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My newly aquired Midas Cichlid has these strange bumps appearing on his sides. The best way I can describe them is that they resemble pimples. There are a total of 6 of them and they are all pretty small, about the size of a BB and smaller except for 1 which is getting larger and red in color. All of the other bumps are white. The fish is 14 inches long. I just got him about 2 weeks ago and he didn't have the bumps when I purchased him. My water in my tank is fine as I have done water tests and I also do weekly 30% water changes. What could this be and what can I do to treat it?

a good start to trying to diagnose a problem is a picture, if you have one it's worth a thousand words..

Here is a list that have some pictures, perhaps one will give you a clue as to what you are dealing with..

http://www.adelaideaquariums.com.au/faqs/disease/diagnose.asp#descrips

When kept by itself, the "Amphilophus citrinellus" or Midas Cichlid, can be a wonder...

The only sad part is, they MUST be kept by themselves unless you have a desire to eliminate any other fish in the tank.

A South American mean-as-hell trop will stand up to any fish his size and proceed to kill anything smaller.

But, because the fish will eat anything offered and is rather tough, the Midas is actually a fine beginner's fish if they have a tank large enough to keep one large trop.

Surface "bumps" although difficult to diagnose, always remind me of parasites embedded just under the skin of the fish.

Watch for tiny emerging "worms" from the bumps and if seen you can dose an appropriate parasite med. The red bump may be the first emerging parasite.

--garyroland.

Thanks for the reply gary. What would be a good medication for such a parasite? This is really bothering me and I want to get rid of whatever the problem is.

I can understand your concern...

"Parasite Clear" is a favorite for external parasites and should do the job if you discover that external parasites are truly the problem.

"Clout" is also used when nothing else is available and is a stronger med than "Parasite Clear".

Watch for those emerging "worms", especially in and around the red bump area.

--garyroland.

Well I did a 50% water change and picked up some parasite clear. We'll see what happens. Here's the thing that I can't figure out. I have two 6 inch Pictus cats in the tank with the Midas and they show no signs of being infected. They have been in the tank for about 3 years and the midas has been in their for a very short period of time. I just can't figure out why the cats don't have it but the Midas does.

There have been many cases of other hobbyist's trops that I've treated where just one in the tank was affected...

Some trops have the required immunity to resist parasites and disease while others fall victim.

Study your fish carefully for any bad reaction to the meds.

--garyroland.

Thanks for all of your help Gary. It's new been a few days since the water change and the medication and the size of the bumps is decreasing and no new bumps have appeared. It seems to have worked. I felt so bad because I rescued this fish from a guy who had him in a 20 gallon long. I thought I was doing him justice by taking him home and keeping him in my 90 which he has to himself other than the 2 Pictus cats. Then a few days later he gets plagued. Anyway, hopefully its over now and he won't ever get infected again. The strange part of this whole incident is that the Midas never acted differently, he ate like crazy and was extremely active. He also never itched himself on the rocks or other decorations. Well thanks again and have a good day.

Be vigilant...

I never trust parasites to leave permanently. They have a way of returning, especially the type that burrow under the skin.

Follow the meds' dosing directions right to the letter to make sure you have killed the buggers.

I'm thrilled your trop is improving and I bet the trop is thrilled also.

--garyroland.