My Poor Gourami's Need Help.

[LadyniteDaFishLover]

Hi everyone, I was redirected to this forum to ask these questions, I hope someone can help. I would be SO Appreciative!

Something has been wrong with my gouramis for quite a while now, and I just DONT know what to do. Their eyes are glazed over, their fins and scales slightly bleedy, and my male is darting around the tank in spastic motions while my girl is just laying at the bottom.

Ok, here are the stats:

PH-7.8
Ammonia-0
Nitrates-20
Nitrites-0
Temp: 68* (I know its kinda low, but its becoming winter, and I am unable to afford a heater at the moment...they however do reside right NEXT to an external heater)

I have a filter that is also a pump providing adequate filterization and aeration.

They both eat fairly well...this last time I put the food in they ate right away. For a while, they were in my bigger tank(my 55 gal) with my cichilds, the cichilds NEVER bothered them, so don't worry about that compatibility issue, I just wanted them in a bigger tank because they are slightly bigger fish. But that is also where they began having these symptoms....they would just practically 'float' at the top, forming these...cataracts? and sores? They ate fairly well then, too. But with my concern, I put them in a smaller tank(10 gal) as to try and treat them with stress relief fish protection treatment, as well as thinking that MAYBE they were getting their symptoms from too much air pressure from the larger filter/pump.

Its breaking my heart because I just want them to be OK and healthy. Even if they are blinded from something, I still want them to be otherwise healthy. (I have an oto in another tank that was missing an eye when i got him, he doesnt even notice I personally think he was born with it like that..anyway) I think they can still see at least a little bit, when I came up to the tank to check them out, my girl who was laying on the bottom put her feeler up against the tank towards me. (My heart just sank )

Here is my Female Gourami. This is currently the only pic I have, but it certainly shows the majority of the issue (besides the behavioral issues of course)

Please, someone help before their time runs out?

I love them so much I don't want to lose them.

 

[AstonN24vantage]

id like somebody to confirm this, but it sounds like some sort of parasite to me.

 

[LadyniteDaFishLover]

Parasite? Wow what do I do with that? I know it couldnt be an internal parasite or anything because I feed them medicated anti parasite fish food 3 days a week... then its flake food for the rest of the time. I wouldn't know what to do to get rid of external parasites(besides ich)..The tank they were in before I moved them to their own tank was being treated for Ich for quite some time(using rid ich), but eventually the ich problem was eliminated. They themselves did not have ich though, but the whole tank was being treated.

Right now my boy is just up in the corner, floating kinda. Well, not floating, but just not moving at all. My girl is doing the exact same thing, but sitting on the ground in the opposite corner.

Another thought that just crossed my mind, could their behavior be caused by darkness? The corner they reside in does not have much light, and they dont have a tank light. I was just wondering, I know there's something else besides that going on with them, obviously, by looking at them but I was just wondering if that could have an adverse effect on their behavior.

 

[WILDER]

What's the make of the test kit you are using?

Do the fish show any of these symtoms.
Excess slime or mucas.
Greyish white film, or a blue greyish film.
Gold dusting, yellow spots, rusty coloured varnish.
Tiny white spots on fish.
Swimming in a jerky movment.
Do the fish gills look red inflamed, or pale with excess mucas.
Red pin prick marks or red sores.
Any signs of laboured breathing or gasping at surface of tank.
Any bleeding beneath the skin.
Are scales lifted, if so check to see if there any parasites or lumps beneath the skin.
Used any chemicals near the tank.

 

[the biffster]

sounds like a temp problem
they need more heat

 

[WILDER]

I would advise a heater as an unstable temp causes stress, and disease.

 

[BethK]

they are tropical fish, needing warmer waters 24-26c and a steady climate. So it could well be the temp of the water causing issues and I would advise to buy a heater before treating.

 

[AstonN24vantage]

Parasite? Wow what do I do with that? I know it couldnt be an internal parasite or anything because I feed them medicated anti parasite fish food 3 days a week... then its flake food for the rest of the time. I wouldn't know what to do to get rid of external parasites(besides ich)..The tank they were in before I moved them to their own tank was being treated for Ich for quite some time(using rid ich), but eventually the ich problem was eliminated. They themselves did not have ich though, but the whole tank was being treated.

Right now my boy is just up in the corner, floating kinda. Well, not floating, but just not moving at all. My girl is doing the exact same thing, but sitting on the ground in the opposite corner.

Another thought that just crossed my mind, could their behavior be caused by darkness? The corner they reside in does not have much light, and they dont have a tank light. I was just wondering, I know there's something else besides that going on with them, obviously, by looking at them but I was just wondering if that could have an adverse effect on their behavior.

sorry, diseases are not my best subject. (nor is math for that matter ) just a bit of an educated guess.