumors or something of the sort.  besides.. at this point I'm curious just to know what exactly is wrong with them and how to properly treat them or if it's even at all possible to treat them.
the "tumors" as we'll call them are about 2-3mm in diameter, oval shaped and brown or gray in color.  you can see them through the body of the fish as they are somewhat translucent.  they don't show any signs of struggling.. they are responsive to stimuli, they eat regularly and are all housed currently in a 5 gallon quarantine tank with no substrate and a sponge filter as you would find in a fry tank.  
they are currently being treated with a 1/4 teaspoon of paragon every other day with a 2-3 gallon water change every fourth or sixth day.  I've had them for about a week and they don't seem to be getting any better, but they aren't getting any worse either.  I was wondering if this really could be a parasite or infection and if I'm treating them with the proper medication.  I have also given them a salt bath using freshwater salt but could only do this for around a minute or so before they were beginning to float on their sides.. I thought I was sure to have killed a couple doing this but I quickly moved them back to the 5 gallon tank and to my surprise they all lived and returned back to their normal state.  if you have any suggestions I'd really appreciate it.. even some background information on the fish would be great as I know they are relatively new to the stores, or at least here on Oahu.. in fact.. this is the only LFS on the island that ever gets them.. hence why I thought I may risk buying these ones.  I have called the LFS since to check about the rest of the fish to find that they too aren't getting any better either.
< Many of these parasites that infest the body of the host are difficult to treat because the tissues of the fish prevent the medication from getting to the parasite. The other problem is when the parasite dies then this dead thing starts to decay and rot inside the fish. Sometimes these things are parasites that have numerous hosts. They start out in a snail and then invade a fish. The fish gets eaten by a bird and excretes the eggs of the parasite that then hatches and lives in a snail for a while and starts the cycle all over again. I would quickly try and breed the rams and start a parasite free generation.-Chuck>
thanks again
Jonathan

SICK RAMS
Hi Chuck (or whoever reading this today) 
Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, those antibiotics are hard, if not impossible, to get hold of here in the UK, but at least I had an idea what's wrong with my fish and so I got an appropriate treatment (Octozin by Waterlife) and now my fish are better -- the female is eating like a pig again. Hopefully they will go back into breeding mode again.
Thanks again for your help, Golan.
< I am glad I was able to provide some help. Not all antibiotics are available all over the world or are all called the same thing.-Chuck>

Rams problems
Hi there!
I have had a pair of Blue rams (Microgeophagus ramirezi) for a few months now and lately something is wrong with both of them.  I hope you can help. I'll start with the male.  After buying it I've noticed that one of his eyes wasn't alright.  At first I just noticed that it was smaller than the other one and flatter too.  Then I noticed that it doesn't have a pupil either.
The supporting evidence that this eye was "faulty" is that he only chases the female if she's on the side of the good eye.  The eye had the same colouration of the other one, and even moved with the other one, but he is
definitely blind in that eye.  Now the eye is getting swollen and also loses its colouration.  It looks as if it's about to pop out of its socket.  I'm not sure whether it's pop-eye, or whether it's just because it's bad and I don't want to medicate without knowing for sure, as they don't like any chemicals (they even react badly to 1/4 dose of Melafix).  What do you
think?
As for the female, she has not eaten for the past few days.  She would either look at the food and then swim away or she would take something into her mouth, chew, and then spit.  She does come up for food when I approach the tank.  I have tried any possible food I could get my hands on: from live food (blood worms and brine shrimps) to flakes, to cichlid pellets, to granular food... nada.
Both fish colours are intense, their fins are erected, the interact with each other, and until about a week ago they were displaying breeding behaviour (cleaning of a spot together, chasing the Corys away from that spot) for few days, but then it stopped.  They did that twice in the past, but got more serious every time, so I figured out they were still practicing.
The male's symptoms started when they were still preparing to breed, while the female stopped eating about the time that they stopped preparing.
Background information:
Ammonia, nitrites: 0ppm
Nitrates: 5 - 10ppm
pH: 6.4
KH: 2.5 dKH
GH: 4.5 dGH
temp: 26.5 - 27c
96 litres tank
tank mate: 7 Corys
I use R/O water (with R/O right) for water changes, and I change 10% of the water every other day because I add co2 and I don't want to have a big change in pH.  I feed mostly with live food.  The water parameters have been
consistent and the only problem lately was when my heater stopped working at night and the water temp went down to 24.5c and I immediately got a new heater and raised the temp again slowly.  This, however, happened after they started showing the symptoms, so I don't think it has anything to do with it. I'm sorry that this has been a long one, but I've tried giving as much information as possible.
Many thanks in advance,
Golan.
< These internal bacterial infections are often caused by stress. Some fish break down when the water gets too hot. Your rams really don't like it when the water gets too cold as when you heater went out. Treat them with Metronidazole. If none is available then try Nitrofuranace at double the dosage. When they start to eat again then they are on there way to recovering. The Nitrofuranace will color the water green and is not as effective as the Metronidazole.-Chuck>

Judging LFS, Fancy Rams 9/16/05
I usually deal with saltwater aquariums and reef aquariums, but a particular fish caught my attention one day while walking through my LFS.  This is generally a store that I hate as most the workers can't answer questions and the animals always seems to be dying (fish) and the mammals always suffering from dirty cage neglect.
<It is usually best to avoid purchasing from such places, as they will only continue to replace the animals that you've bought....>
Okay.. venting over.. so I came across a fish which they referred to as a gold veil angel ram.  Basically a long-finned gold ram with an angel fish shaped body.  The colorations and disposition of the fish caused me to immediately fall in love with the fish and I proceeded to plan my future purchase.  Originally I bought a few for my grandmothers aquarium that I take care of.. the 3 I placed I've had for over 3-4 months and they're doing great.  I also moved my aquarium at my parents house inside for my sister (as I don't live at my parents house) and got it up and running with plants and driftwood and fish.. the plants are really taking off.. but I have to focus on the pH as it's a little too basic for Microgeophagus.
<Okay>
Here's the problem.. I bought 5 of them from my LFS today and they came with a problem.   They have this little tumor like cysts in their bodies some of them 1 or 2 .. but no more than 3.. they are about half the size of a grain of rice.. probably even smaller, they react like normal and don't show any signs of being sick.. now.. here's the reason I bought them.. This fish I haven't been able to find online and this is the only fish store on Oahu that gets them in stock.  
<Perhaps another/better store would order them for you?>
And worse.. they only get them 1-2 times a year and normally by the time they get them in stock they're sold out.  So yeah.. I took the chance.. So.. back to the tumor like things.. they appear to be brownish in color.. they aren't translucent.. but you can see them clearly through the fishes
body.. at the moment I have the 5 in a 5 gallon hospital tank being treated with paragon.  I wish I could get a picture for you guys but I don't have a digital camera.  I can try an borrow one and get one too you by next week.. but if anything I'm more curious as to if this is something fatal, curable, or whatever other possibilities there are.  
<Chuck's archived response to you can be found here:  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/ramfaqs.htm .  Though I agree with Chuck's suggestion that they are digenetic trematodes (that's, external parasites, similar to worms, that require different animal hosts at different stages in development - the snail/bird/fish parasite he suggests is one), I would also propose that these things could in fact be tumors or granulomas, possibly even from mycobacteriosis....  In any of these cases, treatment is of no help, and in the case of mycobacteriosis, treatment is very, very unlikely to effect a cure and may even be harmful.>
Otherwise.. I'd also like it if someone could give some background information on them as I know they're probably a product of inbreeding.  Either way. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
<Indeed, they are not natural in color or shape.  I can't find much on this "new" body shape; though, I've seen "balloon" rams (similar to balloon mollies) as well.>
Thanks  -Jonathan
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Ram Now Has Popeye  2/18/06
Thanks for your quick response last week. I QT'd the fish and followed your advice with the Furanace. Unfortunately on day 3 of the treatment I
noticed that the expiration date on the medication was 2 YEARS ago... the ram hadn't really eaten in 4 days and I didn't think he would
survive another 4 days with new meds so I put him back in the main tank where he was eating and happy to be with his mate. His nares got better,
I kept up with water changes and thought all was well. (My ammonia, nitrites are 0, less than 10 nitrates, water is RO with RO Right mixed
to keep a lower pH and softness...)
Yesterday he developed Popeye. I QT'd him again, added Stresscoat and Epsom salts to his tank.  (His QT tank water is all at 0 as above).  I
see no symptoms of anything wrong, just one eye bulging out.  The other eye may be swollen a bit, but not much I can tell. Is there anything I
can do to help this poor fish? I just can't figure out what is wrong with him... is there an all purpose antibiotic I should try on him?
Thanks again, Cathy G Oh, the expired meds all came out of a fresh shipment of meds to the
store - somebody needs to get a better supplier me thinks...
< The Popeye is an internal bacterial infection behind the eye socket. Treat with Metronidazole as per the directions on the package.-Chuck>

Ram Cichlid With Bloody Nose   2/10/06
I have a Halloween Ram - commonly known as a blue ram. He has been living just fine with his pretty wife, (I performed the ceremony
myself), they eat and spawn regularly.  Nothing has changed in this planted tank except that a week before this happened I rearranged a
couple of plants and driftwood.  I do frequent water changes, everything is 0 except nitrates - these are less than 10. The water is soft,  pH is 6.8, temp is 82.
My ram has developed  glow-in-the-dark red nostrils. 2 days ago he went into hiding and stopped eating. Now however, he is out and about, eating and exploring as usual.
You can see him coming from a mile away - maybe I should have called him a Reindeer Ram as in Rudolph.  He has always flashed a bit here and
there, I have never seen anything external on his body or in the water and I am always looking for potential trouble!
I was thinking of using Clout - in case there is something in the water.  But perhaps I should use an antibiotic instead?  Maybe both,
first the Clout?  What is your opinion? Do the nares actually have openings in the fishes body or are they just a membrane under the
surface of the skin?  Any opening would probably be susceptible to an infection, yes?
Thanks for all your time on this site. It is a wonderful resource that I scavenge daily! Cathy
< The nostrils are actually functional. When then eat a food item that fills their mouth they can continue to breath. The red indicates a probable infection. You have a pretty clean set up and it may go away on its own in a few days. To be sure you should isolate the fish in a hospital tank and treat with an antibiotic like Nitrofuranace. If you treated the main tank then the antibiotic may affect the bacteria needed for nitrification and you might need to cycle the tank all over again.-Chuck>