fish gill problem

Question
QUESTION: im very experienced with fish, and ive never seen any thing like this before, i have a male electric blue jack dempsey that ive had for about a year now, he is around 4 to 5 inches in length and is currently housed in a 40 breeder, the water is amazing quality (every thing is at 0 and the ph is like 6.8) he has always been a joy, he would follow me as i walk around the room, he has been fed only the best food, i rotate from cichlid pellets (2 different brands) brine shrimp, tetra crisps, sundried shrimp,  tetra granuals, blood worms, green peas ect

well i decided to add a female and thats when the problems started, no he lays around with clamped fins, he has no intrest in food, the female looks great and is very active, i thought he may be sick but she isnt, well i bought some ghost shrimp to encourage him to eat (im wondering if this has any thing to do with it) this was about 2 days ago and he actually started to chase them a bit,

well today i was doing a water change and i noticed blood red stringy stuff hanging from one gill, its not anchor worms, its the color of blood but its not blood, i got him in the corner with a net to take a closer look and some of it came off on the net it looks very soft, im not sure what to do ive never seen this befor ever,

thank you so much

ANSWER: Hi Liz,
Jack Dempseys are true to their name, and you just can't put a female in with him, in the hope that they will breed.  They must be of equal force, and if they aren't one could, and will kill the other.  I think in this case, the female has the upper hand, she is stronger than him, and not being of equal force, has bit him, and caused him stress.  He is living in fear of her.  When a fish is stressed, all kinds of diseases may occur.  A Jack Dempsey is a very violent fish, and grows to 8-10 inches.  He would need a 50 gallon tank all to himself.  Two Jacks need 100 gallon tanks.  I would remove the female, as quickly as possible, and keep my Jack alone.  It is very very rare that these fish get along with each other.  To find a pair, you must keep 6-8 of them when small in a tank, and hope that a pair will form.  They are cichlids, and cichlids are aggressive, territorial, and choose their mate.  The Jack is one of the most aggressive fish known, along with Green Terrors.  We do not give them names like this for nothing.  I have seen Jacks get along well when young with other tankmates, and then suddenly they kill them off.  It is their nature, and nothing we can do will change this.
You will have to cure him with an antibiotic, and coppersafe to.  He may be vulnerable now to pick up parasites.  Clamped fins indicate parasites.
Treat him with coppersafe, and Maracyn-two combined.  Follow the directions on the package.  
I hope he gets better quickly.
Lynda

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: well i thought of that, the female is about and inch in length, and doesnt bother him at all, thats why im baffeled the male electric blue can only be mated with a much smaller female of the regular gene, i didnt know if they would pair up, probably not, there are no bite marks either, the wound apears to be inside, i didnt know if maybe he ate a shrimp and it got cought in his gill? could this have caused it? i also didnt know if the red stuff was part of his gill? il deff medicate him i was thinking of using mela fix and pima fix at the same time,

thanks alot for the info, (im actually in the process of buying a 125 gallon acrylic tank and stand from a friend) i love my fish,  

Answer
Hi Liz,
I would have to see a picture if this is possible.  It could be internal parasites, it could be gill flukes, or like you mentioned a shrimp could have got caught in his gill.   It is difficult to say without seeing the fish.   I would still medicate with coppersafe, and maracyn- two combined.  Clamped fins is definitely a sign of parasites, which is why I prefer coppersafe, and maracyn-two.
I would not use melafix and pimafix.
I have bred Jacks, and I can assure you they must be of equal force.  A small female would be killed if the male is stronger.  Always try to mate them of equal size, or just one inch in difference.  They do choose their mate, so watch them carefully when the male is feeling better.
He's sick now, so maybe there is no danger, but when he gets better, his attitude will change.
I hope he pulls through, and if you can send me a picture, it would help.
Lynda