gouramis not well

[eeklekteek]

I have 3 paradise gouramis, smallish sized now, all have clamped tails that appear to be atrophying, one has a small area on his belly that appears to be rotting from within. What is this? What can I do? In the same tank are 3 blue gouramis, med sized I believe fully grown, and 2 asian algea eaters, the tank is well established, nearly 3 years, one live plant, I feed tubefix worms once a day, regular water changes, adequate filtration. I used a dose of clout today...

 

[reefrunner69]

Not sure if clout is antibiotic or not, but the fish are suffering from a bacterial infection and sould be treated for such. For the fin and tail rot you can use melafix or maracyn. For the infection on the bellie, I might also dose maracyn or maracyn 2. If at all possible these fish should be treated in a different (hospital/quarantine) aquarium.

 

[eeklekteek]

Thanks for the advice, Clout is4-p-dimethylamino-O-phenylbenzylidene-2,,5-cyclohexadien-1-xylidene dimethylammonium chloride;dimethyl-2,2,2-trichloro-1-hydroxy-ethyl phosphonate; 1,2-dimethyl-5-nitromididazole and inert ingredients as non-toxic binders.

this is in a pill form that you dissolve in water 1 tab to 10 gallons of tank. They recommend discontinue of charcoal but to continue filtering. Should see improvement in 24 hours. I noticed that the fish were more lively this evening and the tails not as clamped.

Do I still need the anti biotic? I will get it this evening. I can't treat the fish in a hospital tank I don't have one at this time. Can I use the anti biotic with this? :?

 

[reefrunner69]

No, I wouldn't bother, it has antibiotics in it.

 

[eeklekteek]

Thank you so much for the help this is a great place, I got help from you so fast.. I feel like I have a place to go that I can trust (the pet stores are abit iffy) i really love my tanks and even got to redecorate the 40 for Mother's Day...I will upload pics asap..eeklekteek..

 

[angelstiger]

this is a great place, I got help from you so fast.. I feel like I have a place to go that I can trust (the pet stores are abit iffy)

Welcome Eeklekteek. Couldn't agree with you more. Great bunch of people in this forum and very knowledgable. As for the pet stores, they are not only iffy. They are down right uninformed and wrong, many times. Thank goodness for sights like this and research, research research.

 

[eeklekteek]

gouramis still ill

My gouramis are doing some things that concern me. the big gold one is sitting in the water doing a fishy version of the cha cha..(alittle bit forward and a little bit bachward) Then the 3 paradise gouramis are looking and acting better except for the holes in thier bellies which are getting worse They are eating and swimming and acting better. Then is the small blue who si getting paler and paler and sitting at the top of the tank and not moving much..I used maracyn 2 that was suggested and have used it as directed for three days..any more suggestions. eek

 

[eeklekteek]

Re: gouramis still ill

My gouramis are doing some things that concern me. the big gold one is sitting in the water doing a fishy version of the cha cha..(alittle bit forward and a little bit bachward) Then the 3 paradise gouramis are looking and acting better except for the holes in thier bellies which are getting worse They are eating and swimming and acting better. Then is the small blue who si getting paler and paler and sitting at the top of the tank and not moving much..I used maracyn 2 that was suggested and have used it as directed for three days..any more suggestions. eek

 

[reefrunner69]

the big gold one is sitting in the water doing a fishy version of the cha cha..(alittle bit forward and a little bit bachward)

This could be a couple of things, first thing that comes to mind is temperature, if the water is too cold, the fish might shimmy. The next is ick, any white spots on the fish? Another thing it might be is ph, what is your ph. Wat is the ammonia and nitrite readings? Anytime you use antibiotics there is a chance of knocking back the biological filter.

Then the 3 paradise gouramis are looking and acting better except for the holes in thier bellies which are getting worse

This could be bacterial in which case the antibiotics might help. It could be viral, in which case, nothing will help. My biggest consern is that it might be TB (yes fish can get it, although it is rare), since this is a possibility, you should wear gloves when working in your tank (it is communicable to humans), and if you believe it is TB the fish should be destroyed and the tank should be sterilized.

I used maracyn 2 that was suggested and have used it as directed for three days..any more suggestions.

Did you discontinue the use of the clout? Some meds don't go well together. The fish you have are also very different, for instance if the oxygen is low or the ammonia is high, the gouramis won't be as susceptible to it, they are labrynth fish and breathe air, rather than taking oxygen from the water with their gills.

 

[eeklekteek]

fishy cha cha et al.

I did discontinue the Clout and have used only the maracyn 2 for 3 days. The poor little Gouramis are now clamped again. should i put them out of their misery or wait longer? How do i know if it is TB? My Asian Algea Eaters are just fine..(this is in regards to tank one)

Tank 2. The BIG old Placos are back to a normal color and are happy again pushing each other around and suckin on the sides of the tank. The little baby gouramis and angel fish are OK too. But the Pink Kissers are doing the Cha Cha still and then sitting on the bottom very quiet..The PH is OK. the ammonia is OK the temp is about 78...What should I do?

 

[reefrunner69]

But the Pink Kissers are doing the Cha Cha still and then ditting on the bottom very quiet..

When the pink kissers are doing the cha cha...are they facing each other?? Could be spawning behavior.

I did discontinue the Clout and have used only the maracyn 2 for 3 days.

Continue the maracyn, it is a 5 day treatment. If after the treatment the fish continue to ulcer, you will have to either try another antibiotic or destroy the fish.

Tuberculosis
This is caused by a specific bacterium, Mycobacterium marinum. It is closely related to other mycobacteria that cause tuberculosis in freshwater fishes and other vertebrates, including ourselves. Symptoms are varied. They range from listlessness, emaciation and fading of color, to ulcers on the skin. Spinal curvature, pop-eye and tattered fins and tail may also occur. On opening up a dead fish, you may see gray to dark nodules here and there in the body tissues. Infected fishes are best destroyed as a cure is difficult and takes time. The disease is highly infectious.

TB factsheet (requires Adobe Acrobat)

 

[eeklekteek]

kissers cha cha

The kissers are doing the cha cha alone and in the middle of the tank, now (just today( they are swimming like they are a little bit loaded. None of the other fish are wobbly, pale, clamped, or in questionable health. Tank One 40 gallon community tank.

The other tank with the possible TB should I continue with the Maracyn and destroy the sick fish or continue and then destroy the sick ones. I really feel awful when I euthanize my fish..

I am up late tonight as I don't teach tomorrow..if you respond tonight it would be welcome as I can get to the fish store if I need to and get supplies.. eek

 

[reefrunner69]

The kissers are doing the cha cha alone and in the middle of the tank, now (just today( they are swimming like they are a little bit loaded. None of the other fish are wobbly, pale, clamped, or in questionable health. Tank One 40 gallon community tank.

I am assuming we are sure they don't have ick?? I'm kinda at a loss for these fish, in a way it sounds like normal behavior for kissers, but it really isn't.

The other tank with the possible TB should I continue with the Maracyn and destroy the sick fish or continue and then destroy the sick ones. I really feel awful when I euthanize my fish..

First, I can't tell you one way or the other, for sure, whether your fish have TB or not. If you think they have TB, you should destry the fish now and continue to treat the tank. If you are unsure, continue to treat and see how they look at the end of the treatment.