Need help with a powdered blue gourami

[not_so_secret_mermaid]

So in the past week or so I noticed that my gourami has developed red bumps on it. They are not regualted to one area. It lives in a 30 gallon tank with a catfish and I've never seen this stuff before. I have moved it to a bucket by itself.

 

[GNarnian]

What are the water parameters of the tank, and what is your water changing schedule?

 

[not_so_secret_mermaid]

i'm sorryi don't know what you mean by water parameters and i add more water whenever it needs it but don't usually swap water

 

[GNarnian]

Okay that actually points to your problem, and it's a pretty simple fix.

Aquariums and fish tanks are closed systems, which means that what goes into the water stays in the water. All of your fishs' poop, u-eaten food, and other waste accumulates in the water.

Water Parameters are the numbers relating to the basic levels of Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates in your tank water. The higher the levels, the more unhealthy the water is for the fish. I'm not sure what time it is where you are, but getting your water checked, or doing it yourself with a water testing kit would be a very good idea. Petsmart will do it for free if you bring a sample of water for them to test.

When you just top off the tank when it is low, you don't get rid of any of the toxins in the water, which build up and will eventually kill your fish.

Do you have a water conditioner that you use when adding water to your tank? If you don't, you need to get one. The only way to help your fish is to take some water out and add fresh, conditioned, temperature matched water. What size is the tank?

 

[not_so_secret_mermaid]

Well I do have a filter running and there a lot of snails in there to clean it. It makes sense I'm just confused why it isn't affecting the other fish that is in the same tank. I do have a water conditioner and the tank is 30 gallons. Thank you!

 

[GNarnian]

Some fish are more sensitive than others and will react worse than others. The filters in tanks filter out solid particles, and house the beneficial bacteria (BB) in your tank. This bacteria breaks down the ammonia into nitrites, which is then converted to nitrates. While nitrates aren't as toxic as ammonia and nitrites, high levels over a long period can make the fish sick.

The best thing is to do a lot of small water changes over the course of a couple days. But the water really needs to be checked for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and pH.

Usually, weekly water changes of 50% or more of the water is required to keep the water healthy for your fish.

And I'm happy to help! Its no fun having sick fish. :-(