Dwarf gourami "thing" near tail fin

[7Enigma]

So I need to be scolded. I've seen this "thing" for quite a while now and haven't done anything. At first I thought it was natural coloration (started off as just a reddish line), but recently I know it's not normal. I kept telling myself it would go away, or it was due to a nip, but I was just lying to myself.

At the base of the tail fin (where the fin meets the body) there is what looks now to be a blood blister. Like where you smash your finger in something and you get a raised blister that is red from blood. I have no clue what this could be, I *think* it has slowly gotten more bulbous, but if so its a very slow grower.

The fish acts normal otherwise, it rules the tank, eats great, has wonderful coloration, and shows no outward signs that would throw up a warning flag (movement is not hindered).

The tank has been established for a long time and always has zero ammonia and nitrIte, but nitrAte levels fluctuate pretty often due to feeding (homemade food that clouds the water a bit) and plant growth (ie after a large prune it goes up pretty quick). I do weekly 25-50% water changes (normally 50%).

All other fish are fine, so I am convinced this is a stationary thing (not transferrable).

Any ideas with the description?

I will get a picture later today after work.

 

[Zagz]

It doesn't look like an injury? A bite? Have you seen him poop lately, regular or white and stringy? I will look at the pic when you get it up.

 

[7Enigma]

It doesn't look like an injury? A bite? Have you seen him poop lately, regular or white and stringy? I will look at the pic when you get it up.

Nope, no injury at all. No bite (there is no exposed wound). Just saw him poop last night, looked normal. I tried for almost 20 minutes to get a picture. Apparently when the autofocus light comes on for my digital camera (red light) the fish FREAK OUT and I would always get a blurred shot of him swimming away. I'll have to set up the tripod and manually take a shot hopefully today after work.

My description is as good as I can think of. It's as if I stuck a syringe right under the skin and injected a dark red liquid. It's just a raised spot that looks like blood, and its completely uniform in color. I swear I want to just *pop* it, but until I figure out what it is I don't want to make any decisions.

I think one of my tiger barbs is about to bite the dust though. He has lost almost his whole tail fin from nipping from other barbs (used to be the alpha male of the pack), and while he still eats, he doesn't look so hot. I've had these barbs since the beginning of the tank (over 2 years) and I don't know how old they were when I got them (probably juvies), so it may just be his time. I plan to catch him later this evening when lights go out and put him in a breeder box inside the tank so he can hopefully heal the tail fin. I no longer have a QT tank (its now my puffer tank at work) and so have to treat him in the main tank, but it looks like a classic case of getting bullied rather than an infection/disease. I don't really even feel bad for the tiger, since he was the terror that killed at least one oto and 2 cory's when I first got the tank, and would terrorize the tiger's when I had 6 of them.

 

[7Enigma]

OK, so finally after 3 attempts I got a shot worthy of posting. Just to give you an idea of what I was up against, as soon as the gourami saw me coming this is the picture I could take:

(obviously completely worthless)

But here are 2 shots that are hopefully good enough. Please look carefully in the reflection as sometimes that gives a better idea of what this thing is.

Again it doesn't appear to be a worm, surface growth, wound, etc. It just looks like there is blood underneath the surface of the skin/scales.

As an aside, I just love the colors when under my 50/50 lights. While accentuated by the flash, the gourami really does look this good!

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

EDIT: I realized that the tank shot in my sig also shows the thing on the gourami. This picture was taken 2 weeks ago.

 

[7Enigma]

Anyone?

 

[Zagz]

Sorry I have been trying to figure out what it may be. I know your water quality is good. It looks like a blood blister, I'll keep trying to see if I can locate something similar.

 

[fearlessfisch]

I don't know...It is likely to be the virus described in these links as rampant among imported dwarf gouramis. I am hoping for your sake and your fish's sake that it's not.

After many, many tries, I have given up on the dwarf variety and just bought a thick lip gourami instead. Just as pretty but less likely to die within the next few months.


http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=1139

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/dwfgdis.htm

Good luck. I hope I am wrong. http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/blog.php?blogid=66