purple_drazi
Fishaholic
I bought a male & a female flame gourami pair back in November and noticed that when the light in the tank is shining behind the male & you can see through him, you can see what looks like black pellets in his body. It looks exactly like he's eaten cory chow! I couldn't find anything online about what it might be but in the last couple of weeks bumps are starting to show on the outside of his body from the things inside. The female is fine.
I had somebody who knows fish come by and they said that the black "pellets" are internal parasites specific to gouramis. He said that the breeding ponds are so overstocked that disease can quickly spread from one fish to another and that these parasites are quite common in gouramis, but not to worry because these parasites are specific to gouramis and wouldn't hurt any of the other fish in my tank. The gouramis are active, eat flake food eagerly and look ok but he suggested that if I wanted to try to treat them I could give the gouramis an anti-parasite food. (because, well, parasites...ewwwww!)
I bought some Jungle Anti-Parasite food and I took both gouramis out of the main tank (the female as well in case she's harbouring something) so that I could control what they eat. The pair have been in the quarantine tank now for almost two days but they won't take the medicated food. The pellets were too large for the fish to eat so initially I crushed them, but they still refused it so then I ground it up finer. They rush for the food now when I sprinkle it in the tank and they take it but they just spit it out again.
What to do? No one else in the tank is showing any symptoms. I'm planning on adding a pair of German Blue Rams or some Bosemani Rainbows in the future. Would the parasites affect them?
Current inhabitants of 65g
Gouramis 2
Cardinal Tetra 9
Asian Rummynose 6
Plec 2
Panda Cories 2
Tank has been running since September, results of water test Jan 17, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5.0.
I had somebody who knows fish come by and they said that the black "pellets" are internal parasites specific to gouramis. He said that the breeding ponds are so overstocked that disease can quickly spread from one fish to another and that these parasites are quite common in gouramis, but not to worry because these parasites are specific to gouramis and wouldn't hurt any of the other fish in my tank. The gouramis are active, eat flake food eagerly and look ok but he suggested that if I wanted to try to treat them I could give the gouramis an anti-parasite food. (because, well, parasites...ewwwww!)
I bought some Jungle Anti-Parasite food and I took both gouramis out of the main tank (the female as well in case she's harbouring something) so that I could control what they eat. The pair have been in the quarantine tank now for almost two days but they won't take the medicated food. The pellets were too large for the fish to eat so initially I crushed them, but they still refused it so then I ground it up finer. They rush for the food now when I sprinkle it in the tank and they take it but they just spit it out again.
What to do? No one else in the tank is showing any symptoms. I'm planning on adding a pair of German Blue Rams or some Bosemani Rainbows in the future. Would the parasites affect them?
Current inhabitants of 65g
Gouramis 2
Cardinal Tetra 9
Asian Rummynose 6
Plec 2
Panda Cories 2
Tank has been running since September, results of water test Jan 17, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5.0.