Golden Gouramis dying with white crust around mouth

[Trumper]

They were fine for 2 weeks, eating, chasing the other blues around and having a great time. Yesterday (one day after we added some pictus catfish), they were both acting a little lethargic, but they ate when I dropped the flakes. Even did a water test last night and all were within parameters.

This morning one was dead and had a white covering around its mouth. The other also has the white covering around its mouth and is going up to the surface for air but swims until half its body is out...first thing that came to my mind was suffocation.

Like I said parameters are ok, no ammonia or nitrites etc...over the last week and a half I have been dropping new fish in after the cycle (a few every 3 days). I have the goldens, 2 blue gouramis, 5 very tiny plecos, 1 growing pleco, 6 zebra danios and my favorite the pictus catfish.

Noone else is showing signs of this, but i will check again this afternoon at lunch.

Anyone know what this could be?

 

[Menagerie]

These may help--
Freshwater Diagnostic Charts:
http://www.aquatronicsonline.com/hobbyist/hobbyist3.htm
http://www.clubjungle.com/fish_chart.pdf

You should QT fish before adding them to your main tank.

 

[Trumper]

how long should I QT them? God my wife is going to kill me when I tell her we are getting another tank that will make 3.

The other golden died yesterday morning...all other members of the tank are doing fine...I will be keeping a very close eye on them as I have most of the next week off.

 

[flipz]

How many gallons is your tank that all these fish are in?

As far as QT, most people recommend 2 weeks. If they are showing ANY signs of anything after that period, do not put them in your main tank. Figure out what's wrong first. Goodluck with the wife.

-brent

 

[Menagerie]

Reassure your wife that the Qt tank will not be set up all the time I only set mine up when QTing new fish, or (as the case now) raising fry. The rest of the time the QT tank is in a closet away from all chemicals.
Did the charts identify what is wrong with the fish?? i have never dealt with whatever that is, so I don't have any suggestions :?

 

[Trumper]

How many gallons is your tank that all these fish are in?
-brent

90 gallons and going strong...still no sign of it in any other fish.

The charts showed nothing that stood out...not too sure what it was but it seems gone now. Maybe they were sick when I got them, but the tank was in great shape and should not have stressed them in the slightest, other than the addition of the pictus catfish (which are the new clowns of my tank )

 

[Allivymar]

Ugh. I suspect columnaris, aka mouth fungus. Its actually a bacterial infection, but kinda looks like a whitish grey fungus and is often found around the mouth. Keep a very close eye on your other guys. Its infectious, but if the others are in really good shape they should be able to fight it off.

 

[Trumper]

ok I see that and the treatments on the list...it is odd that just the 2 golds died and so rapidly! Beginning to end was 2 days, but I am watching these guys closely.

Thanks again for all the input people!

 

[Allivymar]

Actually rapid onset/death is typical of an acute case of columnaris. Theres an excellent article on columnaris here for future reference: http://www.aquamaniacs.net/flex.html