Pearl Gourami Dying?

[jasoncbc]

i have one pearl gourami in my 20 gal tank, and it's the longest habitant of the tank now
aroudn2 months ago, i noticed that around his gills it was getting a bit damaged and "broken" , i thought that the other fish had bit it (but it is the biggest fish in my tank)

arond a week ago, a single red spot started to appear on its left gill....and ever since it has been getting bigger

what is this? also....the fish now isnt as active, and doesnt eat a lot or dosent eat at all....

help please ^^

 

[gourami_fan]

Sorry but I have no idea what kind of illness your pearl is having since the worst thing I've got in my past 2 years of fish keeping is a mild fin rot.

You said your pearl is the oldest fish in your tank at around 2 months. What other fishes do you have in your tank, and specify your tank conditions. Also a 20 gallon would be the minimum size for a single pearl or any other large gourami, so having other fish in it might be crowding it.

You should also try to post this in the emergency section to get a faster reply since it sounds pretty serious.

Good luck to your pearl gourami

 

[sylvia]

I'd also like to know what else is in the tank though crowding on the basis that pearls grow relatively large (4-5") is unlikely. I keep my trios in 20 gallon communities all the time and I use 20 gallons as grow-outs for most gouramies and even with several large fry in the same tank, the pearls are very well behaved. They are one of the least aggressive and most sociable gouramies.

Any chance you can get a photo as well?

It's probably an ulcer and this isn't normally treatable once they stop eating. This is actually rather rare in pearls and is probably bacterial so it might be worth attempting to treat with an anti-internal bacteria med. Usually meds. that treat Aeromonas bacteria will do the trick.

Do you happen to have other gouramies in the same tank? I ask because dwarf gouramies are very prone to this and some other species can easily develop ulcers as well though they are not as susceptible as dwarfs. Also, what is your pH, ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte?

Do you see any fluffy white areas, red streaks or red/black edges to the fish's fins?

 

[jasoncbc]

http/www.fishforums.net/Pearl-Gourami-Dying-t190656.html

there i posted on the emergencies forum, but i woud appreciate advice from a different person as well

there is also a pic there!

 

[sylvia]

I would agree with what Wilder is saying. However, you mentioned you have had trouble with isolating fish in the past. This is probably because the hospital tank was not cycled (read the links in my signature please). Your chances of managing to treat the fish are slim anyway. So I would suggest that, unless you actually buy the meds. in time, you leave the fish where it is and do a large water change while you're at it (don't forget to add dechlrinator!). Keep a very close eye on everyone. This one probably will die since it has stopped eating so you need to make sure you remove the body, if this time comes before you've bought the meds and isolated the fish, immediately.

It's also worth trying to get it to eat something. Do you have any live or frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp, blackworm or daphnia? Try some blanched zucchini or deshelled and crushed green peas as well.

BTW, common plecs grow very large. You are going to have to start looking for a new home for it.

 

[knt5005]

I've read a great deal about treatments for fish, and I've purchased just about every single one, but recently I've found the best (and most successful) is just to change the water every day. Granted, I was doing this to my female bettas, but it's worth a shot. I had two females die from a fungal infection (though I put in preventative medication) and my remaining four looked absolutely doomed. I was told that one fish enthusiast had absolutely no success when using medications, but he had a 50% success rate by simply changing out their water. That said, I simply isolated the girls into their own little jars and changed the water every day. I only added a drop of medication because it seemed to be doing more harm than good. Sure enough, the next day they were swimming a bit, and I continued to change the water each day for a week. (Don't forget the chlorine remover!) I was lucky, my remaining girls are healthy and eating like little pigs again.

I'm not sure how well it would work for your gourami, but if you lack the funds...it is a free alternative.

Good luck.