Weird Looking Growth on Gourami

[fisher man]

My poor Gourami has starting developing this growth at first I thought it was damage from another fish so I moved him into a seperate tank. It has not stayed the same but in fact gotten worse with some small white hair like strands developing. How should I go about this as I don't even know what it is yet alone how to go about treating this.

 

[GaryE]

Hmm. All you can do is make sure his water is clean to keep fungus off it.

There are a lot of things that will do that - many viral and untreatable. Fish will also get cancers. There's no telling from a photo.

 

[MaloK]

Gouramies are prone to ulcers, I would catch him clean his wound with a cotton swab and Mercurochrome, while trying to affect his slime coat the less possible, give him a bath in a concentrated anti-fungal solution. Then release him back in the tank hoping that I've not overly stressed him too much further... Adding a dose of Stress Coat is certainly a good idea after that. Keep water clean, Since the wound is close to the mouth I would also refrain from feeding him a couple of days. I saved ulcerous Blue Powders more than once with that method.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Adding a dose of Stress Coat is certainly a good idea after that. Keep water clean, Since the wound is close to the mouth I would also refrain from feeding him a couple of days. I saved ulcerous Blue Powders more than once with that method.

Just a quick note to avoid Stress Coat with labyrinth fish like gourami and bettas. I understand why you'd suggest it, don't get me wrong, but it contains aloe vera and there's some evidence that it affects the labyrinth organ in a negative way in labyrinth fish, so I'd avoid it in this case. Just keep the water as clean as possible and feed high quality food to boost the fishes immune system. Clean water with low nitrates boosts fishes immune system gives them the best chance of fighting off any secondary infections.

 

[MaloK]

Just a quick note to avoid Stress Coat with labyrinth fish like gourami and bettas. I understand why you'd suggest it, don't get me wrong, but it contains aloe vera and there's some evidence that it affects the labyrinth organ in a negative way in labyrinth fish, so I'd avoid it in this case. Just keep the water as clean as possible and feed high quality food to boost the fishes immune system. Clean water with low nitrates boosts fishes immune system gives them the best chance of fighting off any secondary infections.

Oh, I wasn't aware of that, I can attest that I have never seen adverse effects, used sparingly... But Thanks for mentioning it, I'll keep that in mind.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Oh, I wasn't aware of that, I can attest that I have never seen adverse effects, used sparingly... But Thanks for mentioning it, I'll keep that in mind.

No worries! It's not well known, I only learned about it from @Essjay here! There's a question about whether it's really effective for any fish... they're pretty good at producing their own slime coat when needed, and most people on this forum tend to learn towards "the less products, the better", you know? Clean water really is the best medicine in most cases. However, this does look very much like a tumour or ulcer, and if you've successfully treated other gourami with that method, then absolutely! It does look as though it needs some kind of treatment. I'd just skip the Slime Coat, and aim for extra water changes to keep nitrates as low as possible.

Perhaps a short salt treatment if there is any sign of fungus after that treatment instead, depending on what other fish are in the tank. Gourami are usually okay with a short salt treatment, but scaleless fish don't tolerate it well, and cories can sometimes react badly to it, although not always. If you go for salt water treatment (it has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial effects) after the more direct wound treatment, OP, and you have cories, just watch them as you add the first doses of salt water. If the cories freak out, then water changes without salt to dilute the salt out again.

@fisher man is the gourami in a hospital tank alone, since you said you moved him?

 

[Essjay]

Aloe vera affects all fish, it doesn't just coat the skin but the gills as well.

It's the -fix products which affect the labyrinth organ which is why Melafix, Pimafix and even Bettafix which should not be used with labyrinth fish. They contain oils (cajeput oil and bay tree oils) which not only cause problems for labyrinth fish but are not very effective either.

 

[MaloK]

No worries! It's not well known, I only learned about it from @Essjay here! There's a question about whether it's really effective for any fish... they're pretty good at producing their own slime coat when needed, and most people on this forum tend to learn towards "the less products, the better", you know? Clean water really is the best medicine in most cases. However, this does look very much like a tumour or ulcer, and if you've successfully treated other gourami with that method, then absolutely! It does look as though it needs some kind of treatment. I'd just skip the Slime Coat, and aim for extra water changes to keep nitrates as low as possible.

Perhaps a short salt treatment if there is any sign of fungus after that treatment instead, depending on what other fish are in the tank. Gourami are usually okay with a short salt treatment, but scaleless fish don't tolerate it well, and cories can sometimes react badly to it, although not always. If you go for salt water treatment (it has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial effects) after the more direct wound treatment, OP, and you have cories, just watch them as you add the first doses of salt water. If the cories freak out, then water changes without salt to dilute the salt out again.

@fisher man is the gourami in a hospital tank alone, since you said you moved him?

I agree 100% with you, the less chemical product the better. As for the effectiveness of stress coat regarding the fishes slime coat, I don't think it help much to replenish it, but the stress relief is measurable when used.

In many cases a prompt reactions with good diagnostic and strong counter measures. Are beneficial for the fishes. The first step is to free the fish from the contaminant as quick as possible and relieve the stress as much as possible... if it means a week in the dark in an hospital tank to force it to rest. I'll do it anytime.

The first time I dealt with Tumours / Ulcers, My reaction was really too slow and the fish ended with a large hole in his body. I still managed to save him and he healed, but the scars never when away and his scales never came back...

I would sincerely intervene before the infection wears trough his mouth, this would be fatal for him. Also from the Picture of the OP, it looks like the fish is slightly bloated. If it's a full belly, I suggest to cut back on the food.

I don't talk much about water quality because I think every aquarist even the most noob should know that if your fishes are stressed by a high level of any byproduct of the nitrogen cycle and get sick... adding any kind of medicine to the tank wont change anything... (Maybe a little extreme for example...)

But, I am a firm advocate in quick and strong responses, cleaning the infected wound is the main life saver in many cases.

 

[fisher man]

No worries! It's not well known, I only learned about it from @Essjay here! There's a question about whether it's really effective for any fish... they're pretty good at producing their own slime coat when needed, and most people on this forum tend to learn towards "the less products, the better", you know? Clean water really is the best medicine in most cases. However, this does look very much like a tumour or ulcer, and if you've successfully treated other gourami with that method, then absolutely! It does look as though it needs some kind of treatment. I'd just skip the Slime Coat, and aim for extra water changes to keep nitrates as low as possible.

Perhaps a short salt treatment if there is any sign of fungus after that treatment instead, depending on what other fish are in the tank. Gourami are usually okay with a short salt treatment, but scaleless fish don't tolerate it well, and cories can sometimes react badly to it, although not always. If you go for salt water treatment (it has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial effects) after the more direct wound treatment, OP, and you have cories, just watch them as you add the first doses of salt water. If the cories freak out, then water changes without salt to dilute the salt out again.

@fisher man is the gourami in a hospital tank alone, since you said you moved him?

He is in the tank with 2 endlers and 3 burmese goby.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

He is in the tank with 2 endlers and 3 burmese goby.

I'd follow @MaloK 's advice about treating the ulcer then, he's actually dealt with them, I haven't. It does look as though it needs something, and it is very close to his mouth, as MaloK said.

But if after that treatment you see signs any soft fluffy white stuff growing, fungus, then the endlers and gobies should be fine with a salt water treatment. That won't cure the ulcer/tumour, it's just in case of secondary infections. If you chose to go with that, Endlers tolerate salt well, and those gobies come from both fresh and brackish water, so should also be fine with it.

If you go to this link and scan down, you can find the dosages for how much salt to add for the water volume, for how long etc.

 

[MaloK]

If OP is ready to do an intervention... Treating an ulcer on a gourami is pretty easy, labyrinth fish can breath air, so it gives you the time to do a good job without suffocating him. They also tend to freeze when out of the water, So they shouldn't move much while you are cleaning the wound.

What I would exactly do:

I would prepare an anti-fungus bath with water from the tank and add the medicine prescribed for a "Bath" with a product designed for this purpose... in Canada I have access to Sera Ectopur. 1 tea spoon full diluted in one gallon of water... let stand.

Prepare cotton swab and Mercurochrome.

Dim the light as much as possible before trying to net the fish. Once netted do not remove it from the net. gently move the fish in the net to position it. With the placement of his wound near the mouth. I would place the fish on his left side the head pointing down in an angle. Clean the would as quick as possible with just enough Mercurochrome to soak the wound. Never let it drip in his eyes or gills. Make sure you clean it up until you see the meat (to be crude)... but failing to do so could mean instant re-infection.

Release the fish in the bath previously prepared, I would give a 10 minutes bath, if he doesn't look too stressed 5 minutes more. Then directly reintroduce him in the tank. The place where he will feel the most at Home.

I would insist a little on the anti-fungus bath for a simple reason... It will prevent reinfection for a couple days. and prevent you to be forced to net the fish again to clean another time.

I must admit I never use " Salt" as medicine anytime in my life... But I can see that Ectopur is a mix of two salts. So, I guess I always used some kind of salt....

 

[fisher man]

If OP is ready to do an intervention... Treating an ulcer on a gourami is pretty easy, labyrinth fish can breath air, so it gives you the time to do a good job without suffocating him. They also tend to freeze when out of the water, So they shouldn't move much while you are cleaning the wound.

What I would exactly do:

I would prepare an anti-fungus bath with water from the tank and add the medicine prescribed for a "Bath" with a product designed for this purpose... in Canada I have access to Sera Ectopur. 1 tea spoon full diluted in one gallon of water... let stand.

Prepare cotton swab and Mercurochrome.

Dim the light as much as possible before trying to net the fish. Once netted do not remove it from the net. gently move the fish in the net to position it. With the placement of his wound near the mouth. I would place the fish on his left side the head pointing down in an angle. Clean the would as quick as possible with just enough Mercurochrome to soak the wound. Never let it drip in his eyes or gills. Make sure you clean it up until you see the meat (to be crude)... but failing to do so could mean instant re-infection.

Release the fish in the bath previously prepared, I would give a 10 minutes bath, if he doesn't look too stressed 5 minutes more. Then directly reintroduce him in the tank. The place where he will feel the most at Home.

I would insist a little on the anti-fungus bath for a simple reason... It will prevent reinfection for a couple days. and prevent you to be forced to net the fish again to clean another time.

I must admit I never use " Salt" as medicine anytime in my life... But I can see that Ectopur is a mix of two salts. So, I guess I always used some kind of salt....

I have treated the fish and will post updates on his healing process

 

[MaloK]

I have treated the fish and will post updates on his healing process

All fingers crossed...

Is he in a quarantine tank or has he been reintroduced ?

In both cases, lower the light intensity and period on planted or turn it off completely if quarantined.

If you have a quarantine tank I would put him a whole week in the dark..., You can go check on him with a small flash light. Aim the flashlight completely near to the floor under the level of the tank before lightning it, then lift it and play with the angles in your room until you are able to see him with the less disturbance.

Try to look for any other fungus growth... that could require another fast bath or cleaning.

If the little guy looks well after half a week, I would give him a couple betta pellets well soaked in water... the less chewing the better, keep him in the dark a little more. and hope for the best.

In the best condition the fish should remain at least a week in sanitized conditions. And this could mean a lot of salt and water changes if you are using an unfiltered container.

If the fish has been reintroduced, be ready for further interventions.

Don't worry, I netted a fish so many times, He got used to it.

One saying I remember from my old fish guru is that "The value of a moment, only becomes tangible when it's a memory."

 

[fisher man]

All fingers crossed...

Is he in a quarantine tank or has he been reintroduced ?

In both cases, lower the light intensity and period on planted or turn it off completely if quarantined.

If you have a quarantine tank I would put him a whole week in the dark..., You can go check on him with a small flash light. Aim the flashlight completely near to the floor under the level of the tank before lightning it, then lift it and play with the angles in your room until you are able to see him with the less disturbance.

Try to look for any other fungus growth... that could require another fast bath or cleaning.

If the little guy looks well after half a week, I would give him a couple betta pellets well soaked in water... the less chewing the better, keep him in the dark a little more. and hope for the best.

In the best condition the fish should remain at least a week in sanitized conditions. And this could mean a lot of salt and water changes if you are using an unfiltered container.

If the fish has been reintroduced, be ready for further interventions.

Don't worry, I netted a fish so many times, He got used to it.

One saying I remember from my old fish guru is that "The value of a moment, only becomes tangible when it's a memory."

bad news.. Unfortunately the fish passed but I am unsure why. The Ulcer was looking a lot better over night but I think it got into his mouth and he was having trouble breathing so he passed when I got home earlier today. I don't believe it was the medication as the other fish in the tank seemed fine. I just don't know.

 

[MaloK]

Sorry for your loss... When the problem touches eyes, gills and mouth, the chances of complications are much higher...

Don't feel bad, you tried. Theses fishes are prone to all sorts of illness and also some genetic defect, They also don't live that long in nearly half the cases.

But they are lovable and I really enjoyed them.

If you could describe exactly what you did, Maybe someone following the thread could have suggestions on what could have happened.