'Bruising' on gourami

[debsmd]

I am losing lots of fish, some have had dropsy (pine cone appearance, bloated). Used to have a happy tank with breeding swordtails etc. Now having loads of problems. Don't seem to be doing anything differently from before but now can't seem to get the ammonia levels down either although have been doing water changes and putting in ammonia lock and waste reducer. Would change the filter to underwater one if I had a spare tank and could start cycling a new tank then transferring fish. Two danios with drospy died in the tank when we were away one weekend and I assume were eaten - this may be the root of our problems? We're in the UK and have used Interpret No. 9 anti-internal bacteria.

Lost one gourami a couple of weeks ago - dropsy again. This one was fine and fine on Sunday. However, last night when I looked at it it looks extemely bruised from it's mouth to abdomen. I can' t understand what is happening. It's also hanging near the surface. From previous post, betta still hanging in there but no real imporvement.

Help!

We have:

1 plec (fine)
7 neons (one v bloated - think it is dropsy?)
2 bettas (1 very ill, sitting at bottom of tank, ulcer on face)
4 silvertips (fine)
2 danios

Used to have more. About 6 months ago or longer our neons started getting very bloated. We have lost some fish since then and assume that they have dropsy. The other fish are at varying stages of bloatedness. We have tried internal bacterial infection medicine.

Our PH is 7, nitrate 0 and ammonia high. I have been doing partial water changes, using ammonia lock and stress coat and washing the filter with tank water. There seems to be no stopping the ammonia level and now I don't know what to do for the best. is this situation recoverable? What should we do?

 

[tstenback]

Dropsy is actually a condition that fish develop due to some underlying condition. Usually that condition is an internal parasite of some kind. However if you are having high ammonia readings then this could definitely cause the condition as it stresses the fish a great deal and leaves them incapable of fending off any diseases. How long have you had this ammonia condition, how high is the ammonia, how often and how much water are you changing and how bif is the tank?

 

[bubbs]

I also have a gourami which had 2 bruised areas appear on its side on Sunday. Slightly swollen on those areas and scales look different. Is this dropsy?

What action have you taken? I really don't know what to do as I only have the one tank.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

 

[debsmd]

Hi Bubbs,

No this isn't necessarily dropsy. As far as I know dropsy really is a symptom of bacterial disease which reults in fish looking swollen around the belly and later (bot perhaps not always in my experience) having scales sticking out like a pine-cone effect. Until the gourami went black, I had not heard of anything similar happening to others.

Unfortunately, my gourami died yesterday It started swimming on its side before that. Not good.

So back at square one.

Let us know how you get on.
D

 

[bubbs]

Hiya Debsmd

Sorry to hear about your gourami.
When I got up this morning, my fish had also sadly passed away .(mine was a kissing gourami)

I thought last night it was on the road to recovery because the bruising had reduced slightly and it was swimming about a lot more, so I was quite suprised this am.

Nasty disease though , I wonder what it was? I hope it doesn't affect any of the other fish.

chin up
bubbs