can anyone ID this for me please

[kaz]

its a white spot behind the fin on his left side.[/b]

 

[TCTFish]

I'm going to take a closer look at the photos. I'll get back to you in a bit and I'll post here. I have a thought brewing in my head. The pictures will help

BTW...from what I've seen so far, go ahead and stop the meds and just use half a dose of Melafix and if you have, add a dose of Stress Coat. Mix both well in tank water prior to pouring it in.

 

[TCTFish]

your fish

Take a good look at the photo below.

Circle A:
Notice this doesn't go past the fin. The blotch looks like it may be a result of the fin scraping along the side; tearing away at the scales little by little and lightening the pigment. His belly is too fat and there may be damage to the fins allowing the pointed bones of the fin rays to poke the side of the body, scraping at the scales as he swims. A normal appearance of the stomach (flatter and more even and smooth contour with the rest of the body), the fins wouldn't have interference from the extended bump of a bloated belly. Damage to the fins may have something to do what is described in Circle C and D.

Circle B:
Same as above but near a lighter pigment. These areas might be 'dry' or lacking slime because of the irritation. This is where the Stress Coat helps. It's like a band aid giving the fish a layer of protective slime.

Circle C:
This makes me think of it possibly being ich, which leads to...

Circle D (and beyond the circles):
This looks like a population of little critters (parasites) attached to the fish.

Along with the half dose of Melafix and Stress Coat, add half a dose of a general external parasite medication. It may take a little longer to clear up being half a dose, but you want to avoid over medicating/treatment.

Now about the big belly. Where is it coming from? Internal parasites? Blockage? Or overfeeding?

Internal parasites generally show some type of wasting away, especially intestinal parasites which rob the fish of it's nutrients. They will thin out with or without a bloated belly. Another good sign of these parasites is if the fish poops red or white or clear material. This doesn't seem to fit the animals appearance though and wouldn't jump too soon on any internal parasite meds.

Blockage usually comes from too much meat protein in the diet. The fish will have difficulty passing waste, if be able to at all. When was the last time you've seen him pass waste? A good diet with lots of veggie proteins will help aid the digestive system from becoming blocked. Frozen peas, thawed and peeled from their shells make a good laxative.

Overfeeding is quite easy to do especially if you go by the directions on the backs of fish food packages. Go figure.

For a dwarf gourami, no more than two to three minutes worth of food per day, best divided into three or more feeds throughout the day. Meaning if you feed four times a day, each feed should be what the fish can consume in 30 to 45 seconds. Good to skip a day or two in the week and let the fish pick around the tank for any left overs.

 

[kaz]

do you know what is that growing on the bottom of my heater?
I feed all my fish a 1/4 of the cap, in other words I drop the food into the rounded cap and fill a 1/2 of it and drop that into the tank, what type of veggie food is good for these guys.
btw here is my other post of my 20g tank.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=76695

 

[TCTFish]

A good veggie flake is HBH veggie flake (not the wafers, but the flake). Stuff is great!! Read the ingredients and it'll make you hungry for a salad...LOL.

You are feeding too much. Go by the directions I gave you. He needs to go on a fishy diet. Oh and that leporinus really should come out of there before the fish starts doing an ungodly amount of damage. I'm not kidding about them. It's only a matter of time.

What is 'that' on the heater you're asking about? Which tank? The QT or the main tank???

 

[kaz]

heater problem qt
about the leo soon

 

[TCTFish]

To be honest with you, I keep thinking that looks like the protective cover that's put on the heaters during packaging to protect the tip of the heater. Can you pull it off??? Is that what you are referring to? That thing on the tip end?

 

[kaz]

at the end of the heater it has a black rubber/plastic cap but on it, its a ash looking substance. I havent taken the substrate out yet this will be done tomorrow or saturday.

 

[TCTFish]

That I think is just built up slimy gunk. Take it off and clean it in tap water.