What's killing my honey gourami?

[Fishy_Dan]

Hello!

I've recently lost 3 honey gourami, one at a time about a week apart. Two followed very similar pattern, started having stringy white poo, then bloated up with dropsy. Eventually lie on the ground without being able to move until they die. The third seemed to be ok, but one morning I came down to find it dead on the bottom.

I lost another two like this about a year ago as well.

I've tested the water parameters regularly and there hasn't been an amonia or nitrite spike. I have a heavily planted tank that has been running for about 3 years, doing a 70% water change one a week, so the parameters are consistent.

I also have 10 glowlight rasboras and 5 amano shrimp and they are completely fine. I haven't lost any of them since I got them nearly 3 years ago.

I can't figure out why the honeys are dying but everything else is fine. Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[Colin_T]

Probably Fish Tuberculosis (TB), or something you are feeding them.

What do you feed them?
How often do you water change the tank?
How often do you gravel clean the substrate?
How often and how do you clean the filter?
What other fish are in the tank?
Are you getting the fish from the same shop?

 

[Fishy_Dan]

Probably Fish Tuberculosis (TB), or something you are feeding them.

What do you feed them?
How often do you water change the tank?
How often do you gravel clean the substrate?
How often and how do you clean the filter?
What other fish are in the tank?
Are you getting the fish from the same shop?

Feed standard flake food and hikari micro pellets.
Weekly water change of 70% including sucking up dirt off the sand substrate
Clean the filter every 4 weeks
Other fish are just the rasbora espei and amano shrimp
The first batch I got from a different shop, they lasted fine for nearly 2 years. These 3 all came from a different shop and were in a very crowded tank.

 

[Colin_T]

If you have small tetras in the tank and they have been there all along, and they haven't had similar symptoms, then it is unlikely to be Fish TB, but it could be. Because the tetras haven't died the same way, it would suggest the gouramis are developing an internal infection that is killing them. This could be TB and the tetras just haven't picked it up, but is probably something else.

I would just avoid those gouramis from now on and get something different.

Avoid dwarf gouramis (Colisa lalius) and all their colour forms too because they are regularly infected with Fish TB and the gourami Iridovirus.

The only way to find out what is killing them is to have a fish vet necropsy (animal autopsy) them. They like the fish to be alive or recently dead.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Are you using somekind of anti-bugspray or something (paint).

The honeys are the only ones that will breath on the surface now and then.

 

[Fishy_Dan]

I don't spray anything above or near them.

I'm in a bind as it's a 15G tank that was designed for the honey gourami. If something is killing them I'm not sure what to replace them with.

At the moment I have 5 amano shrimp, 10 rasbora hengeli, a zebra snail, and pest snails that came on some duckweed.

I liked having 3 honeys to occupy the mid and lower areas. My water is quite hard, so my options are limited.

Any suggestions?
I would love a betta, but know the shouldn't be put in with these guys.

 

[Fishy_Dan]

I'm also fond of Bolivian Rams, but could I have one in a 60x30x30cm tank?

 

[Colin_T]

I wouldn't add anything until at least a month after the fish died and would avoid all gouramis and Bettas, which do best in soft water.

Just stay with what you have in there for a few months and see how the remaining fish go.

 

[Fishy_Dan]

I won't add anything in a hurry.
I think I'll take the T. hengeli up to 15 for a larger shoal, and a pair of Apistogramma hongsloi when I'm sure nothing else is awry.

 

[Fishy_Dan]

Well, I waited a month and so the other fish were fine. Added 5 more T. Hengeli, waited another month, no problems.

2 weeks ago I added a pair of apistogramma cacatuoides, today I have a ton of free swimming fry!!

Will post in a separate thread about them, but no idea what to do now!

 

[GaryE]

Look up iridovirus in gouramis and see if anything's familiar.

 

[Morganna]

2 weeks ago I added a pair of apistogramma cacatuoides, today I have a ton of free swimming fry!!

Will post in a separate thread about them, but no idea what to do now!

Hi! Sorry to butt in, but I have a question about the apistos, because I'm interested in them, but have no experience with them. Are they aggressive to the other fish during breeding? I get worried that they'd stress my other fish out by trying to protect their fry.

 

[Fishy_Dan]

Hi! Sorry to butt in, but I have a question about the apistos, because I'm interested in them, but have no experience with them. Are they aggressive to the other fish during breeding? I get worried that they'd stress my other fish out by trying to protect their fry.

the female was protective about her cave for a few days, but not overly aggresive. She would swim up to where the rasbora hang out and chase one or two briefly then return down to the cave. It looked more like token aggression rather than anything to really worry about. Only did it while the fry were in the cave. I had no idea they had bread, but now it makes sense!