Help! My Gourami Is Dying!

[Deisler]

Hi all,

I just found my gourami is dying... I did some google search but still not sure whats happening...

I got a 120L tank set up 3 month ago. cycle has been established around 2 months ago. Water parameters were always around ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 20-40... Temp is around 24-26 C

I got 5 zebra danios, 5 cherry barbs and 1 dwarf gourami, they were fine, until today I noticed the gourami behaved in a very strange way....

He (or she) stayed on the bottom of the tank, breathing very heavily.... try to balance his body, without eating anything.

Every 2-3mins he comes to the surface to get a monthful of air then goes back to the bottom again.

I tried to google what disease he got and the only thing that came to me is something called 'dopsy'.

But he isnt looking that 'fat' at all....

Can some1 help me pls? I just want to confirm if he gets some uncurable sickness... I dont want to see he is suffering from disease!!!

Thanks in advance...

 

[Deisler]

This is a pic of him. Any1 can tell me what disease he has?

 

[phoenixgsd]

no picture is showing

 

[Deisler]

Sorry here it is

no picture is showing

I've uploaded a new pic... Thank you.

he is trying his best to come to surface and take a breath. Then he fell down to the bottom like a barrel.......

I cant do anything for him just seeing him breathing desperately.

 

[phoenixgsd]

do you mean dropsy? i cant tell from that picture if hes swollen or not, does he have any scales sticking out?

 

[Crossfire]

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

That, or your gourami might have Dwarf Gourami disease, which unfortunatley has no cure

 

[phoenixgsd]

is he sinking and struggling to stay boyant, google swimbladder and see if that matches his symptoms, feeding a pea can often help swimbladder

 

[angel308]

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

 

[Deisler]

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

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

Thank you for your reply.

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

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

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.

 

[angel308]

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

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

Thank you for your reply.

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

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

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.

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

 

[Deisler]

He is not only sinking.... He is turning his one side up and struggling with his balance.

Then every 2 mins he comes to the surface to breath...

 

[Deisler]

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

Not yet.. But what is Gourami Disease?

 

[Deisler]

Ok I googled and found :

The dwarf gourami disease symptoms are typically:

1 - Lethargy
2 - Loss of appetite
3 - Appearance of bloody patches (sores) on the skin

he's got 1, 2 and 3.......

If it is not curable, as what ppl said in www, I will put him down when he gets worse....

Seeing him struggling makes me really sad

 

[Crossfire]

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

Not yet.. But what is Gourami Disease?

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”.

 

[Daveo026]

Happened to my dwarf male 2 weeks ago I personally think its dwarf gourami decease mine got darker could bearly swim and gained a lump on one side of his body then died within 24 hours altho I still have a female dwarf that is unaffected so I could be wrong