Please help identify this disease?

[RMP]

Hi everyone,

2 weeks ago I purchased 3 chocolate gouramis. Two have since died, the other seems somewhat ok. Both died from what looked like a gray/green swirly/rippled looking slime growth which grew from the fishes' lips and spread like wild fire from there. By the time it got to the gills, the fish was practically jumping out of the tank to get air.

I would like to prevent a repeat of this with my other one, so I would like to know what meds to have on hand.

Enclosed are pictures of the one that died. At the time, I was treating for ick with quick cure and had the temp up to 86 degrees to speed up the ick.

To me, the slime stuff doesn't look cottony. I even saw a little slime thing sticking out near its eye but today it seems gone.

Water is soft, r/o, 6.5 ph

The 3rd chocolate looks like it might have the same slime starting by the mouth, not spreading as fast possibly due to better water parameters and lower temp. Fishs eats, but is not overzealous about snapping up the food. I see it picking at the gravel later on. Most of the time it eats the shrimp and spits it out.


3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up? 40 gallon
Tank is 6 weeks old now.

4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known. aquaclear 50
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes? 10, about an inch max, black neons and white cloud minnows.
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time? today, 35 percent. Have been doing this twice a week.
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them? 2 weeks
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.? no
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently? freeze dried brine shrimp or tetra.

 

[Chronos313]

Are you adding dechlorinator such as prime? I remember my wife got a Betta long ago and never got dechlorinator and the poor thing died. To me it's gotta do with the water, especially with no dechlorinator. I suggest dosing every pwc you do

 

[Oceangirl]

...

Maybe hole in the head, but the worm coming out of the eye makes me think internal parasites. I would say both, lack of interest in food, does he seem to gain weight?

Fish Diseases

Chilodonella & Cyclochaeta(QUARANTINE)
This disease has a habit of showing up when a fish has been injured. The parasite attacks the fish, but can spread to healthy fish in crowded conditions. The disease is very debilitating and in severe cases can cause long-term damage to the gills.
Symptoms: Affected fish will rub against hard objects and hold in their fins. A whitish blue opaqueness covers the skin, particularly between the head and the dorsal fin. If the gills are affected, the respiration rate increases noticeably. The later stages of the infection will give the skin a swollen appearance then fall off.
Treatment: If the fish is fairly strong, a good treatment is to try a 3% salt dip (this is a great cure to this). Keep the fish in the salt solution until they roll over, then put them back in the tank. For alternative treatment, and less stress for your fish, try a salt solution of 1% and let the fish swim in it for 10-15 minutes, then replace the fish back in the tank. Their are medications available at the pet stores. Look there and follow the directions accordingly. The parasites will die off if in the tank with no fish if they are left that way for 5 days. You must still treat your fish!

this website may help you!!