lump on head of GBR

[discus fever]

Hi, I am new here and appreciate all the knowledge you offer. I am hoping someone can help me with a problem. I recently bought a german blue ram and all seemed fine but it developed a bump on the top of it's head. It almost looks like a large pimple that had been popped.sort of a bump with a crater in the middle.Since seeing this I went back to the LFS and most of their stock has died and I saw this on a couple of the fish there. I would not think much of it but it was on multiple fish. Also in the short time I had this pair they spawned and I have about 100 fry. I don't want them to get it if it is contagious. i have a pic but it is hard to see anything. Thank you for any help.
IMG]http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af301/discusfever/fish/IMG_5507.jpg[/IMG]

 

[discus fever]

here is another pic.

 

[wethumbs]

Probably another case of Microbacterium marinum or commonly known as TB. Is generally not treatable. The same drugs for treating human TB can be effective on fish. It can transmit to human through open wound or cut in your hands and manifest in the form of nodules around the cut. The symptom may take 2 to 4 weeks to surface. Most of the time your immune system will take care of it. In rare cases, if the infection is deep in the tissue, surgery will be required to cut off the infected area if drug treatments are ineffective.

 

[discus fever]

i tried to do a search here to find out more but the search feature said I was forbidden. Is this very common and is there anything I should do about it? I don't really like the fact that it can transmit to people. Can I assume my fry are going to get it?
I am still open to other diagnosis if someone cares to chime in. Thanks

 

[flashbang]

Hi, I am new here and appreciate all the knowledge you offer. I am hoping someone can help me with a problem. I recently bought a german blue ram and all seemed fine but it developed a bump on the top of it's head. It almost looks like a large pimple that had been popped.sort of a bump with a crater in the middle.Since seeing this I went back to the LFS and most of their stock has died and I saw this on a couple of the fish there. I would not think much of it but it was on multiple fish. Also in the short time I had this pair they spawned and I have about 100 fry. I don't want them to get it if it is contagious. i have a pic but it is hard to see anything. Thank you for any help.
IMG]http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af301/discusfever/fish/IMG_5507.jpg[/IMG]

Hi, I had the same problem with my GBR's. I lost quite a few over a period of 2 months. Just by luck i found the exact symptoms in a fish disease book i was looking in at a freinds house. You need to do a search for HEXAMITA or HEXAMITIASIS (hole in the head disease). It is in fact a parasite.
I have kept cichlids for a number of years and have never come across the disease before, but the discription of the disease was bang on in respect to my rams. The only medication i have found in the U.K is a product called OCTOZIN produced by Waterlife. This has prooved to be sucessful for my fishes and i am dosing the tanks with it every few months as a precaution.

good luck with the rams-they are great little fishes

 

[discus fever]

Hi, I had the same problem with my GBR's. I lost quite a few over a period of 2 months. Just by luck i found the exact symptoms in a fish disease book i was looking in at a freinds house. You need to do a search for HEXAMITA or HEXAMITIASIS (hole in the head disease). It is in fact a parasite.
I have kept cichlids for a number of years and have never come across the disease before, but the discription of the disease was bang on in respect to my rams. The only medication i have found in the U.K is a product called OCTOZIN produced by Waterlife. This has prooved to be sucessful for my fishes and i am dosing the tanks with it every few months as a precaution.

good luck with the rams-they are great little fishes

Wow, what a relief that would be LOL. I would much prefer this to fish TB. I am familiar with HITH as I keep discus and they seem prone to getting it. I treat with metronidazole which is the same family of meds as octozin. In discus though it usually is just a crater or several craters with no pimple-like bump. Does HITH usually cause bumps on these small fishes or is it not that common? Thanks

 

[flashbang]

H, i origonally thought the rams had been fighting as they do a lot of head butting, however one day i was watching a male and there right in front of my eyes the pimple popped and a lump of pus appeared, so thats when i went to my freinds house and read his book.

This is what the book said-quote

HEXAMITA
a parasitic disease primarily of cichlid fish, some authorities consider that most, if not all aquqrium cichlids are infected. the parasites are readily transmitted from cichlid to cichlid.
SIGNS
White stringy FAECES, sometimes also but not allways,accompanied by enlargement of the sensory pores of the head, which usually also become filled with whitish pus.
Dark colorisation and loss of appetite are common in advanced cases.
Both emanciation and distended body have been reported
CAUSE
These weakly pathogenic parasites are commonly found in small numbers in the intestines of cichlids, where they do no apparent harm under normal circumstances.
If however the fish is weakened (e.g. disease,stress,environmental problem) the parasitees multiply and migrate through the fishes system.If (and only if)they reach the sensory pores do the charecteristic pus filled holes develop
Death occurs if a vital organ is invaded and fatally damaged.
Many mystery deaths of cichlids may be due to hexamita infestations where the sensory pores have remained unaffected.

As i have allready said, i had not come across this disease before but i was amazed to find the exact symptoms that i had with my rams.I am sure the medication has worked for me and i will continue to use it , i also went and bought the book.