Bolivan ram help

[jim LI]

Hi,
I noticed a few days ago that 1 of my rams mouth is constantly open. at first i thought it was carrying babies. then i thought it had something stuck in its mouth. but i can't see anything out of the ordinary. i researched on line and found nothing. has anyone ever come across anything like this? i watch it eat by sucking food into its mouth. it is also always hiding in the cave.

thanks
jim

106079

[PAR23]

I had an angelfish once that had the same thing. Mouth never fully closed but it chow down the food and exhibited normal behavior. I never bother with it as it grew out nicely.

[Phillydubs]

Is that a wound of some sort above the lip area that ted mark ?

[jim LI]

it has that mark on both sides of its mouth, so i assume it is just its coloring

[Leland F.]

Both eyes are bulging out too. Something is seriously wrong with the fish.

-Leland

[DISCUS STU]

I've found Rams to be even harder to keep and almost more sensitive and more difficult to maintain than my Discus but I keep trying, they have a lot of character. If they eyes are bulging and it has a Popeye related infection than I've found Maracyn-2 (Minocycline) to be very effective, though again I've had better results treating Discus and almost none treating Rams.

[jim LI]

Thanks for the replies. i am still hoping. i have had it for almost 3 years now. its kinda family now. i will check out the meds suggested. will this sickness possibly affect the discus?

[DISCUS STU]

Thanks for the replies. i am still hoping. i have had it for almost 3 years now. its kinda family now. i will check out the meds suggested. will this sickness possibly affect the discus?

I've found that Popeye generally is restricted to one fish but may be caused by environmental factors such as water cleanliness.

[jim LI]

i do 60% w/c with aged water 4 to 5 times a week..i could try to up it to every day and see what happens

[DISCUS STU]

i do 60% w/c with aged water 4 to 5 times a week..i could try to up it to every day and see what happens

This sounds pretty good. Sometimes they just get sick.

[jim LI]

thanks, i'll just ride it out.

jim

[Will- in - Oz]

What is a Bolivian Ram lifespan?
Bulging eyes, abnormal mouth position with blood spots above the mouth.
Mycobacteriosis has to be kept in mind, all South American cichlids are prone to fish MB.
I'd euthanise him and send him for autopsy/histopathology.
The risk of leaving him in the tank is that if he has mycobacteriosis he will be releasing large numbers of mycobacteria, potentially infecting the rest of your fish.

[jim LI]

I just checked out mycobacteriosis. the ram has the lightening of his color like some of the pictures i searched out. i am going to play it safe for the others in the tank and remove it. thanks for that information.

[DISCUS STU]

I just checked out mycobacteriosis. the ram has the lightening of his color like some of the pictures i searched out. i am going to play it safe for the others in the tank and remove it. thanks for that information.

Always a good idea to have at least a 10 gal. available as a hospital / quarantine tank. They don't cost much to keep and maintain.

[Will- in - Oz]

Had anyone ever sent a fish off for autopsy? Histopathology?

[DISCUS STU]

***Now treating my Golden Ram for a very similar condition which includes the distended lip and other similar symptoms. Treating with Minocycline (Maracyn-2) but again my success rate treating Rams is practically nill, though maybe that's due to catching the problem too late. Will keep you posted.***

[Will- in - Oz]

Hey Stu
Have you ever sent one off to see if it has mycobacteriosis - fish MB?
Perhaps you're not catching 'it' too late. Minocycline won't treat fish MB...
I think there's a lot more fish MB around, it's just we don't ever look for it. We just throw some meds in the water and chuck the fish out when it dies, none the wiser. Done it myself all my life!

[Jason.M]

Looks like it's a dislocated jaw from sparring/fighting. See it sometimes in Central American cichlids and the lips won't retract.

[jim LI]

It could have been fighting. i see it occasionally from the other rams in the tank, some aggression, but it doesn't last more than a few seconds.

[DISCUS STU]

Hey Stu
Have you ever sent one off to see if it has mycobacteriosis - fish MB?
Perhaps you're not catching 'it' too late. Minocycline won't treat fish MB...
I think there's a lot more fish MB around, it's just we don't ever look for it. We just throw some meds in the water and chuck the fish out when it dies, none the wiser. Done it myself all my life!

No as I don't want to incur the expense. Assuming it can be identified correctly do you know of a med. that will treat mycobacteriosis?