gourami has red sore!?!

[fishwatcher]

My male dwarf gourami has a strange red sore now. It all started with a cyst-like thing back when I first got him. That bump went down, and since then he's gotten 3 more random bumps. They are small and white and after a few weeks of growing larger (protuding more, not bigger around), they start going back down. There has been a weird looking spot left where each one was (the white spots on him). Now, the area on his side where the first bump was is bright red and looks like little bits are hanging off. He seems fine as far as eating and swimming and all, but it looks really bad. Also, he's getting a bump on his lip too. The water stats are great (amm 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 5, temp 76).
Any ideas?
(Sorry for the long post!)

 

[houndour]

could be ulcers. I don't want to alarm you but my 2 dwarf gouramis died recently and it started off with 1 sore. I treated with Melafix, but was advised to treat with an antibacterial medicine for internal infections.

Apparently dwarf gourami are very suseptible to disease. My water params were also perfect and I'm not really sure the reason why they got these ulcers.

Are you dosing with any medication? If you do decide to dose with an anti-bacterial med, be sure to test your tank for mini cycles as I was told it can kill the bacteria in the tank.

 

[houndour]

I just saw this post....
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=106082
might help a bit?

 

[sylvia]

You should isolate him (into a cycled hospital tank) and treat with an antibiotic (for internal bacterial infections). Like I said in that thread houndour linked to, if you can get one that's been added to food, so much the better. If you don't have a hospital tank, BTW, even a plastic storage box, that's food safe, with a heater and filter (with filter media from an established tank and gravel from an established tank) would work.

 

[fishwatcher]

Here's teh problem... I have no possible way of getting any meds for at least a week. What should I do until then? I have a 1 gal bowl I can put him in, but that's all. My 2-gal hospital bowl was shattered a few weeks ago (we'll not mention my dear hubby's name!).
Do you think it's an ulcer or something else? Can it spread and/or kill him or the others?
Ahhh! Everything has been going so well until now, too....

Thanks for the help!

 

[sylvia]

I think it's an internal bacterial infection. It's impossible to say for certain but that's what it sounds like. TBH, the one gallon bowl isn't enough and I'd look into getting at least a 5 gallon container of some description (it doesn't HAVE to be an actual fish tank). You should always assume it can spread and, if it does, it can deffinately kill your other fish. If the gourami dies and the other fish nibble on him, they will catch the disease. There realy isn't much you can do it seems at present besides isolating him and making sure stress is kept to a minnimum and water quality at its best. A small amount of (aquarium not table!) salt may be beneficial but, otherwise, without medications, you can't help the fish out at present.

 

[fishwatcher]

Thank you for your help! I hope he can hang on until I can get some meds for him!!