Sick Gourami Help

[MissMary1224]

Hello, I have a 10 gallon aquarium, with some goldfish, two gouramis, and a pleco. One of my gouramis recently developed red fins and a red stain on his underbelly. I bought Jungle Lifeguard All in One Treatment, which consists of dropping tablets into the water over 5 days. It has been 3 days so far and his condition has not improved. None of the other fish are sick, and he’s been living happily in this tank for about a year with no problems. There have been no major recent changes to the tank. Despite the redness he isn't acting any differently.



Does anyone know what’s wrong with him and how best to treat it? Also the instructions for the medicine say to leave out the carbon filter for the entire 5 day treatment time, but doing this is making the water cloudy. I have included the best picture I could get of him. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, Thanks.

 

[Mrscbennett]

I'm not sure but in some species females get the red when they are ready for breeding. How many and what kinds of fish do you have? I know from what you already said that you have way too many fish in that tank! The fish are growing and getting stressed because they don't have a big enough tank.

 

[MissMary1224]

I believe the gourami is a male based on his fin shape, so I don't think it's a mating thing. The other gourami is a dwarf gourami. There are also three little feeder goldfish, and a small pleco. I will work on upgrading to a larger tank when they get bigger, but there's not much I can do short term.

 

[Hholly]

Have you tested for ammonia? Your tank sounds very over stocked. If your nitrogen cycle isn't complete, your gourami is probably experiencing ammonia burns. Please check out these articles: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/i-just-learned-about-cycling-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now/

I would start by doing a couple of 50% water changes. Good luck!

 

[MissMary1224]

Thanks for the advice, I have a few follow-up questions.

Should I wait till I finish the All in One treatment to do the 50% water changes?

How many fish should I have for a 10 gallon tank? I heard it should be one inch of fish per gallon, which I'm a little under now.

How can I get rid of fish if I am overstocked? Will pet stores take them?

Why don't the other fish seem to be affected?

 

[Hholly]

Thanks for the advice, I have a few follow-up questions.

"Should I wait till I finish the All in One treatment to do the 50% water changes?"

Personally, I wouldn't wait. Chances are you have a buildup of toxins in the tank, that your fish need relief from. Be sure and dose dechlorinator for the total tank volume every time.

"How many fish should I have for a 10 gallon tank? I heard it should be one inch of fish per gallon, which I'm a little under now."

It depends on what species of fish. Some fish are tropical(need warmer temps) some are cool water fish( gold fish). You base your stocking on compatibility, and adult size. Always research a species' needs (temp., pH, minimum tank size) and temperament before adding it to your tank. Not trying to be discouraging, but your goldfish need a much larger tank to grow into, as does your pleco, gouramis are borderline too large for a 10 gal. too. Sorry. Check out Aqadvisor.com for some guidance.

"How can I get rid of fish if I am overstocked? Will pet stores take them?"

Some will, it's worth calling around. Maybe you could trade for some more suited to your tank.

"Why don't the other fish seem to be affected? "

It's probably just a matter of time.

Good luck!

 

[Candiceg]

Can you test your water for ammonia nitrite, nitrate and ph. I would ask you fish store if they will take back your goldfish. Those will grow the biggest and create the largest bio load. Until you know what the water param are I would do 50% changes daily and see if your fish are feeling better

 

[MissMary1224]

Thanks for the help. I'm new to aquarium ownership. I'll work on fixing the issues discussed right away.

 

[Hholly]

Here are some helpful articles.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/i-just-learned-about-cycling-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now/

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/