Dwarf Flame Gourami Iridovirus?

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Briggan

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Hi!
In an earlier post, I asked about white spots that appear and disappear on my dwarf flame, however it is not ich.
I’m not sure if he/she was always this way or naturally pale, but I have noticed that my dwarf flame seems really pale and I read it could be a symptom of Iridovirus...
He eats and acts normally, I feed him and the neons with him every day, he has a heater, filter, everything...
So my question is: what are the symptoms of Iridovirus in dwarf Gouramis, or could he/she just be naturally pale?
Thanks!
 
The Iridovirus weakens the immune system of fish and they become lethagic, don't move around much, develop sores on their body, and eventually after a couple of weeks, the fish usually dies from internal organ failure.

Fish can be pale or look faded for a number of reasons including stress, waking up under bright light first thing in the morning, bright tank with a light substrate and no plants, or any number of other things.

Stress from tank lights coming on when the room is dark can be an issue. Fish don't have eyelids and don't tolerate going from complete dark to bright light (or vice versa) instantly.

In the morning open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the tank light on. This will reduce the stress on the fish and they won't go from a dark tank to a bright tank instantly.

At night turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the room light out. This allows the fish to settle down for the night instead of going from a brightly lit tank to complete darkness instantly.

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If the tank has a white or light coloured substrate, that can cause fish to be pale.
If there is no backing (picture) on the back of the tank the fish can be pale.
Lack of plants, especially floating plants can cause fish to be pale.
Bullying from another male can cause smaller males to become pale so they are less of a threat to the bigger male and less likely to be picked on.
Poor water quality and a dirty tank (substrate & filter) can cause fish to become pale.

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If you can post a picture of the fish and tank we can see if there is something that needs changing.
 
Hi!
Wow, thanks a lot!
The light on the tank is rather bright, however the room light is left on almost all the time, yet the tank still gets so dark because the room light is dim.
I like to use river stones and substrate, so the rocks are mostly the whitish color.
Nobody in the tank bullies him, because he himself gets pretty mean sometimes, but he usually calms down. He’s a mean, but lovely fish.
The tank also has no picture on the back so you can see the wall behind it, and yes it is also a whitish color.
There are plants in the tank, and ones on the top, but they are plastic. I cannot afford any live plants or plant materials at this time. I will try to get a picture of the tank if possible.
Thanks!
 
If you get 1 Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta) plant and let it grow on the surface, it will produce little plants within a month and you can either plant them in the substrate or leave them to grow on the surface. The plant is pretty cheap (a couple of dollars) and grows rapidly in most tanks, and you only need 1 plant because they spread rapidly.

You can use anything on the back of the tank. I used black plastic rubbish bin liners. Grab a new bin liner and sticky tape it to the outside on the back of the tank. You can use coloured cardboard, newspaper, anything that covers the glass and gives the fish more sense of security. My boss spray painted the back of his tanks, but he had to empty them first and carry them outside.
 
Thank you! I’ll see if they carry them at the fish store!
 

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