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Caucatoides & Salt Bath

R-S

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
20
Location
Washington State, USA
My lovely male cac. has developed a little white bump on the top of his head, dead center. He is a little withdrawn and cannot be induced to spawn with his flirting female (they have 3-week-old fry in the tank right now), but is still swimming around and eating and otherwise looking gorgeous. It's not Ich., not fuzzy, kind of pimply but I can't determine what it is so I'd like to do a salt-dip with him before trying more intense options. Don't have a full-blown quarantine set-up available at the moment, but I have a 1 gal that I would do a dip in. What I'd like to know is whether or not these guys are unusually sensitive to salt, and whether epsom salt or fw aquarium salt would be a better bet.

I have done salt dips with bettas, so this is not new to me, just haven't done it with apistos before.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Ronnie-Sue
 

tjudy

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,822
Location
Stoughton, WI
:?

I am asuming that you want to salt dip the fish because the object on the fish is an ectoparasite. Is it possible that it is a small wound that is a bit swollen?

If the object is a parasite, you need to make sure that it is not beneath the skin before you salt bath him.

Another option short of a full dip might be to use a direct application a medication (depends upon what the probelem is as to what to use). I have treated festering sores on larger fish by swabbing the area with antiseptic and antibiotics while the fish is held in a net.
 

Randall

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
1,164
Location
New Jersey, USA
Cacatuoides has a bump on his head

Dear Ronnie-Sue,

I hope that your male cacatuoides does not have a viral cyst of some kind. Please check to see if the white bump is on his head's surface or if it's growing from underneath his skin. If it's a surface bump, then it may be an external parasite, and a dip regime in a proprietary anti-parasitic medication or concentrated salt solution may to the trick. If it is a viral cyst, however, I don't think any amount of salt will help.

Much of the time medicating viral cysts is not successful. If you think you may have viral cyst on your hands, you could give the proprietary brand Quick Cure a try. This brand contains fomaldehyde and malachite green, which may improve the situation. Considering that there are fry in the tank, removing him to separate quarters would be best.

Ted makes a good point in asking if the bump is due to a mechanical injury that has become swollen. If that's the case, then please keep your water scrupulously clean, and you might try netting the fish and swabbing the infected area with mecurechrome (that red stuff that mothers used in the 50s and 60s).

Whatever the problem is, it would be a good idea to keep the water as clean as you can, at least until the problem has subsided. Two smaller partial water changes per week should do it.

Good luck to you.

Randall Kohn
 

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