Red Pimple on Gourami!

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pitt420dude

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There is a spot on my gourami that looks just like a pimple on an human without the white head. It is on his right side but a redish area can be seen from the left. It is on the lower part of his body near the rear on the side and is about the size of a human zit. I dont want to medicate my whole tank so I am pretty much wondering:
1. What is it?
2. Will it go away on its own?
3. Any effecitve treatment?
4. Will it spread?
 
Is the gourami the only fish affected? Is he rubbing or scratching on decorations in the tank? If so, he may have parasites. Can you see anything that looks like a parasite? If not, it may be a bacterial infection.

You could make a QT tank with a 2-5 gallon plastic tub (new, clean, never washed with soap), an airstone, and a 25 watt heater. Put the gourami in here with some plastic plants or PVC elbows for hiding places. Add the meds to this tank, and watch the main tank for any abnormal signs on the other fish.

I don't know if it will go away on its own. You could try doing 2-3 water changes first and see if that makes a difference. Sometimes very clean water will help a fish heal on his own. It's hard to tell if it will spread without knowing for sure what it is. If you do see parasites, for example, you probably would have to treat the whole tank. If the other fish look well after a few days and the gourami isn't getting better, then QT the gourami and try an antibiotic.

Some good antibiotics: Jungle Fungus Eliminator, Maracyn 1 or 2, TriSulfa, Triple Sulfa, Kanaplex, Ampicillex (may be hard to find this one). Some parasite meds: Jungle Parasite Clear or Parasite Guard, Clout, Metronidazole, Fluke Tabs.
 
Well, if the gourami seems to be the only fish affected, but he isn't rubbing or scratching, as with parasites, then I would say it's an infection of some sort only on the gourami. The little white spot on the red spot could be an opportunistic fungal infection starting after the original bacterial infection (the original red wound).

So I would QT the gourami and try Jungle Fungus Eliminator OR Maracyn 2 and Maroxy at the same time, OR Maracyn Plus Biospheres Antibacteria is a med I just found here :
 
I am so afraid of meds because of the fish I lost during an outbreak of ich. I also have several scaleless fish. All of the other fish are fine still, yet the spot has gotten a little bigger and can be seen from the other side now. :cry: My QT tank is being used for the 4 swordtail fry I have left. Being unable to decide which I don't want to do more (1) Pretty much kill the fry by putting in them with my 55 gal. or leave them in the QT with the Gourami. or (2) Med the whole 55 gal. I guess I will just leave the Gourami and see if he can fight it off. :( I would rather not buy a new setup to make another QT but I would if I felt confident that he could be cured and that he would not be able to shake it on his own. I wish I knew :oops:
 
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