Help! My Gourami Is Dying!

phoenixgsd said:

no picture is showing

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angel308 said:

I was also gonna ask if your using liquid kits or strips. I used strips to start with which indicated all was fine, then I got an API liquid test kit which showed ammonia in the water, hence my fish dying What's happening to you sounds simular to mine, they all did the same thing, laid at the bottom of the tank, gasping and breathing quickly. I lost 4 fish in total to ammonia poisoning but once I got the correct test kit and some ammonia-lok stuff (which still allows the ammonuim to be used by the filter, which is very important) the levels dropped and all my fish are healthy again x

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Crossfire said:

That...doesn't appear to be dropsy. But it's colors seem faded. Try medicating your tank with some aquarium salt (not marine salt!) And try feeding him (its a male) deshelled, cooked peas.
What kind of testing kit are you using, liquid or test strip?

This is what dropsy looks like

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Deisler said:

I tried to feed him some de-shelled cooked peas but he just ignored any food I gave him.....

angel308 said:

I was also gonna ask if your using liquid kits or strips. I used strips to start with which indicated all was fine, then I got an API liquid test kit which showed ammonia in the water, hence my fish dying What's happening to you sounds simular to mine, they all did the same thing, laid at the bottom of the tank, gasping and breathing quickly. I lost 4 fish in total to ammonia poisoning but once I got the correct test kit and some ammonia-lok stuff (which still allows the ammonuim to be used by the filter, which is very important) the levels dropped and all my fish are healthy again x

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Thank you for your reply.

I am now using API test kit and all three parameters look normal. 0 0 20-40

Crossfire said:

That...doesn't appear to be dropsy. But it's colors seem faded. Try medicating your tank with some aquarium salt (not marine salt!) And try feeding him (its a male) deshelled, cooked peas.
What kind of testing kit are you using, liquid or test strip?

This is what dropsy looks like

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Thank you. No, he doesnt look like that at all.... that is why I need you guys' help to confirm what disease that might be

Tried feeding peas, he just didnt eat at all..

I am using API master test kit.

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hmmmm......the only 2 things that seem to match are dropsy and Gourami disease I'm not sure what to suggest,some people say putting them in a small tank with good air circultion, to make the surface more accessable to him if he needs air. Other than that not sure, have you spoke to a LFS? x

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Deisler said:

I noticed he has two red bumps on his body. one on the top if his mouth (can be seen from the pic)... one on his left side skin

hmmmm......the only 2 things that seem to match are dropsy and Gourami disease I'm not sure what to suggest,some people say putting them in a small tank with good air circultion, to make the surface more accessable to him if he needs air. Other than that not sure, have you spoke to a LFS? x

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Not yet.. But what is Gourami Disease?

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Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus.

This disease kills the Dwarf Gouramis slowly, sometimes taking as long as a year to kill them. The symptoms include wasting of the fish and there is little doubt that before this disease was identified, fish tuberculosis was blamed for some of the deaths from this virus. This virus may have become a problem because of the extensive inbreeding of this fish in Singapore.

Many virus diseases are specific to a single species, and it is frequently reported that only Dwarf Gouramis can get the Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus. However there are also many conflicting reports.

One study by a team led by Professor Richard Whittington of the University of Sydney, Australia found a 99.95% genetic similarity between the Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus and a virus outbreak in 2003 that killed farmed Murray Cod, Maccullochella peelii peelii. A test showed that Murray Cod can be infected with the Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus, and had 90% mortality.

There is fear that the Mosquito fish (Gambusia species) can act as a carrier for this virus and aid its spread through wild fish populations. This virus has also been reported as affecting swordtails.

One of the problems with these reports is that there are many types of fish Iridoviruses. Some of them will kill or make the fish ill while others seem to have no bad effects on the fish. To really find out what is happening would take a major research effort.

Several internet articles say that 22% of Dwarf Gouramis coming out of Singapore have this virus. This figure is actually based on an study of Dwarf Gouramis in Australian retail aquarium shops. The study found that 22% of these fish were infected with this virus. All the tested fish had been imported from Singapore. The fairly reasonable jump was made to state that 22% of the Dwarf Gouramis coming out of Singapore were infected.

Of course all the tested fish would have been through quarantine and any fish showing signs of disease would have been destroyed. If any batch of fish had a lot of diseased specimens the whole batch would have been destroyed. If an importer loses a whole batch of fish he has lost a lot of money and would look for another supplier.

At least one normally reputable internet site says that most of the fish coming out of Singapore are infected. 22% is a very worrying figure, but it certainly is not “most”.

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