# Lost a Blue Ram - what disease is this?



## Egon (Aug 12, 2010)

Late last week, I noticed my Blue Ram had a small white spot on his head over his right eye. Occasionally, he would rub his head on the gravel like he had Ich. None of my other fish appeared to be having any problems.

So I turned up the heat, added aquarium salt and treated with an Ich medicine. I did this for about a week and, if anything, the spot seemed to grow. I didn't have a quarantine tank at the time (I do now, a little late).

Then, two days ago, I got home from work and saw that the spot looked like a popped zit, with a bright red dot protuding out of the wound. He was still eating and otherwise seemed fine (no red gills or anything like that). So I built my quarantine tank and moved some of the tank water into it to make it hospitable for my poor little guy. But I didn't want to move him into it right away. I went to my LFS for antibiotics, since at this point I'm pretty sure that this is not Ich.

I fully intended on moving him into my quarantine tank yesterday and treat him with antibiotics. When I got home yesterday, he was hiding behind a rock (which he never does) and he didn't put up a fight when I netted him and moved him to the quarantine. His breathing was labored and he didn't swim at all... just sat at the bottom. Sometime in the night he perished.

Does anyone have any clues as to what kind of disease/parasite this was? My water is fine and all my other fish are not showing any spots or odd behavior. I've got some video of him before he perished that I'll try to upload later.


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## Big Dog (May 17, 2010)

Are you able to post some type of picture by cahnce?


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## Egon (Aug 12, 2010)

Here are some pics... they aren't the clearest as they are screen caps of a video from my phone:


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## Chillwill007 (Aug 20, 2010)

Sorry but I have no answers still pretty knew but hopefully some one can answer because I admin wanting to get some rams like this and would like ro know how to treat this if I every come across it.


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## Big Dog (May 17, 2010)

It looks like it could be Freshwater Hole in the Head Disease. Is the fish eating his food?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Sorry for your loss. GBRs are cool fish. 

Ich usually looks like a very small air bubble that is sticking to their skin.

I've read a little bit about the hole in the head, but your pics aren't exactly what I've seen. Not saying it is or isn't. There are meds to cure it.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Sorry about your loss. Rams can be pretty touchy when it comes to stuff like this.

Ich looks like grains of salt on the fish. It looks a little like hole in the head but I have never heard nor seen it kill that fast.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

my GBR male just died of this yesterday morning, it is hole in the head. his looked like yours but upon further observation and a nice magnifying glass it was definitely HITH.

Mine showed signs a few days before I found him belly up.


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## Egon (Aug 12, 2010)

Thanks everyone. I showed the pics to my LFS and they aren't 100% sure either. They believe it was definitely bacterial. I'm sure had I acted more switfly, antibiotics would have saved my little guy.


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