Young blue 3 spot Gourami     7/30/18
hello I own a 55 gallon tank with 3 zebra Danios 1 goldfish comet and one gold male Gourami adult and one blue female Gourami adult and had recently bought 3 young gouramis female about 2.5 inches big. no problems in the water ph 7.1 no ammonia problems etc. two filters one sponge and one regular. water stays around 78 degrees.
<All sounds fine.>
I added my 3 new gouramis in slowly the way your supposed to and I've had them 2 weeks and one of the baby blues started swimming funny like backing up every few seconds while it's standing still if you get what I am saying
<Do you mean he is swimming normally, but uses his fins to swim backwards?
That's normal. If you mean he's staying on one place, but rocking side to side, sometimes with his pectoral fins clamped closely onto his sides, then that isn't normal. It's sometimes called "shimmying" or "the shimmies" and is a strong sign a fish is stressed.>
and then over the next few days a bulge appeared on its right side she didn't eat for a 2 days then started eating again only a little but I'm assuming because very hungry and today the bulge popped and poop was coming out brown from the bulge on her side
<You mean the 'poop' is something coming out of a wound on the side of the fish? This is extremely serious, and honestly, the fish is unlikely to recover. If the 'poop' is simply faeces coming out of the vent, that's normal, and fish do get constipated at times.>
and I quickly QTed her I can't find the condition online I've been searching for a remedy hoping maybe I can save her or if there might be a problem now for my other fish. help. please.
<If we're dealing with constipation here, then read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm
If the burst wound was in the muscle on the side of the fish, then I'm less optimistic. Quarantining certainly; excellent water quality; and above all effective antibiotics will be needed to have any chance of a wound this deep recovering. I have seen fish recover from muscle injuries like this, but it takes a lot of careful looking after.>
thanks
<Good luck, Neale.>
Re: young blue 3 spot Gourami     7/30/18
hello.
<Hello,>
thank you for the quick reply.
<Welcome.>
and as for the swimming it's weird she stays in one spot but slightly backing up not going anywhere her fins are no clamped on the sides or pectoral strings ate not clamped but her dorsal stays down but yes the bulge is on the side in between the fin and tail area
<Understood.>
and it burst and the stuff coming out looks exactly like the color of food they eat
<This is very bad.>
a tanish red color it actually looks just like a long feces string but your right it's coming out of the muscle
<If you're lucky, it's just a pus or bacterial discharge of some sort.
As/when the wound heals, this should stop. But if the digestive tract has been punctured, and there's a steady flow of partially digested food out of the wound, this fish isn't going to heal. Not without help from a vet, anyway. If that's the case, I would honestly perform euthanasia here. Let me have you do some reading, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/euthanasia.htm
The clove oil method is cheap, effective, and much more humane than other methods used by aquarists.>
I assume on her side and she's is only swollen on the one side the bulge actually went down some but occasionally stuff still is coming out of the hole but not as much as yesterday. she is trying too eat but only getting a small flake or 2 down and spits the rest out and today is sitting at the bottom of the qt tank but not gasping for air.
<Do not overfeed. Indeed, it might be worth not feeding for a few days to see if that stops "stuff" coming out of the wound. If it is food coming out of the wound, as I say, euthanasia is the best choice.>
I had read online something that this might be that could be dangerous for humans if infected and contagious for my other fish
<Unlikely to infect you. This sort of wound honestly sounds opportunistic.
In other words, it was caused by either the environment or physical damage, and as such, isn't contagious. But if conditions in the tank are harmful somehow, other fish could indeed get sick.>
so I did a water change last night for my main tank and added marine salt hoping to kill any bacteria if that's the case.
<Salt will not kill bacteria.>
thanks so much for you insight I ha e been collecting Gourami s and other small tropical fish for 2 years now so I'm still quite new at the illnesses with different fish
<Glad you're enjoying the hobby. Fish diseases are usually caused by some problem with the tank, so it's always a good idea to review the aquarium in terms of size, filtration, tankmates, diet, etc. Bad luck sometimes comes into play, but a wise fishkeeper looks at their tank critically. Good luck!
Neale.>

Trichogaster repro.? Constipation? What?      7/28/15
asking a question about my gold Gourami my female Gourami is pregnant and there is no male Gourami to build a bubble nest what to do .
asking a question about my gold Gourami my female Gourami is pregnant and there is no male Gourami to build a bubble nest what to do
<Female Gouramis don't get pregnant. Your Gourami is either constipated or has Dropsy. The former is caused by poor diet, typically too much flake and not enough fibre (fresh greens, frozen brine shrimp, that sort of thing).
Dropsy is a bacterial infection caused by a poor environment. Do read:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/dropsyfaqs.htm
Cheers, Neale.>
I checked and she has eggs     7/28/15
<How? How can you tell if a female Gourami has eggs inside her? True, females will appear a little more convex around the abdomen when 'ripe' and ready to spawn, but this isn't particularly noticeable. If she looks swollen, like she's swallowed a ball, then she has some other problem.
Constipation or else Dropsy, this latter characterised by the scales rising up from the body, very noticeable when viewed from above ('pine cone appearance'). 99 times out of 100, when casual fishkeepers say their egg-laying fish is pregnant, it's wishful thinking. Cheers, Neale.> do I use it properly? Pictures included below. Thank you.
<Bob may have some ideas. Cheers, Neale.>
<<Epsom salt. B>><<No pix anywhere>>

Female gouramis     2/10/13 I have a 2yo 29 gallon, very heavily planted, lots of drift wood, and gravel, 3 female blue gourami's and 1 male, a high fin plecostomus, <Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps; needs a tank three times bigger than 29 gallons. Surely it's pretty big by now… 20 cm/8 inches or more… should be if more than a year old, and adults get to some 50 cm/20 inches.> an albino bristle nose plecostomus, <Ancistrus sp.; a much better alternative.> 2 peppered Cory's and 2 albino Cory's, and 8 hatchet fish my tank has a 40gl submersible filter and is kept at 80 degrees, <Slightly too warm for the Corydoras.> I have not checked my ph in a VERY long time as everyone has seemed extremely healthy <So what is the pH now…? Changes in pH can occur in tanks between water changes, and these can stress your fish.> and lively and I do %20 water changes every other week with purified water. First let me say, I do not want fry!! I asked for 4 females at the pet store and at the purchase time they did in fact all look like females but were a lot smaller/younger, anyway to the point  my 3 females have looked FULL of eggs for about 2 months now and I had been hoping they would just eventually come out...obviously that's not the case, what do I do? Can this be dangerous? I have rationed food thinking they were just fat, and there was no change and wouldn't the male be fat also if that were the case? How do I help my females to get rid of their eggs without fertilizing them with the male? Should I get rid of my male would this stop this from happening again in the future? Would getting rid of my male immediately make the females drop their eggs? I don't want to loose all my gouramis! ~Erica~ <Gouramis don't get pregnant, they lay eggs, but is natural for females to seem slightly fuller than normal when they're holding the eggs anything up to a few days prior to spawning. If you have one or more females that appear dramatically swollen though, like they've swallowed a little ball, then they're either madly overfed or have Dropsy. If they've been overfed, then the male could be fat-looking too, as would other, random fish in the tank. If it is ONLY one or two fish that are swollen and the others are all naturally lean, then Dropsy is more likely. Other symptoms of Dropsy include a pinecone-like appearance when viewed from above, lethargy, a disinterest in food. Given your tank is likely overstocked, possibly severely, environmental stress would be the most likely reasons for Dropsy. Do read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/dropsyfaqs.htm Treatment is possible; combine Epsom salt therapy with suitable antibacterial medication (like eSHa 2000) or antibiotic (Maracyn 2 seems as good as any). Do note regular salt won't help, and neither will doing nothing -- left alone, Dropsy is invariably fatal. It's a sign of organ failure, which clearly isn't welcome! Cheers, Neale.> Re: Female gouramis First, I'm not completely ignorant (in fact i believe i never once in my first email sad "pregnant" i said eggs, many times) <Ah, meant only in the general sense that female Gouramis may swell up with eggs for a few days prior to spawning but not for weeks, months at a time… so they shouldn't look "pregnant" for long, if at all.> and have done a lot of research on the breeding habits and egg laying process of gourami fish (before getting them and decided i did not want to do it hence the asking for 4 females) I have not found anything on what to do if you don't want fry and the females became full of eggs! <There's zero chance of Gourami fry surviving if you don't make an effort to rear them. They are tiny, need infusoria to feed upon.> (you assumed my fish are sick and did NOT answer ANY of my questions) <Oh, did try to. If three fish are all swollen up, and have been so for more than a couple days, and you're sure overfeeding and/or constipation aren't factors, then do assume Dropsy or something similar.> The 3 females are the only "fat" fish in my tank, <Worrying indeed.> I have decreased feeding when I first noticed it and nothing changed in there appearance, they are still VERY active and interested in food as is the rest of my tank <This is promising, and means treatment should work.> and they do not look like pine cones, <Which doesn't rule out Dropsy. In any case, something *is* amiss, and you should proceed from that. Egg-binding is possible, I suppose, but it's (extremely) rare in fish. Epsom salt can help here. But I'd be more toward something else being wrong. Are these Dwarf Gouramis? These are particularly prone to bacterial and viral infections.> if I treated and nothing changed in their appearance would you then believe me that my fish are NOT sick? <You don't need to convince me of anything. It's about working through the probabilities, from most to least likely explanations, and where you can't pin down exactly what's wrong, you can at least treat for things so you can "tick them off" the list.> wouldn't the salt effect my Cory's? <Do note I said Epsom Salt, not aquarium salt, and no, doesn't harm Corydoras.> My pH looks to be just above 7, using a testing strip from a local pet store, which if I remember right and through all my reading, is good for every fish species In my tank. <Ah now, don't fixate on pH. It actually doesn't matter much; Corydoras are fine between pH 6 and 8. What matters is hardness, that's the bit fish "feel". All that matters for the fish is that the pH is stable.> On another note The plecostomus is not as old as the tank, I didn't buy the plecostomas's until recently, after there was plenty of Algae in the tank for them to eat <Do need more to eat than algae. Hikari Algae Wafers are a good balanced diet, rich in both algae and shrimp meal.> (I plan to upgrade as the tank grows, in about 6mo and both Plecos are currently about 3in) <Cool. But do bear in mind how large Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps will get, and plan accordingly. Anything smaller than 75 US gallons would be pointless (and dirty and smelly). Gorgeous fish though; kept two in a 200-gallon aquarium at university. So if you have the space and prodigious filtration (they defecate like its an Olympic sport) they're excellent companions for large community fish.> ~Erica~ <Cheers, Neale.> Re: Female gouramis I have a 55 with a NASTY eel <What kind of eel? Spiny Eels won't be mean enough to damage a Plec too large to swallow whole.> in it and a feather fin catfish? the high fin plecostomus will eventually end up there when it's big enough that I don't feel my eel will harm it and it will only house those 3 fish and those alone… <I agree, but 55 gallons is a push for this many large fish.> When I move into a larger space (hopefully with the next year) they will be upgraded to a 240 Plexi glass i have in storage <Ah, now you're cooking!> and from there i will try to figure out what fish can be housed with the eel (that KILLS everything) <Not an adult Pterygoplichthys…> and the gourami tank will be transferred from the 30 to the 55...so in short I do have a plan for how large the Pleco will get. <Cool.> My fish get (what i think) is a very good diet I actually pride myself on how colorful and healthy my fish are and i get many compliments on my gouramis! My tanks get Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, omega one shrimp pellets, Tubifex worms, omega one veggie rounds, cucumber, peas, lettuce, blood worms, earth worms (cut up) live Molly babies I breed myself, of course not all at once every feeding. But they never get the same thing two days in a row. With the exception of the omega one veggie rounds (all the fish LOVE these and fight over them) <Your fish eat better than mine. Better than me, even.> Now regarding the Three spot gouramis <A tough variety, rarely problematic.> I've decided to try to breed them as I feel the females are in fact full of eggs, and I have had "egg binding" happen before with Bettas, (this is why I'm concerned it has happened to my gouramis being that there was no "safe place" for the male to make a bubble nest and for the females to expel her eggs) I've made a "dead spot" in my tank using plants where the current is almost nothing at the surface (my male is already showing interest within the 30min of me doing this) my plan (if they breed) is to collect the eggs and use them to feed my eel. Hopefully this works... I'd really like to not lose my gouramis... <Epsom salt can really help with egg binding. It's a muscle relaxant among other things, around 1-3 teaspoons per 5 gallons/20 litres should do the trick.> With the tank and gouramis being 2yo with no previous problems... Why would a problem arise from seemingly nowhere? <Egg binding is difficult to predict. It's very rare in fish. So it's hard to predict what would cause it. Genetics may be a factor, or age, or diet, or some combination of factors. That all three females are exhibiting egg binding at the same time is VERY odd and to be honest I'm not convinced. Some slight fattening up as per sexual maturity and prior to spawning seems more likely… do need to see a photo of these fish if possible. Would settle my mind whether this is really a problem or not.> Water changes have never bothered them or the water much, they get a good diet and I keep the filter clean (in fact just got the new 40gl submersible a few weeks ago) and they are kept at a consistent temp, the only thing that has changed recently is the brand new filter... ~Erica~ <Cheers, Neale.> Female gourami They look full of eggs to me...these were just taken and he looks healthy (not fat) to me. I would imagine If it were over feeding he would look as plump as the females ~Erica~ <These fish do not look unusually fat or otherwise. I would do nothing more than increase fibre content of diet (brine shrimps are good) while using Epsom salt as described before. This won't harm any other fish, may do some good as a laxative. But provided fish remain active and interested in food, I would consider these fish healthy. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Female gourami, no reading, using WWM      2/10/13 How much Epsom salt would you suggest for a 30gl tank <1-3 teaspoons per 5 gallons/20 litres. It's as well to assume your tank doesn't contain 30 gallons; knock 10-15% off for rocks and gravel, i.e., your tank likely holds 25.5-27 gallons. So calculate on the basis of these, more conservative figures.> and how do I "administer" it (i.e.: just pour it in) <Dissolve calculated quantity in a small jug of warm water. Pour into aquarium in stages, perhaps 5-6 portions across an hour.> ~Erica~ <Cheers, Neale.>

Lumps on 3 spotted gourami     7/19/12 Hi <We ask that folks limit their graphics file sizes to hundreds of Kbytes... yours are seven megs...> My female 3 spotted Gourami has developed some lumps in the last month or so. The one side is much bigger than the other, please see attached photos. I have a male too, but he seems fine. They share the tank with Sword Tails, Clown Loaches, Kuhli Loaches, Cherry Barbs and Pleco's. All the other fish seems fine. She hasn't stopped eating and still swims around, though not as much as before. Please help me to identify what is wrong with her and tell me how to fix it? Please let me know if you need any more information. <Have seen these anomalous bumps several times; only read that they're attributed to "Sporozoan" infestations... and never seen successfully treated. You might try Metronidazole/Flagyl lacing foods; but I'm not hopeful. I don't consider that they're "catching" and don't seem to disimprove the overall health of their host fishes...> Kind regards Liezle van der Westhuizen Hawkes Bay New Zealand <Welcome. Bob Fenner, San Diego, CA, US>

Re: Lumps on 3 spotted gourami    7/20/12 Hi <Liez> Thank you for the quick response and sorry about the size of the pics! I'll try your suggestions and let you know if the outcome is positive. Regards Liezle <I thank you. BobF>

3-spot Gouramis dying suddenly, tiny pinholes in their heads and losing weight.-- 9/5/09
I've already been looking for help on other forums for this problem for a few days, so here's a compilation of all the info I can think of.
<OK.>
I have a community tank (see info at bottom of email) which I recently (2 months ago) added 6 Gouramis. 2 adult Blue 3-spot gouramis. 2 juvenile blue 3-spots, and 2 juvenile gold variant 3-spots. They were quarantined for a month before adding them to the main tank. They've been in the main tank for 2 months now, with no apparent problems until this past week or so.
<Oh?>
I have just had two of my blue 3-spot gouramis die within a day of each other. (Sept 2nd) They had seemed a bit "off" for a couple days, so I was keeping an eye on them, and they were eating, but just kinda listless and a bit pale. One was an adult blue, and the other was a juvenile blue.
They didn't seem to exhibit any other symptoms before they just died -- just a bit "out of it" and pale. Appetites were fine, and there were no breathing problems. I started paying closer attention, checking for possible bullying, but was unable to see any signs of it - all is peaceful in that regard.
Now I have two other gouramis (one gold juvenile, one blue juvenile) exhibiting the same listlessness and slightly paler than normal. On closer examination, they both seem to have tiny pin-prick sized holes all over the tops of their heads above their eyes.
<The holes are similar to what we call "Hole in the Head" disease, a problem usually found among cichlids, so far as freshwater fish go. It's likely caused by the Hexamita parasite in most cases, though dietary issues may also be responsible.><<Agreed. RMF>>
There's no redness or fuzz or other signs of infection, their appetites are ok, they're not having breathing problems or spending inordinate amounts of time in any one area. One of them looks a bit thin. Their poo seems normal though, so I don't think it's an intestinal parasite.
<"Intestinal parasite" covers a lot of ground! It's a term bandied about by aquarists without any real understanding; in fact most fish have intestinal parasites of some sort, it's just that normally they don't cause problems. Among cichlids, it's now assumed Hexamita is ubiquitous, but only becomes problematic when things like water conditions or diet are wrong.>
This has happened very quickly. Within about a span of 2 - 4 days from onset of symptoms to death... Sudden weight loss, despite good appetites, then very pale coloring, (no - not excess slime). Then somewhat listless, just not as active as normal, then dead. However, I had not noticed the pinholes in their heads previously, so I don't know how long it is from when the holes happened until the other symptoms started. They don't turn into large pits or sores. They're not in any sort of line or particular pattern, just looks like someone pricked their heads all over with a needle or something, right through their scales and stuff. No inflammation or redness, just pin-pricks. It's very strange looking.
<Sounds very odd.>
My other gold juvenile looks ok so far, as does my other adult blue Gourami. (as of Sept 2nd)
Update Sept 5th: the above mentioned two have died - one last night, one today, about three days after I noticed them getting listless
Further update Sept 5th: The remaining two Gouramis, (one adult, one juvenile) appear healthy and active and properly colored at this time. The adult appears to have a single pin-hole above one eye. The juvenile has none so far.
None of the other fish in the tank are affected. This is only seeming to affect the gouramis.
<Could be viral, I suppose. Viruses are essentially untreatable among aquarium fish, and in many cases target very limited ranges of species, sometimes just one species. There aren't many in the hobby that are recognised, but doubtless there are numerous viruses out there we've not out names to.>
I had them in quarantine the first month I had them, and they've been in the tank for 2 months now, and just now showing symptoms this week.
None of the other fish in the tank (all other inhabitants are 3yrs old) are affected. No other fish losses in 2+ years from this tank.
<Very odd indeed.>
(Previous tank history: Fish losses over 2 years ago -- 2 angels and a handful of guppies over 2 years ago. We had 2 Angels in this tank a couple years back. They were pretty aggressive with all the other fish in the tank. The guppies just sort of disappeared, don't know if they were eaten or not.
<Will be eaten by Angels, given the chance, as well as things like Pimelodus pictus catfish.>
Both Angels passed away after about 4 months with similar symptoms as above, after having them for about 4 months. No apparent affect on any other tank inhabitants. We gave up on guppies because I was reading that they just aren't too healthy anymore when purchased from most fish stores, and because I think they were getting eaten anyhow, and got the tetras instead. We didn't replace the angels at the time, because we couldn't decide what else we liked, but didn't want more angels after seeing the aggression. I don't know if there's any connection, seeing as it's been several years, but the symptoms are just similar. )
Tank info:
55gal, 3+ years old established 2006.
Filtration: Eheim 2217 canister + Penguin 1140 powerhead w/sponge prefilter (sponge and ceramic media - no carbon.)
Decor: heavily planted, pea-gravel, driftwood and volcanic rock.
Feeding: Variety of flake, pellet, and frozen foods (Tetra flakes & granules, bottom feeder wafers, frozen veggie/algae, frozen brine shrimp, frozen krill, frozen bloodworms, cucumber chunks, peas, etc)
Water: 25% w/c weekly w/ Prime water conditioner dry ferts (PMDD & GH Booster) 2x's weekly for plants & pressurized co2
PO4: 5ppm Fe: 1ppm KH: 7 drops/120ppm GH: 10 drops/180ppm ph: 6.6ish (depending on time of day & co2) NitrAte: 5ppm-ish NitrIte: 0 Ammonia: 0
Inhabitants: 2 3-spot gouramis (was 6) (Purchased 3 months ago - 1 month QT, then 2 months in tank -- was 4 juvenile and 2 adult) (No other new additions of either fish or plants since that time.) 3 yoyo loaches (3 years old) 12 Serpae tetras (2+ years old) 2 pictus cats (3 years old) Malaysian Trumpet Snails. Red Ramshorn snails.
Any suggestions and ideas would be helpful. Thanks.
<Really, I'm drawing a blank here. There's nothing obviously wrong. Hexamita is the most likely cause of pits on the head, but it's triggered more often than not by high levels of nitrate, and that doesn't seem to be a problem here. A viral infection is a possibility, and if that's the case, there's nothing you can do beyond isolating sick fish and hoping for the best. You might consider possible external sources of poisons, e.g., paint fumes, given that Gouramis are air breathers and more sensitive to such things than your other fish. Have cc'ed Bob Fenner to see if he can think of anything that might be amiss. Cheers, Neale.> <<I suggest treating for general Protozoan and worm complaints here... a "cocktail" of one time use of Metronidazole/Flagyl, Levamisol, and likely Praziquantel. RMF>>
Re: More: re: 3-spot Gouramis dying suddenly, tiny pinholes in their heads and losing weight. (RMF?)  9/6/09
Thank you so much for your responses. I had looked at hole in the head in my searches, but it just didn't sound quite right, since they look like pin-pricks, and they don't look at all like the pictures I've been able to find of HITH.
----<...It's likely caused by the Hexamita parasite in most cases, though dietary issues may also be responsible.><<Agreed. RMF>>
Which part are you agreeing with? The Hexamita or the dietary issue?
<<<I assume Bob's agreeing with the relationship between diet and Hexamita. Do review, for example, Bob's comments on Hexamita and marine fish, where the case is fairly compelling that Hole-in-the-Head plagues marine fish because of the absence of fresh green foods.>>>
If it's the dietary issue, is there anything you can tell from my list below that I'm missing in their diets?
<<<Well, the thing to do is review the diet and think about whether your fish are getting enough a varied diet. Personally, I don't rate flake and pellets terribly highly, not because they're bad, but because people tend to rely on them too much. Once opened, they stale quite fast, at which point vitamin content is lost. About half the diet can be dried, the rest should be either fresh foods or good quality wet-frozen foods. You will find much on WWM re: this topic, so would suggest you browse these sections at your leisure.>>>
Regarding the "intestinal parasites", that is what I meant, is that I didn't think they were "causing problems". Sorry I wasn't more specific on that.
---<Really, I'm drawing a blank here. There's nothing obviously wrong. Hexamita is the most likely cause of pits on the head, but it's triggered more often than not by high levels of nitrate, and that doesn't seem to be a problem here. A viral infection is a possibility, and if that's the case, there's nothing you can do beyond isolating sick fish and hoping for the best. You might consider possible external sources of poisons, e.g., paint fumes, given that Gouramis are air breathers and more sensitive to such things than your other fish. Have cc'ed Bob Fenner to see if he can think of anything that might be amiss. Cheers, Neale.>
Yes, I was drawing a blank as well, and it's very frustrating. There's been no fumes or poisons of any sort that I am aware of -- I also am sensitive to those kinds of things, so I don't keep those kinds of things around. I can go ahead and do another water change to be sure, however I just did my weekly water change two days ago.
Also, as of this morning, one of the remaining two is starting to look pale and thin. Just since last night. The head and belly area are normal size, and it looks as if from the pectoral fins backwards has suddenly gotten emaciated. And there are more pinpricks over his head.
----<<I suggest treating for general Protozoan and worm complaints here... a "cocktail" of one time use of Metronidazole/Flagyl, Levamisol, and likely Praziquantel. RMF>>
Is this something I should treat the whole tank with?
<<<Yes.>>>
Is it possible the other fish, although seemingly unaffected, could carry and spread this if it is a parasite?
<<<Certainly fish can carry pathogens without developing symptoms, just as some people can carry viruses and bacteria and not get sick, but when they contact other people, they make them sick. So, a whole tank approach makes sense here. My gut feeling is that whatever is doing the rounds will kill all your Gouramis, in which case eschewing this family of fish for the next 6-12 months will be in order. But Bob's suggestion is a good one, though it will have little/no benefit against viruses, it will catch most worm and protozoan parasites.>>>
I appreciate the time you've taken with your responses. Thank you.
<<<Glad to offer such help as I can. Cheers, Neale.>>>
Re: More: re: 3-spot Gouramis dying suddenly, tiny pinholes in their heads and losing weight.  9/6/09
Thank you again for your quick response.
<No problem.>
I don't use flake/pellet foods frequently. They get these about once a week only. So that makes up about 1/7th of their diet. Otherwise they get a mix of frozen brine shrimp/bloodworms/veggie diet (spinach, romaine & red-leaf lettuce, Spirulina algae) daily. The frozen food is vitamin enriched. They also get chopped cucumber 2-3 x's weekly, which they and the loaches both love. They also munch on the wisteria and Anacharis and several other of the softer plants that I keep in the tank. Sometimes I add a lettuce leaf in there, or some peas, or chopped zucchini.
<Sounds like a fine diet. So, probably not the issue at fault here.>
Will do [the medications].
<Good.>
I have the same gut feeling [about impeding doom for Gouramis]. This is rotten. I will go ahead and treat the whole tank with the recommended "cocktail", and will avoid the Anabantoid family for a while. (On a side note, our other tank which houses a few Otos, a clown Pleco, and my Betta named Sammy, is doing just fine so far. I hope he doesn't get sick, since we've recently shared plants between tanks. I'm really attached to him, we've had him for almost 4 years.)
<I'd certainly encourage you to keep things like nets and buckets separate between the two tanks. At the least, use an equipment steriliser if you do need to share equipment (your retailer likely uses such products, and can recommend such). Mind you, 4 years is a GREAT age for Betta splendens, so well done there.>
Thank you again, for all your help. It is much appreciated.
<Good luck with your fishkeeping, and I hope this disease doesn't harm your remaining fish. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: More: re: 3-spot Gouramis dying suddenly, tiny pinholes in their heads and losing weight.  9/6/09
Neale and Bob,
<Grayce>
I just wanted to write again, separate from my inquiry, to let you know how much I appreciate what you are doing on this site. I know how hard it can be to deal with the frustrated, the willfully ignorant, and the just plain "newbies" in fishkeeping.
<Ahh, such is life itself. But on the other hand/end, what a joy to be able to share, experience through others, even if just vicariously, invidiously, their learning, enjoyment of themselves, the living world>
I've been in the hobby for 10 years, and I currently help out on a few fishkeeping boards, trying to help others not make the same mistakes I made when I started out. (It is tremendously amusing to read some of your replies in the FAQs because you say so many of the things that I have wanted to say to people but haven't... Maybe I should start. )
<Heeee! Try it and see>
I just recently (in the past year or so) branched out further into live plants (aside from the basic java fern, Anacharis, wisteria) and it's really increased the pleasure I get from the hobby. (Yeah, the basics are still pretty, but they weren't challenging anymore *grin* )
It's definitely been a challenge to play with some of the more difficult plant setups.
My first fish was a Betta that I purchased shortly after my daughter got the privilege of taking her classroom Betta home for the weekend to care for. It was in one of those tiny little hexagonal plastic things. I started researching to find out more about them, and soon found out that there's a lot more to taking care of them than I thought. I have been fortunate in that I tend to research first, then act, so I knew from the first that water quality is the most important thing.
The only sick fish I ever had out of all my tanks were the many Bettas from PetSmart or Wal-Mart that I purchased already knowing they were ill, and one shoal of clown loaches 9 years ago from PetSmart which
had Ich and taught me just how important having a QT tank was! And then those Angels 2 years ago, that seemed to die of the same symptoms my Gouramis are now experiencing.
<Mmm, I've read your last two corr.s with Neale... and have a favour to ask. Would you soak some of the terrestrial greens you mention in a glass of tapwater for a couple days... and measure the nitrate of the water? Actually, I want to go further now that I've become a bit more aware of your background and encourage you to give up on these greens (including the Spinach) entirely... they are a possible suspect here>
Many of the Bettas ended up living 3 or 4 more years, and one lived to be 5 and another 7 years old!
<Wowzah, the last is a world record!>
The 7 year old one was Sammy the 1st. He traveled with me from Arizona to Georgia 4 years ago, and passed away 6 months after the move.
Eventually, I ended up with about 17 various tanks (about half of them Betta tanks, the rest were a mix of species tanks and community tanks) and I was hooked for life.
Sadly, I had to give away most of them when I moved out of state 4 years ago. However, I'm back on track to rebuild my collection, albeit on a smaller scale now that I'm in a studio instead of a 3 bedroom.
<Easier to keep clean!>
So while I know a great deal about the care and keeping of fish in general, and I know how to treat the basic diseases (between treating the Bettas, and helping others on the fishkeeping forums), every so
often something comes along to stump me. I just didn't expect it to be in my own tank!
<Happens>
It may sound selfish, arrogant, and/or morbid of me, but I'm actually glad that I'm not the only one stumped on this. It makes me feel less "newbie-ish". I'll be the first to admit how much I don't know, even after 10 years. *grins*
<I am indeed an old-timer in the ornamental aquatics fields, and I encounter "stumpers" most every day...>
Thanks again for you advice and help. If I can ever be of assistance in answering any of the myriad "newbie" emails I'm sure you get every day, I'd be more than happy to help.
Thank you.
Grayce
<And you for sharing. Oh, I'll send this along to Neale as well. BobF>
Re: More: re: 3-spot Gouramis dying suddenly, tiny pinholes in their heads and losing weight.  9/6/09
Ok, let me make sure I'm understanding your request:
<Mmm, I've read your last two corr.s with Neale... and have a favour to ask. Would you soak some of the terrestrial greens you mention in a glass of tapwater for a couple days... and measure the nitrate of the water? Actually, I want to go further now that I've become a bit more aware of your background and encourage you to give up on these greens (including the Spinach) entirely... they are a possible suspect here>
Are you talking about having me thaw and soak the frozen veggie diet?
<Mmm, no... the romaine and red lettuce. From your email below: BobF>
>>"Otherwise they get a mix of frozen brine shrimp/bloodworms/veggie diet (spinach, romaine & red-leaf lettuce, Spirulina algae) daily."<<
These are the commercial preparations in the frozen blister-packs. Sometimes I get San Francisco Bay brand, sometimes Hikari, sometimes Ocean Nutrition, and sometimes another brand that I can't think of the name of right now. I know the San Francisco Bay brand that I use a lot has the lettuce and spinach. The Hikari brand uses the Spirulina brine shrimp. There's one called Discus formula that has kelp and Spirulina and a lot of vitamins that I use sometimes. And another called Goldfish diet that I use a lot, that has Anacharis, romaine lettuce, krill hydroslate, zucchini, carrots, and bloodworms, along with a bunch of vitamins. I mix different formulas frequently, for variety and to try and make sure they're getting everything, considering the mix of fish I have.
I don't think I've ever seen any of it hit the bottom. Even the loaches and pictus cats are right up there at the top being greedy every day at feeding time, and they don't settle down until they've picked through all the plants and everything to make sure they didn't miss any yummies. They are not so enthusiastic, however, on their one day a week of dry food. Heh.
I'll usually get the "freshwater multipack" and then mix in one of the other formulas along with it each day. Any lettuce or other fresh food that I add is organic, and thoroughly rinsed before adding to the tank.
I'm not sure I'm following the thought process in soaking the frozen fish food for a couple days. After a couple days, it will start to decompose, releasing ammonia, right? Theoretically, in straight tap water, it shouldn't affect the nitrate reading in a couple days worth of decay, would it?
I have nitrates existing in my tap water at a level of 5ppm. I have to supplement the nitrates in my tank for my plants daily to keep it above 0, in addition to the PMDD and GH booster 2x's weekly. In so doing, I test daily for nitrates, to get an idea of how much I need to add each day.
I'm happy to do the test and see what happens, but I guess I'm confused as to what you are expecting the results to be?
Thanks!
Re: More: re: 3-spot Gouramis dying suddenly, tiny pinholes in their heads and losing weight.  9/6/09
<Mmm, no... the romaine and red lettuce. From your email below: BobF>
That's what is in the frozen San Francisco Bay brand veggie mix. See the following:
""Emerald Entree
Artemia franciscana, mysis, krill, plankton, spinach, romaine lettuce,
red leaf lettuce, Spirulina algae, menhaden oil, sodium alginate,
Vitamin premix: wheat flour, Vitamin A acetate, cholecalciferol (source
of vitamin D3), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, niacin, calcium
pantothenate, folic acid, Menadione sodium bisulfate complex,
pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine Mononitrate, biotin, inositol,
L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, betaine, d-alpha mixed tocopherols (source
of vitamin E)""
<Ahh, I see... there's likely very little pollution from this source. Am familiar with the co., owner... very competent and ethical folks. BobF>

Sick Gourami  12/7/08 Hi! First, I have to apologize for my English as it is not my mother language (I'm from Croatia, Europe). <No problems. Your English is certainly much better than my Croatian.> 3 months ago I bought 4 Trichogaster trichopterus. The Trichogaster that I want to ask a question about had a small white bump at the base of the dorsal fin which was damaged, but I didn't see it until I got home. I put it in quarantine and treated it with 2 cycles of a wide spectrum medicine called Medimor by Aquarium Muenster (combination of Ethacidrinlactat, Tertamethyl-thioninchlorid and Acraflavinchlorid). Didn't help. So I changed the water, waited a week or so, and tried with Sera's Baktopur (Acriflavine, Methylene blue, phenyglycol) and Mycopur (Acriflavine, cupric chloride, cupric sulfate). <These are various antiseptics, widely sold in Europe because antibiotics aren't available in pet stores. To be brutally frank, they only work up to a point, and aren't substitutes for antibiotics at all. While useful for external infections during the early stages, they won't cure everything, and won't fix serious problems.> No use. Then I tried salt baths which (I think) made the problem worse because those spots spread all over her body, but then it might be from the stress. The disease doesn't seem to be infectious, all other fish are fine (I put her back into the main aquarium, because the small quarantine surely wouldn't help, and was lucky, I know I shouldn't do that). She has a very good appetite, swims well, doesn't hide, doesn't scratch against objects, doesn't have clamped fins, her faeces are fine. The spots are between 1mm and 4 mm big, they look like white lumps sticking out of her body and there are about 15 of them (I hope the photos will help although they're not very good), the skin around them looks pinkish. Her skin on other parts of the body also looks a bit damaged, but her fins (apart from the dorsal which didn't grow back) are all ok. I read everything I could find, posted a question on forums but I can't seem to find anything that looks like this. Maybe Lymphocystis? <Could be; certainly, gouramis do contract Lymphocystis on occasion, though not commonly. It could be something else though. Perhaps another virus? It doesn't look exactly like Finrot, though I'd be treating for Finrot/Fungus before anything else. In Europe, I recommend a product called eSHa 2000 for this; it's economical and very effective, and seems to fix a lot of different problems, including Finrot, Fungus and Columnaris.> The aquarium is 10 months old Juwel Rio 180, 180 l. It has 2 big Ancistrus and a lot of their babies, 7 Kuhlii loaches, 4 Microgeophagus altispinosa, 2 Siamese algae eaters, 2 small Botia histrionica and those Trichogasters. Water properties are stabile at: temp 25 C; pH 7,5; KH 10; GH 15, nitrites 0; nitrates 25. <One thing I would consider is physical damage. Certain algae-eating fish will "suck" at the bodies of other fish. In doing so, they pull up the scales, exposing the flesh underneath. The skin becomes infected, often looking "bubbly". Isolating the injured fish and treating for Finrot/Fungus will help, but long term the fish causing the damage will need to be rehomed. I'd be watching your Ancistrus, Crossocheilus, and Botia in particular.> I do 15 % water change weekly, with water that was left for 24 hours and treated with Nutrafin's Aqua+. I feed the fish with Nutrafin's Staple food in flakes, frozen bloodworms and frozen daphnia and my own frozen food prepared from cooked peas, carrots, hardboiled egg, bloodworms, powdered Spirulina algae ( I plan to add some garlic next time), and gelatin powder, all squashed into a paste. Please help as I (and everybody else I asked) have no idea what to do. Thank you! Morana <Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: sick Gourami  12/9/08 Hi Neale, thanks for the quick response. Which antibiotic would you recommend? Because I can buy an antibiotic from my pharmacy if I say it is for my pet, or I can ask my vet to write a prescription. <In my fish medication book, a variety of antibiotics are recommended for ulcer-type infections: Furazolidone (20 mg/l), Nifurpinol (0.1-0.2 mg/l) and Oxytetracycline hydrochloride (20-100 mg/l). Use whichever, added to the aquarium water, and always remember to remove carbon from the filter while medicating fish. Use for 7-10 days, after which do a decent (25-50%) water change, and repeat medicating as required.> But if it is a virus, it won't help anyway. <Quite.> Oh, those Botia are in the aquarium since Saturday, so it couldn't be them, and I never saw either Ancistrus or Crossocheilus picking on her. <May happen at night, when you're at work... In any case, when I had Otocinclus catfish doing this to a large Awaous goby, it was many weeks after noticing the damage that I actually saw the fish "in the act"!> She is now in a 30 l quarantine tank, I'm treating her for fungus and Finrot, although not with eSHa because it is not available here, but I will try to buy it on the net. <Hope this helps, Neale.>

Three Spot Gourami Gold Variation, dis.  11/26/08
I have a 55 gallon tank with 6 Gourami (2 gold, 2 blue, and 2 Opaline).
A rainbow shark and a Pleco. All the Gourami are female and have appeared healthy until about 3 days ago. I first noticed then that the one of the gold Gourami was not eating. The fish appears thin now and almost bloated in the chest area. There are no other symptoms that are physically noticeable. The other 5 appear healthy still and eat voraciously. The rainbow and Pleco also appear healthy. The gold in question has been in the tank about 3 weeks. It is not gulping air or swimming odd other than swimming less than it used to. It just kind of sits in the middle of the tank and occasionally going to the surface for air. The other gouramis leave it alone and periodically chase each other. The ammonia and nitrate are zero and the nitrates are at about 10 ppm. I have tried feeding brine shrimp and normally feed tetra min tropical flakes. I have also done water changes and tried placing the fish in water with aquarium salt added for an hour all to no avail. Any help or ideas you can give me would be appreciated.
Dave
<Sad to state, but all these sports of Trichogaster trichopterus have/show periodic "breakdown" syndromes... as yours seem to be displaying... There are some records of effective treatments, involving the use of gram negative and positive antibiotics... In the West, the ingredients in Maracyn I and II esp.... I encourage either just simple waiting or treatment per your perusal here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/ttricdisf.htm
Bob Fenner>
Re: Three Spot Gourami Gold Variation 11/26/08
Thank you for your response. If he makes it through the thanksgiving holiday I will get some Maracyn and hope for the best.
I find your site a great resource. Keep up the good work.
<Thank you David. Happy holidays to you and yours. BobF>

Blue Gourami Sick? 10/05/08 I have had a 20 gallon tank for about a month and a half now. Since I've had it, it's included 2 blue Gourami, 1 Pleco, 2 African dwarf frogs, 1 angelfish, 5 zebra Danios and 2 apple snails...also 1 neon tetra (the other 4 went 'missing'). Over the past week I have noticed that one Gourami has turned VERY dark blue, doesn't seem to be eating, keeps its mouth open most of the time and is very inactive. The other Gourami is still light blue/white and is constantly harassing the dark blue one (nipping at it). Is the dark blue Gourami sick? Should we put them in separate tanks? If so, should they remain separate forever? I have tested tank levels (KH, pH, NO2 and NO3 are all ok), GH is high and we've had a very hard time trying it to lower... can't seem to change it. We've changed out some water, added dechlorinator.... Please advise. <Hello Tiana. I can't answer this question easily without numbers. That you say hardness, pH, nitrite and nitrate are "OK" means, I'm afraid, nothing to me. Lots and lots of aquarists have only the vaguest ideas about what these should be. One issue in this community is temperature. Neons and Danios and Apple snails need fairly cool conditions, around 22-24 C, whereas Angelfish and Gouramis will be better at between 26-28 C. A middle value of 25 C might work, but frankly at least one reason people experience such bad luck with Neons is they keep them far too warm. (It's also worth mentioning here that Neons are also known as Angelfish food, so that combo isn't one I'd put money on...) Next up, Trichogaster trichopterus Gourami can, do change colour. Sometimes its genetic, sometimes follows on from nerve damage (oddly enough), and sometimes it's a sign of stress or disease. The fact your Gourami is "gasping" concerns me; usually fish only do this when stressed somehow. There's no data here for me to diagnose the problem, but I'd recommend you review the needs of Trichogaster trichopterus and act accordingly. Give me some numbers and perhaps a photo, and I can perhaps comment further. Do recall that male Trichogaster trichopterus (which have longer dorsal fins than females) are territorial and will fight in small tanks like yours. It is possible the dark Trichogaster trichopterus is being bullied and trying to hide away from the dominant male. Do always read up on the social behaviour of fish PRIOR to purchase to avoid this sort of problem: it is well known that Trichogaster trichopterus is aggressive. Finally, unless you're an expert fishkeeper, LEAVE pH AND HARDNESS ALONE. It is incredibly easy to severely stress, even kill, your fish by manipulating water chemistry. All your fish will adapt to moderately hard water with a basic pH (say, up to pH 8.0, 20 degrees dH) though the Neons won't be thrilled about it. Inexperienced aquarists tend to have no idea about how to change water chemistry safely, and what kills their fish is CHANGES in pH and hardness happening rapidly. So, back away from that topic. Instead concentrate on water quality, diet, and social behaviour as the keys to successfully keeping your community healthy. Cheers, Neale.>

Happy aquarium with 1 sick golden Gourami  3/30/07 Hi I am Isabelle from Mauritius and I am quite new to fish keeping. <Hello Isabelle... I have never been, but intend to visit, dive the Mascarenes one of these years...> First of all thank you guys for the website!!!!!! I have downloaded recently the FAQs and I must admit that its really useful. Thanks again! I have a 200 litres fresh water tank. Bio sponge filter rock and plastic plants setting. No heater working cause we are in summer and it's warm. <Mmm, still a good idea to leave it in, and plugged in... set to a low temperature... Just "in case" the water gets too cold... Won't cost you any electricity if it doesn't...> The inhabitants are: 1 Black Angel (female and DOMINANT), 1 (Lace Angel female), 2 Blue Gourami (males), 3 Golden Gourami (2males and 1 female), 2 pairs of platys and a pair of white mollies. They all seem to be happy so far except that I have a problem with the little male golden Gourami of about 7cm I introduced along with a female about a month ago. The female is growing fast and seem to be cheerful with the other golden male Gourami (no babies so far). But the little male hasn't grown at all. <Mmm... well, males of the Trichogaster genus do tend to grow slower, stay smaller...> He is pretty thin and most of the time lay down on the gravel on one side. He can barely keep his body straight even when he tries to feed from the gravel. <Oh, this is not good> When he does his tail can touch his head, he is kind of folded. He goes time to time to the surface to eat micro pellets, I have bought for him and for some oxygen. Please can you tell me what's wrong with him and what should be done?   <I think this individual may be "defective"... perhaps genetically poorly endowed... does happen with fishes much more than the case with mammals... A good percent don't "make it" at a later stage of neuronal et al. development...> I would also like to have a piece of advice. I would like to introduce a male or two of Angels so as to experience breeding. I would appreciate to know the steps to follow as I fear to have a battlefield in my aquarium. <Mmm, really... to have a useful divider handy... to partition off the breeders from the rest of your fish livestock... or another system to move either set to> The dominant female has her tube down as well as the other one. She sometimes is mischievous and kind of bite the other female. And at times they are side by side as nothing. I plan to set a second tank for the breeding. <Oh, good> The third and last question is that I plan to leave the country for 2-3 weeks and would like to know if it's possible to leave the aquarium like this or if there is something I can do to prevent any disease breakout. <If all is fine, stable... no worries. I would train someone in your absence to do water changes, some minimal feeding... and have at least Net access... should they think something is awry> I have a person who can come to feed the fishes daily but doubt if he can do water change'¦'¦ Please advise if possible. Thanks in advance Kind regards, Isabelle <Merci, Bob Fenner>
Re: Happy aquarium with 1 sick golden Gourami  3/30/07 Hi Bob, <Isabelle/Alain> Many thanks for your reply. <Welcome my friend> Great to hear you want to come to this part of the planet. And who knows if you can get to Mauritius for vacation, but also get people here to know the wonderful work you guys are doing!!! Keep in touch! <Our dear friend, Peter... who has lived with us some fourteen years, had a farm implement (tractors...) business in Swaziland for some fifteen years... and used to get out to play soccer and rugby on Mauritius and Reunion... We have chatted many times re going there (and Rodriquez) to dive, tourist about... visit with folks at the new aquarium there...> If you think something can be done to get people to know your work here, etc would be happy to help. <Ahh, thank you... Mainly linking, doing your bit to help others...> In fact, I have started to talk about your website. Not much, but it might help some novice like me... sorry but it's even more work for you guys :-) <Heeeee! No worries> My LFS told me the same thing as regards the sick male Gourami. Still I didn't want to lose faith.... Well guess it should be so.... <Don't lose faith... Remember... very, make that VERY important... such negative thinking leads to closing of your mind to infinite possibilities... Do not allow yourself to sink, turn to such a waste of precious resources> I got the heater back in the tank just in case.... <Ah, good> Think I will try breeding Angels when I get back, they are my favourite. You are all doing a wonderful job and please keep this up because God knows it's hard when you feel helpless in front of the tank...... Kind regards, Isabelle <Mmm, do also search a bit re the use, application of Epsom Salt here... I do sense this might be useful. Bob Fenner>
Re: Happy aquarium with 1 sick golden Gourami   3/31/07 Bonjour Bob! <Isabelle!> So it won't be your first visit!!! <Mmm, will be mine, not Pete's> Well I do encourage you and your folks to come back anytime!! Let me know! <Ah, appreciate this> Thanks for your encouraging words. It's just that I wonder if the little guy is suffering. Don't have the courage to put him down. <I understand...> Don't worries I don't lose faith in fish keeping, these little guys help me a lot out of stress! I think all the fish keepers will agree at least when hooooooo trooooubles in the tank!!!!! Many thanks for the advice on the Epsom salt. In fact, I have started to collect maximum info from the FAQs on Fresh water Angels and doing some research work too. Actually anthemia for hatching the baby brine are not available on the market. My LFS guy suggested green water. I must first set the breeding tank I think before jumping with both feet in this adventure, especially if I have to leave the country for some weeks... <I see> But I will surely try to make either the Angels or Gouramis to spawn. I think I will like to watch them grow and turn into these amazing fishes. <Agreed> Anyway, I think you will here me sooner or later, especially when in trooooooubles..... Thanks again for your quick replies. Kind regards, Isabelle <Welcome my friend. Bob Fenner>

Dead Gourami   5/25/07 Hello, I have a 30 gallon tank it has been running for the better part of a year. In it I have 2 rainbow sharks (they are trying to spawn!), <Neat! Oh, they may be just playing... or fighting!> 3 adult mollies  (2 of which are very pregnant) 12 molly fry, 1 guppy, 5 cardinal tetras, 1 bulldog Pleco, five gold barbs, 1 Kuhli loach, 3 mystery snails, 1 female gold  Gourami (the male died this morning), some floating plants & a few that are rooted in gravel. I test the water quality every two days & do 25% water changes every 7-14 days. The water quality is good , although slightly acidic. I use a BioWheel filter. The temp is 78 degrees. About 2 weeks  ago I noticed that my male Gourami was looking a little fatter than usual,  so I decided to watch him & make sure he was alright. Over the next few  days he started having difficulty swimming & would lay at the bottom of the  tank. (he wasn't being bullied by any other fish) his stomach continued to get  bigger , he stopped eating , &  today I found him dead at the  bottom of my tank. My question is, is this a common occurrence with this type of  fish? <Actually, yes... Trichogaster and Colisa genera Gouramis are "not what they used to be"... and too often suffer such maladies...> I've never had any other problems with him. I had been feeding him tetra  flakes & once a week I give them dried baby shrimp. So nothing crazy  in his diet. I also was wondering if this could be something contagious? <I do hope not... In most cases, an individual will die as you relate here... For importers though, whole batches can go mysteriously... Bob Fenner> Thanks  in advance. -Jenni

Blue Gourami - fin trouble!   7/28/07 Hi there. My husband and I are quite new to keeping tropical freshwater fish, so a little help in diagnosing a problem with our blue Gourami would be appreciated. Have searched the net and have found your site and are hoping for some help. <OK, will do my best.> We have a 35 Gallon tank, have checked all water parameters and they are fine. In fact we have baby fish (in a baby net 2 weeks old) which are thriving at the moment, so the water is fine. <Can you define "fine"? You see, not all tropical fish want the same things. Some want warmer water, others cooler. Some want an acid pH, others a basic pH. Some want hard water, others soft. Some are intolerant of low levels of pollution, others will put up with it for a while. So we need numbers -- at the very least, pH, hardness, nitrite, and temperature. These 4 are usually pretty good indicators of conditions in the aquarium, and are the essential ones every aquarist should have to hand.> A couple of weeks ago we noticed our Blue Gourami had a small white (pin head) spot on its side fin. <Almost certainly Whitespot/ick. Treat on sight, because it is extremely contagious.> Its appetite and activity levels are normal. We asked the LFS and they said to keep an eye on it and that if it multiplied or the fishes behaviour changed we would possibly need to treat for White Spot. <Not brilliant advice.> Nothing changed for a week then another white spot appeared on the opposite side fin! <It's Whitespot. It spreads.> This one has since become red and inflamed. This fish had a red spot near the base of its tail a few weeks ago, but this disappeared after a couple of days. We have checked the red lump and it does not seem to be a parasite (nothing to remove) just a red small lumpy mass. Is it a tumour? The fish is absolutely fine in himself...eating fine and swimming normally. Tumours are rare in freshwater fish, though they happen. The red inflammation is unrelated to the Whitespot. Almost certainly you have water quality issues, and what you're seeing is the simultaneous appearance of Finrot (the red) and Whitespot. These are both extremely common in new aquaria. They must be treated immediately because both have the potential to cause fatalities.> He has been chasing my Gold Gourami about so is this maybe an injury sustained during courtship? They do get quite frisky! <No, he's not courting. He's fighting. Blue and gold Gouramis are the same species (Trichogaster trichopterus) and the males are legendarily aggressive and nasty fish. You would not believe the number of times I've been asked to help out where someone has an aquarium with this fish causing havoc. It's what they do. Males have orange pelvic fins (the "feelers") and extra-long dorsal fins, so are usually quite easy to sex.> No other fishes in the aquarium seem to be having any problems. We have 6 Danios, 2 goldfish, 1 Plec, 2 red Indian Gourami and a Japanese Weather loach who is a real character!! <An interesting selection of fish. I happen to be a great fan of weather loaches, so I'm sure he is fun to watch.> All the fish are non aggressive and we have a lovely pleasant tank. <Famous last words...> I am just worried about Bluey. I really hope that you can help us. <Done my best. Hope this helps.> Many thanks Louise & Ady <Good luck, Neale.>
Re: Blue Gourami - fin trouble!  7/29/07 Hi Neale, <Hello Louise,> Should I treat the Whitespot and the fin rot at the same time? Or give the tank chance to recover between the two medications? <This depends on the medication used. In general though you need to complete one treatment before doing another. In this case, I'd tend to treat the Whitespot first and then the Finrot. Between each "course" of treatment, do two 50% water changes (one one evening, the other the next morning) so that you flush out most of the first medication used. Oh, and one last thing: make sure you remove carbon before using any medication. To be honest, I'd recommend not using carbon at all unless you have a specific need for it. The space in the filter where carbon goes is better used by extra biological filter media.> Does this affect the filter, <No, not if you follow the instructions.> And are there any tips on what I should be looking for in the water chemistry, just in case I have missed a test kit? <Not really sure what you mean here. What you want are values within the range tolerated by the fish in question. So a blue Gourami is good between pH 6 and 8, so if you have pH 7.5, that's fine. Likewise they're good at medium hardness levels, around 5-15 dH being about right, so if you have hardness 12 dH, that's fine too.> Water temp is 27 degrees, ammonia within safe levels indicated on test tube kit, as was nitrate and nitrite levels. <Ah, now this is where things unwind. There is NO "safe" range of either ammonia or nitrite. For your fish to be healthy, both must be ZERO. While the test kit might suggest anything up to 0.5 mg/l ammonia and 1.0 mg/l nitrite is acceptable, this is only true during the cycling phase, and even then, it severely stresses the fish and can kill them. At the least, it makes them more vulnerable to ambient pathogens -- Whitespot and Finrot for example. So if your test kits show ANY nitrite or ammonia, then you have problems; likely the tank is either immature, overstocked, overfed, or under-filtered. Nitrate is the ONLY one of these things that has a safe range. In general, up to 50 mg/l is safe for standard tropical fish, though rather less, around 20 mg/l, for more delicate things like dwarf cichlids and discus. In other words, don't tell me you think the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are "safe", tell me what the exact numbers are. If they're not 0, 0, and <50 mg/l, then they're not safe.> All very low levels, water hardness is a problem in this area but the LFS said all the fish we have can deal with it. <Water chemistry is almost never the issue people think it is. Admittedly, there are some species than need either soft water or hard water. Mollies and other livebearers need hard water and are sickly when kept in soft water. But a lot of the standard stuff like Gouramis, barbs, Corydoras, Plecs, loaches, etc., adapt just fine to a wide range of conditions. Any aquarium book will suggest values for any given species, and it's always a good idea to choose your fish by selecting species that will do well in your local water conditions. If your water is very hard and has a high pH, then choosing things like Rainbowfish and livebearers is the way to go.> We condition any tap water we use and cycle regularly. 20% water change every 2 weeks. <OK. Conditioning the water is good. Adding Cycle (or any other bacteria supplement) is pointless. Once the filter is established, it is self-maintaining. Adding more bacteria is kind of like adding more grass seed every week to a lawn. All the filter bacteria want is to be left alone and that every month or so you gently clean the media in a bucket of aquarium water (not fresh water!) to dislodge some of the silt and detritus. But that's it. As for water changes, you need to raise your game. 50% a week is a good amount. Water changes cost almost nothing to do, but they make such a big difference to the health of the fish.> Gravel clean every 3/4 weeks. Plastic plants only, internal filter, 200w heater, kept lit for about 8 hours a day minimum. <All sounds fine.> Many thanks, Louise <Good luck! Cheers, Neale>