Dwarf Gouramis

[vegasjoolz]

Hi, all! I have 3 dwarf gouramis (2-powder, 1-flame) in a 30 gallon hex tank. They've all been very active until the last week or so. The two powder gouramis have been mostly sitting on the bottom, while the flame is still active. They eat a little, but not as I've seen them eat in the past. Got them all in May. They share the tank with 4 black neons and a small bristle nose pleco. I've never seen any aggression within this tank. We do 25-30% water changes every 2 weeks. Filtration is a Fluval C-3 hanging filter with bio media. I'm a bit worried about them, as this behavior is not their norm. Any suggestions?
Thank you in advance!

 

[Innesfan42 5]

Welcome. Are they all males?

Sadly, virtually all Dwarf Gouramis (Trichogaster lalius), imported from Asian fish farms, no matter the color variant, are affected with DGIV, Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus. There is no treatment and it is always fatal. It's terrible what has happened to this species. The only good news here is that it is species-specific and will not affect the other fish in the tank. Sorry.

 

[GaryE5 3]

I used to keep lalius, and really liked the group. Once the Iridovirus spread, I've stayed far away. They really are victims of the fish factory farm system, and the ease with which a hard to get rid of virus can spread in crowding. It's very sad for people who get them and understandably like them. It's tough for the fish too, as the iridovirus is like a slow release plague, only within the one species as @Innesfan noted.

At one point, they were listed as needing veterinary certification to even get into Canada, and had become very uncommon in stores because of their chronic disease situation.

 

[Naughts43 115]

Any suggestions

Double both the water change amount and frequency. Large frequent water changes usually help and if disease is present it could slow down it’s progress by diluting the pathogens as well as improving the fish’s immunity response.

 

[vegasjoolz]

I used to keep lalius, and really liked the group. Once the Iridovirus spread, I've stayed far away. They really are victims of the fish factory farm system, and the ease with which a hard to get rid of virus can spread in crowding. It's very sad for people who get them and understandably like them. It's tough for the fish too, as the iridovirus is like a slow release plague, only within the one species as @Innesfan noted.

At one point, they were listed as needing veterinary certification to even get into Canada, and had become very uncommon in stores because of their chronic disease situation.

I've always loved dwarf gouramis. I haven't had them since the 80s. I truly had no idea about this disease until very recently. It's sad and infuriating at the same time. Is there nothing I can do to help them?

 

[GaryE5 3]

There are no known treatments - we're helpless with fish viral diseases. This one isn't a fish flu that burns out and may or may not kill - it's always fatal in time. @Naughts has great advice for slowing it down, but that's the best we can do.

Male dwarf gouramis hate each other, and they can be very aggressive among themselves. They endlessly pick at each other, with intent, and that wears them down as well. If Iridovirus is present, they give it a leg up with how they behave in tanks too small for them to stay out of each others' ways.

 

[Innesfan42 5]

Male dwarf gouramis hate each other, and they can be very aggressive among themselves. They endlessly pick at each other, with intent, and that wears them down as well. If Iridovirus is present, they give it a leg up with how they behave in tanks too small for them to stay out of each others' ways.

Yes. Hence my initial question for the OP.