# Peacock with zits and rotting fins - pics



## MinorMillikin (Dec 5, 2007)

Good Afternoon:

I have a red peacock cichlid with a couple pimple-looking things as well as deteriorating fins. He still acts like a healthy fish (eating, poking around in the gravel, no flashing that I've seen).

This fish is in a 50-gallon tank by himself (previously, he shared the tank with a few juvenile brichardis, a brevis and a pleco -- I've since moved those fish out of the tank, though there was no aggression between any of the fish).

Water: 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 40ish Nitrate, ph 7.8.

Before I took these pictures, the symptoms looked kind of like Ich -- a few little pimply bumps. I've been treating the tank like it was Ich (increased temp to about 85, added salt each day, and doing a 25% water change every two days) for the last 2 weeks.

I've had this fish about a year. For the first 6 months, he was in another tank, growing up with another peacock. When they started fighting with each other I split them up. This fish was pretty raggedy when I split them up (injured fins from a couple lost fights). After moving the fish, his mood seemed to improve, but the fins never healed (and now, as you can see, the fins just look like they are melting).

Any idea how I should go about treating this fish? --the Ich approach hasn't worked.





Sorry about the blurriness of the pictures, but I think they show what I'm talking about for the most part.


----------



## TomGall (Dec 29, 2006)

unless i am wrong the tail will grow back but i dont know about the pimples thats strange!


----------



## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Ich looks like grains of salt--not little pimply bumps-- and if you watch closely over several days time you'll notice that the grains are not always in the same place on the fish. That's because the parasite only spends part of it's life actually on the fish. The rest of the time it's in the water.

From what you describe it doesn't sound like ich. I can't tell much from the photo but it sounds more like a bacterial infection--?? Need more information.

Try this: shine a flashlight on the fish from different angles. Do you see any kind of coating on the skin? 
The 'zits': do they eventually erupt into an open sore? Do they come and go? Any scales falling off? 
The fins: is there any kind of growth on them? And just so I understand: When this fish was in the other tank it fought, had some fin damage, you moved him into a tank by himself and the fins didn't grow back _but now they are actually deteriorating_? When did the fins start deteriorating? Would you say it was around the time that you started treating for ich with the salt and increased temp?

Robin


----------



## MinorMillikin (Dec 5, 2007)

The zits have been coming and going. They swell over a few days then go away (leaving a small, popped-zit" behind).

I guess the fins haven't really "deteriorated," they just never got any better after moving into a new tank. When I first moved him from the other tank, I just used Melafix like I would after any slugfest. While I expected the fins would get better over time, months and months passed, and they haven't improved -- and the only difference I've seen is that they no longer look like ragged-chewed-on fins, but they look like rotting fins.

The zits came afterward... like a month ago or so. When they first started there were more of them and smaller than the one in the picture -- and the closest matching description for the illness seemed to be Ich (though I wasn't all that convinced). I chose to treat it as Ich, because, despite his nasty appearance, never lost good-spirit, appetite, and didn't show signs of bloat. Treating for Ich seemed to be less risky (increased heat and salt...).

Answers to other questions:
Shine a flashlight on the fish from different angles. Do you see any kind of coating on the skin?
No coating, and the scales mostly look pretty decent.

The 'zits': do they eventually erupt into an open sore? They eventually erupt, but I haven't seen anything that looked like an "open sore," really.

Do they come and go? Yes.

Any scales falling off? Not that I can tell, even with the flashlight.

The fins: is there any kind of growth on them? Nothing growing on them, they just didn't grow back, and over time got a rotted-look to them.


----------



## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

> The fins: is there any kind of growth on them? Nothing growing on them, they just didn't grow back, and over time got a rotted-look to them.


 What do you mean: a rotted-look to them? Are the edges frayed, coated in white/gray fuzz? I'm trying to determine if the fins have just stopped growing back or are infected. A rotted-look would indicate an infection.

Doesn't sound like ich. The 'zits' could be something viral in which case there's nothing you can do and the fish may eventually recover from them but it may also be a bacterial or fungal infection and for that you want to treat.

Since we're not sure if it's bacterial, fungal or perhaps both you could try treating with a combination of Maracyn and Maracyn-two. Turn the heat down to 78-80 and increase water movement. You can continue with the salt.

Robin


----------



## MinorMillikin (Dec 5, 2007)

> What do you mean: a rotted-look to them? Are the edges frayed, coated in white/gray fuzz? I'm trying to determine if the fins have just stopped growing back or are infected. A rotted-look would indicate an infection.


The picture I posted is from yesterday (and the one thing that I did manage to get in focus was the tail-fin), and that is what the fins look like. There isn't any fuzz, but they stopped growing and have gotten a little more grayish over time. To me they look "rotted" -- but its not as if a couple weeks ago this fish had full, healthy fins and they rotted away. They didn't grow back like I hoped and now have taken on what I'd call a "rotted" look.

I think today after another water-change I'll lower the temp as you've suggested, move a power-head into the tank for increased circulation and go ahead with a Maracyn and Maracyn2 treatment and see how that fares.

Luckily, the fish is still "acting healthy" and that gives me confidence.

Note: The fish that were previously in the tank (2 Brevis and 6 small brichardis are still healthy and aren't showing any signs of illness -- no zits or fin-rot). Somehow I didn't make it clear that there is also a pleco in the tank with the peacock -- that fish isn't showing any signs of illness either.


----------



## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Okay well it may be that they've grown back as much at they're going to grow back, 
OR you may see significant improvement with the Maracyn(s) treatment. I would do the full 2 rounds of treatments recommended on the packages. If this is some sort of slow moving but stubborn infection then we want to hit it hard. The Maracyns say they won't hurt your bio filter but I'd test throughout the treatment all the same. Fit in as many partial water changes as you can before, during and after treatment.

It is a very good sign that the fish is still eating and acting normally and is undoubtedly an indication that you're providing him with the best possible care.

Let me know how it goes. 
Robin


----------



## Gino Santangelo (Nov 26, 2008)

I'm thinking viral, but what do I know. I would seperate it though. If it were me I do a strong solution of meth blue with ebson salt. That has cured alot of mistery ailments for me in the past.


----------



## sweetsummerrose (Mar 11, 2008)

Hello. Did you ever find out for sure what the bumps on your fish were. I have a fish with the exact same looking bumbs that seem to come and stay for quite awhile then go away and new ones reappear in different spots, just curious to find out if its the same thing and what you did for your fish. Thanks.


----------

