My Gourami Is Having An Issue

[julielynn47]

I noticed a couple of days ago my Sunset Gourami was not being himself.  I could not figure out why.  This morning I see a round spot, like a wound,  but close to perfectly round. It is not ick.  It is a sore of some kind. I can't imagine how he got the sore.  And I am not sure what to do about it.  He is still eating but he hangs out in a corner most of the time. He is more active this morning than he was yesterday though.
 
The only other tank I have that I could put him in and dose him with something would be the 10 gallon that I am cycling.  I have no issue with doing a huge water change and putting him in there and changing the water everyday to control ammonia and such.  But I don't really know if it is necessary or not to even move him.  I only have Melafix and Pimafix. Which I have never use, but I got it to have on hand if I needed something.
 
Should I put one or both in the tank with him and all my other fish? Or should I move him and then dose him with the meds? Or , should I just leave him alone?  I sure hate to lose him.  I just love that fish.    But most of the time, at least for me, when a fish gets sick, no matter what I do, it either heals itself or dies.  Simple as that. Meds have never really made much of a difference.
 
Any advice is appreciated

 

[betta fish]

Hi, sorry to hear about your gourami, what other fish do you keep him with and what size is the tank? personally I would not move him now unless you believe it was another tank mate that caused the wound as the stress of the move especially to an uncycled tank may push him over the edge, just keep the water super clean and keep an eye on the wound to check if it is healing, if not you may have to resort to meds but best to separate first to avoid exposing your other fish, would it be possible to take some of your old filter media over to the new tank? this will cycle it quicker.

 

[julielynn47]

I am seriously thinking about taking some of the media to the 10 gallon.  I cut a tiny piece off, but I guess it wasn't enough.  Anyway, all I have is peaceful community fish in the tank. It is a 55 gallon. I have neon tetras, white cloud minnows, scissor tail rasboras, albino cories, a rubber lip pleco, butterfly loach, kuli loach, a couple of cuppies and some snails. Absolutely nothing that would hurt anything else.  I have always made sure to have only peaceful fish.  So I know that no other tank mate has hurt him.   
 
I guess he maybe got stuck exploring or something like that.  He is doing much better this morning. Like I said, he is swimming the tank in all areas, and not just sitting in the corner. So I guess that is a good sign.  
 
I did a 50% water change yesterday. I guess I can just do one everyday and see if that helps any.   I am a little hesitant to put the Melafix or Pimafix in the tank as I have heard that cories are sensitive to them.  I don't know if that is true. But I would hate to lose all of them along with my gourami.   So if I feel the need to dose him, I guess I will have to move him.

 

[Essjay]

What species is the gourami? Sunset could be a honey gourami (Trichogatster chuna) or a dwarf gourami (Trichogaster lalius). If it is a dwarf, can I suggest you google the symptoms of dwarf gourami disease aka dwarf gourami iridovirus.
 
Fingers crossed for you that your fish is a honey gourami, or a dwarf that doesn't have this disease.

 

[julielynn47]

 
I don't know really.  I have had him to long to have the reciept and all the tag at the store said was Sunset Gourami
 
The spot looks a lot worse in this picture than it does just to be looking at it.   The lights are kind of shinning off it and making it look more pronounced.   But he is swimming around, as you can see in the pic, and not just sitting in the corner anymore.

 

[Essjay]

He is a dwarf gourami. Keep an eye out for the symptoms of dwarf gourami disease. Hopefully it is not that.

 

[julielynn47]

I have had this fish for some time now.  Wouldn't it be showing signs of that a long time ago?  Does that disease have spots like that?

 

[Essjay]

Ah, if you've had him more than a couple of months it's probably not dwarf gourami disease.
Though if you have put another dwarf in the tank recently he could have caught it from a new fish.

 

[julielynn47]

I don't have any other gouramies  He is the only one I have

 

[julielynn47]

I am happy to note that the sore completely healed. I just did a water change everyday for a week and it  healed on its own, no meds needed