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Blood red parrot has a swollen red spot

23 11:09:27

Question
QUESTION: I have a 55 gallon tank nine fish including two blood red parrots two bumble bee cichlids three convicts and a pleco and a sunburst peacock. I do 27% water changes weekly. My blood red parrot has a red spot that started out looking like color change now it has expanded and is swollen a little bit. I have taken pictures to two local pet stores and the fish experts cant tell me what it could be. I have medicated for ich with coppersafe and moroxy for fungas and those both cleared up but I dont know what this could be. The spot is located on the hump behind her head.

ANSWER: Nancy,

Without a picture its hard to say. The blood Cichlid is a hybrid fish and do tend to have a lot of problems. It is very important not to treat your fish with any medication unless you know exactly whats wrong. I am glad it helped you this time but it might not the nest. It sounds like it could have been an injury that got infected. These fish need perfect water conditions at all times. It could also be an infection of the skin. If you can upload a photo it would make it easier for me to figure out what it is.

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sick goldy
sick goldy  
QUESTION: thanks for responding.  It looks like the red has gotten smaller but the white seems to be expanding around the red.  what looks to be a "small thorn" is sticking out from between the red spots about 1/32 of an inch to small to see in pic.

Answer
Nancy,

 It looks like an abscess that got infected. Make sure his/her water is perfect. No ammonia or nitrites in the water. You can add some aquarium salt to the tank to help out with the injured spot and then see how things go for the next day or so. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon of water. Make sure it is dissolved before you put it in the water. Once he is better you can start doing water changes to remove the salt. Let me know how things are in a day or 2 but sooner if things gets worse.