Sick Gourami - Gone A Black Colour?

[jenny6165]

i just noticed my red dwarf gourami has gone a bit discoloured. a small section of the front part of his body has gone black. he seems fine in himself at the moment but has been persistently chasing another gourami around the tank the last 2 days. could it be stress?

 

[WILDER]

In your signature your tank overstocked.
Need to look at your water stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate, ph, black patches are ammonia burns that are healing.

 

[jenny6165]

hi water stats are as follows:

ammonia - 0
nitrite - 0
nitrate - 10
ph about 7.5

im doing twice weekly water changes and havent had any spikes in my readings

 

[WILDER]

Definately going black not darkening in colour.
Black patches can be a number of things get you some info.

 

[jenny6165]

deffo going black. its quite a large part of his front side.

 

[WILDER]

Look for black patches on the fins and body along with body swelling. This is a bacterial infection called myxobacteriosis
What are these black patches on the body and fins?

This could be a bacterial infection called myxobacteriosis caused by overcrowding and high levels of ammonia and nitrites in the water. There are medicines available at the store for this infection. Be sure to test the water for ammonia and nitrites.



There only one med I know of.
Phenocide by Aquatronics

Myxobacteriosis

Symptoms: Symptoms may include black patches on the body and fins. The body may become bloated or swollen in some areas.

Treatment: As far as I know, there is only one medication designed specifically for myxobacteriosis--Phenocide by Aquatronics