Flame Gourami Has Parasites: Help!

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purple_drazi

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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.
 
Don't even consider adding more fish until you've sorted out this problem.

First, I must say, I'm skeptical about this being parasitical. Even if it is, it certainly can still be passed on to the other fish and won't be exclusive to gouramies.

Anyway, since you have them in quarantine, buy an anti-parasite med. that doesn't need to be added to their food and, at the same time, stick to a diet of lots of blanched veggies like zuchinni and healthy live/frozen foods like daphnia and see how the fish respond.

At the moment, they will be consuming some of the medicine dispite apparently 'spitting' out the food - this is something many fish do but, actualy, they are eating some of it.

That they are still eating at all is a great sign and you need to keep them eating if you don't want the infected one to die.

Any chance of posting a pic of what you are describing - at least one of the lumps as viewed without the flashlight?
 
It looks like the beginning of ulcers to me - and those are very common in these fish. How has treatment been going? Is he still eating? Ulcers are not usualy treatable but sometimes they are the result of bacterial infections and can be treated with antibiotics. i wouldn't want to jump to conclusions though - I'm just not certain.
 
I'd agree with Sylvia. The question is whether the ulcers are caused by something inside the fish or outside. External ulcers -- basically infected cuts -- can be treated quite effectively in many cases using saltwater dips or perhaps something like teatree oil. But if the ulcers are symptoms of something like DGIV or the dreaded dwarf gourami disease, then nothing much is going to help. The first thing should be to optimise water conditions: soft, slightly acidic water, preferably filtered through peat. Acidic water supresses the development of bacteria, including filter bacteria, and below pH 6 you need to use zeolite filtration. But you don't need to go that low. 2-3 degrees DH and pH 6.0-6.5 should be fine. Raise the temperature to a balmy 26-28C to give the fish's immune system a boost. Make sure there is lots of humidity above the tank (lots of aquarists get this wrong with labyrinth fish -- they must have humid, warm air). If in doubt, place a plastic condensation tray above the tank.

Cheers, Neale
 
Ok, thanks for the help. I've got anti-parasite meds in the water now, I don't want to mix meds (I've always heard that was a bad idea) but should I add an anti-bacterial to the water?

Should I take the female out? She's fine, there's no sign of anything on her and he just chases her around.
 
Ideally, yes, remove the sick fish to a quarantine aquarium. The various dwarf gourami diseases -- whatever they are -- all seem to be HIGHLY contagious.

Mixing medications isn't a great idea when done blindly, but some (e.g. the Interpet brand) list on the instruction leaflet which ones they can be safely mixed with.

Cheers, Neale
 
Both fish have been in quarantine since last week - the female is fine but I pulled her as well as the male in case she's harbouring something, should I put her back in the main tank since she shows no signs at all?

nmonks, excellent avatar btw
 
One big bump has got so big that the scales over it are popping off.

Should I take the girl out as she seems fine. I don't want her to get infected if she's ok (though I don't want to put her back in the main tank to spread infection if she's got it either).

And...is this going to get gross?
 
I agree and I think it may be better to euthanise the sick fish. Is he still eating? I've not seen any dwarfs recover from this kind of thing either and it would be kinder to put him out of his misery before it gets really bad. You can try antibiotics (after removing the female - though it may be wise to quarantine her if possible) but they probably won't have any effect. If he stops eating, there is no point prolonging his suffering - a few drops of clove oil in a bowl of tank water is the best way to go. Make sure to leave the fish in there for an hour or so after it has died (or destroy the brain if you're not too squeemish) in case it were to 'wake up' again afterwards. Also, don't flush the body - you might infect local waterways with a potentialy highly contagious disease.
 
Ok, thanks for the advice. He's still eating, hanging out and chasing his girl. Actually, I don't think he knows he's sick.

I don't know if he's going to make it because he's got a lot of internal ulcers and this is just the first but as long as he's still eating and causing a ruckus (i.e. behaving normally) I'll look after him.
If he gets overwhelmed by it and can't take it anymore I'll put him out of his misery then.
 
Why isn't he quarantined? In case it hasn't been made clear yet -- these gourami diseases, whatever they are, are highly contagious. They don't "go away by themselves" and if one gourami gets it, the others will too. If you have a quarantine tank, this is the time to take the fish fish out and treat it. If it is still eating, then perhaps you can turn things around. Doing so will require treatment though... not "wait and see". I'd be looking at anti-internal bacteria treatment at the very least, and certainly making sure the water conditions in the quarantine tank are optimal. If the ulcers are caused by some non-specific bacteria, then saltwater dips are certainly worth doing, and if done carefully you can do them each day without causing any harm to the fish. For a gourami, I'd suggest dips of about 2-5 minutes, no more than that.

Cheers, Neale
 
Why isn't he quarantined? In case it hasn't been made clear yet -- these gourami diseases, whatever they are, are highly contagious.

This is what I'm also wondering. He said he placed both in a quarantine tank, with only the male showing the ulcers. No doubt the female has contracted the same thing with her being in there with him. Ironcially, in his attempt to keep the sick one cheerful with some female company, he's probably killed her in the process. :unsure:
 

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