Help, Sick Gourami

[johnbee]

My Gourami is ill and I could some help identifying whats wrong and planning treatment.

Tank size: 39G
pH: n/a
ammonia: n/a
nitrite: n/a
nitrate: n/a
kH: n/a
gH: n/a
tank temp: 79

(Sorry, no test kits handy right now.)

Fish Symptoms: The pics tell as much as I know. It started as a small red spot on the bottom of the fish just under the front fin, and a day and a half later it has developed into whats in the photo. The fish is still very active, feeding and agressive (as usual).

Volume and Frequency of water changes: Once a week 30% - 50% every Sunday.

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Aqua Plus tap water conditioner and Plant Gro aquatic plant fertilizer. Reccomended amounts with new water weekly

Tank inhabitants: 6 red eye tetras, 6 Glowlight Tetras, 2 Tiger Botias, 3 Dwarf Gouramis (including the sick one), 5 freshwater shrimp and a pleco.

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): The Tetras and Gouramis are all month old additions. There were originally 5 Gouramis and 2 or 3 weeks into having them, two got lethargic, swam periodically in spurts without direction and died the next day with no visible signs of illness.

Exposure to chemicals: None known

 

[SouthernCross]

Ohhhh boy, not another one.

There's been about a half dozen of us with this problem in the last few weeks - the dwarf gourami virus/disease - which they're all very susceptible too, and it's looking more and more like fish stocks everywhere are affected with it. It could have been brought on by stress or water quality - but you've only had your fish a month so it's quite possible it had it when you bought it. Ulcers like on your fish are one of the first signs. It might not end well for your fish (your others will probably be affected too) but if you get in and treat early, you never know. If they stop eating, it's probably all over.
Most people have been posting in the gourami forum - and at this point sylvia our gourami expert has just been directing everyone to my old thread in which she gave the lengthiest advice - we all had the same problem (our dwarfs generally got sick within a month or two of getting them) - so check this info in my thread out:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=182995

I linked to pictures of my gourami with an ulcer in the first post. Other threads you might want to have a look at that were recent in the gourami forum are posts by Jozlyn, Biulu, and Colonel Mustard. They all too had this problem.

Out of interest last week I made a post in Tropical Chit-Chat asking if ANYONE had much luck keeping dwarf gouramis - there are MANY of us worldwide who have lost gouramis in this exact same way. I've since given up on them - I've got a pearl gourami now.

But check that thread out, and best of luck. Hopefully you might be lucky, and your dwarf might fare better than the rest of ours did.

 

[johnbee]

Wow, Thanks for the great reply!

I have a Dwarf and an Opaline in a 20G as well and those guys have been in there for a year now and they have never had any signs of illness. All my problems seem to be happening in my 39G planted tank. I really enjoy the Gouramis however I don't enjoy sending them to porcelain heaven at all, but I haven't given up hope yet.

I'll try and post later to let everyone know the outcome.

Again thanks for taking the time to reply.

 

[WILDER]

Looks bacterial to me as well, ulcer are pink or red with a circling of white dead skin around the edges, dosn't look like an ulcer but it is bacterial.
Need to get your water tested.

Wounds that are white on the edges and red in the center are most typically Aeromonas. Those that are red on the edges and white in the center are generally Columnaris. Both are gram negative bacteria. The best treatment for this is any sulfa antibiotic with trimetheprim. This can be put in the water and/or mixed with food -- if you can find Romet B use it.

Taken from the link.
http/www.fishpalace.org/danscomments.html#Lump