Dwarf Gourami Sores

[billytkid]

Hiya,

Ive got a comunity tank (see fish-cam.co.uk for a live stream & fish list), i added some Dwarf Gouramis a couple of weeks ago, and the first one died last week (no known issues), however my second one is now not looking good at all and has been on the decline for about a week. Its got sores all over it (doesnt look like ich) and on its mouth.

The sores look a little like cold sores on humans (have a look at the pics)

All other fish in the tank look perfectly happy

Have a look at the photos - anyone got any ideas?

Thanks

 

[Katie217]

well my dwarf has had a little red bump on his mouth for a few months, and it hasnt affected him at all, so i really dont know. plus those pics arent good.

 

[billytkid]

Hi Katie,

thanks for the quick reply, yep the pics arent good however this fish isnt looking chirpy!

Thanks

 

[Katie217]

hmm...what are the water params and what-not?

 

[billytkid]

There fairly standard as its always been:
no3 > 160ish
no2 > 0
GH > 10/18
pH > 6.5/7

It never really deviates from this apart from the No3 goes a bit higher when i need to do a water change

 

[Katie217]

did u test for ammonia?

 

[billytkid]

Good point, no i havent since i dont have a testing kit any more - i found that once id set the tank up and the nitrite got to 0 therefore also did the amonia.

Do you think high levels of amonia can exist if the filters are working ok and are lowering the nitrate (i know its a seperate process, but both rely on helathy and active filter medium).

If you think its worth it ill pick a test up tomorrow - however in the meantime any suggestions?

Thanks for your help

 

[Katie217]

umm yes, test for ammonia, thats very important, he could have ammonia poisning, or well anything... but i would just go do a water change, to be on the safe side. when was the last time u did a water change?

 

[homebunnyj]

Ummmmm.... your nitrates are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy high. Do a big water change. Do you vacuum your substrate? It's good to keep the nitrates below forty or so for most fish, IME. Some fish need them even lower.

And, yes, you can have an ammonia spike after your tank is cycled. You should have tests for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate on hand at all times.

The filter doesn't lower nitrates, the only thing that can do that is water changes. I do 20% or more wc's in all my tanks weekly, as well as vacuuming the substrate. If fish show signs of illness, I change water a little more frequently.

After your more-than-50% water change, you might put in some Melafix if it's available to you until you find out what the problem is. Clean water will go a long way toward your fish's healing, but it might need something more. Here's a site with lots of pics of fish diseases, so maybe you'll see something that matches your gourami's condition. Pandora's Aquarium

 

[James From Cali]

Your Nitrates should be 5-20 ppm, that way everything is relatively safe. Test for ammonia, and do a huge wc like previously stated!

 

[FirstTimeFreshie]

My poor gourami is having the same issue... I quarantined him, and I've literally been giving him any and every medication, as directed, and of course doing water changes and checking the params as needed but nothing seems to be helping... is fish cancer possible?

 

[tom91970]

Keep a close eye on the fish. I had to learn the hard way about Dwarf Gourami Disease when I had my first powder blue dwarf. It seems Colisa lalia are prone to having this virus.

 

[FirstTimeFreshie]

How do you get rid of it?