Dieing Honey Gourami

[PrairieSunflower]

I have 3 honey gourami, 2 females and 1 male.
 
I think one of my females is dieing!  No idea why but she looks VERY bad!  A week ago I treated them for ich with Esha Exit and that cleared easily.  She was the one to have just one spot when I began treatment.  That's it.  Now suddenly she is laying on the gravel half sideways (maybe 45 degree angle) and the other female is near her in a sort of concerned way.
 
What to do?  I am thinking not much as this has been rather sudden and I am thinking she is going to die soon. 

 
I forgot the usual tank specs.... 20 US gallons, 3 honey gourami, 5 amano shrimp and assassin snails (and newly born honey babies).  My stats are spot on and my water was changed yesterday.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I just thought I should add there is no loss of color and she is still coming up for air.  I thought she wasn't but watched longer and she is.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I suggest you might want to read up more on spawning gouramis. You will discover that the male will often harm the female after spawning is done. It is recommended she be removed.  Perhaps the following will help some.
 

This species is a bubblenester which forms temporary pair bonds. Some hobbyists prefer to isolate individual pairs for spawning purposes whereas others may maintain a small group. Either way the tank to be used for spawning should be furnish it with plenty of floating and/or stem plants with leaves reaching the surface. Gentle filtration via an air-powered sponge filter is the best option, as it will not break up the bubblenest of the male or suck up fry.
 
The tank should have the tightest-fitting cover you can find (some breeders use clingfilm instead, to ensure no gaps), as the fry need access to a layer of warm, humid air without which development of the labyrinth organ can be impaired.
 
Condition the fish with plenty of small live foods and they should quickly come into spawning condition with the female appearing plump with eggs and the male assuming his nuptial colour pattern (see ‘Sexual Dimorphism’). Unlike those of some related species the bubblenest does not include pieces of plant material and is usually constructed beneath a broad leaf or even in the corner of the aquarium using the glass for stability.
 
The male initially builds a relatively small nest and once complete will begin to display to gravid females in the vicinity. As a receptive female approaches the pair will be seen touching each other with their modified ventral fins.
 
Following a protracted courtship spawning occurs beneath the nest in the typical osphronemid ‘embrace’, the male wrapping his body around that of his mate with eggs and milt released simultaneously at the climax.
 
The male collects the eggs and transports them to the nest. Several more spawnings occur and when there are no more eggs the female is chased away. It is best to remove her at this point. The male then tends to the nest until the eggs hatch, usually in around 24-36 hours. The male can then also be removed. The fry become free swimming in another 24-48 hours and are very small. They should be fed infusoria or liquid fry food for the first week, after which they are large enough to accept brine shrimp nauplii or microworm. Care should be taken when performing water changes as the young are very sensitive to changes in water chemistry and temperature, and remain so for some time.

from http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/trichogaster-chuna/
 
It looks like the male is responsible here, but that is not 100% certain. I learned this the hard way with my only pair of gouramis- Colisa lalia. After they spawned, the male chased the fm hard into the glass and she was floating soon after.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

This isn't the female that he spawned with and he pays her little to no attention ever.  Initially when I got them this female was aggressive and her and the male staked out territory (half a tank each) and that was it... they kept to it.  That left my other very gentle female off kilter with no territory for awhile then she settled as everyone's friend and moved around freely.
 
My male spawned with the gentle female.  Anyhow... behaviorwise, my male is super protective of his side and if the gentle female comes to close to looking like she might approach the bogwood (the territory division), but he isn't hurting them.  Also the currently sick looking female hasn't even tried to go to his side since they divided up their territory which was maybe 1 1/2 - 2 weeks ago.
 
The sick looking female (still alive, unchanged from yesterday) shows no sign of injury or even nipping.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I shall make myself a removable tank divider for the future just in case, but I think this is illness rather than injury this time.

 

[Meeresstille]

PrairieSunflower, how long have you had the gouramies? I may get you mixed up with someone else, but quarantine time is between 4 - 6 weeks, where illnesses can show up, so if it's in that time frame, this female gourami could very well have already been sick at the time of purchase. 
 
Maybe she just banged into the glass and got herself some sort of head injury and will recover. 

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I checked my fb album, I have had them 5 weeks.
 
I really feel it is an illness based on how... I don't know if lethargic is the right word... she is.
 
My other female is in hiding from the male but her behavior otherwise is perfectly normal and healthy.
 
And... if my one female is ill... I have no idea what to treat her for as there just aren't enough symptoms to clue me in. 

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Miss Pickle has died.

Is there anything I should treat my two remaining honeys for?  I am at a loss to know what it is and I don't want my other two dieing as well.

 

[Meeresstille]

Oh, I'm so sorry PrairieSunflower!
I don't know if adding any salt is advisable or not, I'd be here asking the same question if that were my tank!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Just wanted to update.
 
My two remaining honeys seem perfectly fine and healthy... neither are showing any sign of illness and hopefully they will stay that way.

 

[Meeresstille]

That's good news!  Will you try to get a second female again at some point?

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I don't know... I'm not sure if the 2 females to one male was the right dynamic or not.  I shall see how just the two of them get along for awhile before deciding.  I've also now bought a mesh that I will make a divider with for the next time they decide to mate so the male can't pick on the female.  They are back to getting alone beautifully again.

 

[Meeresstille]

Will be interesting if they have fry, would love for you to post a thread about it then!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

They have made two attempts at it already.  The first time my assassin snails came along and ate all the eggs.  The second time a lot of them hatched but I don't believe any lasted more than about 3 days as I no longer see any and my male stopped protecting.
 
I did snap some pictures of the second time.
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/425634-that-loving-feeling/

 

[Meeresstille]

Oh...somehow I must have missed that thread! Too bad that little one you got a good pic of did not survive!