Whats wrong with my dwarf gourami?

[Gillyweed]

I am in other groups on Facebook but have not received a response from them. One of the gouramis we have started looking swollen/bloated on Monday. They said to add epson salt to the tank to help with that. Tuesday morning he looked pretty much normal again, but I notice his dorsal fin is not up like it should be and he isn't as active as before. Should I put him in a hospital tank and treat with maracyn water treatment or treat the whole tank with the other gourami in there as well? He also has this one swollen spot that's been there since last week... any advice for this little guy is appreciated

 

[Aiken Drum]

Did you buy the gourami from the store or get it from someone who has had the fish for some time before you got it?

That looks like dwarf gourami disease to me. If thats what it is, its untreatable, 100% fatal, and your tank is now infected with the disease and will infect all future fish who go in there until its completely disinfected. If its dwarf gourami disease, euthanise the fish, probably euthanise both gourami, break down the aquarium, disinfect the aquarium and start over.

Its being reported that around 30% of all dwarf gourami sold in the aquatics trade are sold with this infection. Its really not worth the risk of buying them unless you can quarantine them for an extended period before adding them to a display tank.

@Andy Sager is better at diagnosing fish illness than me. What do you think Andy?

 

[Gillyweed]

Did you buy the gourami from the store or get it from someone who has had the fish for some time before you got it?

That looks like dwarf gourami disease to me. If thats what it is, its untreatable, 100% fatal, and your tank is now infected with the disease and will infect all future fish who go in there until its completely disinfected. If its dwarf gourami disease, euthanise the fish, probably euthanise both gourami, break down the aquarium, disinfect the aquarium and start over.

Its being reported that around 30% of all dwarf gourami sold in the aquatics trade are sold with this infection. Its really not worth the risk of buying them unless you can quarantine them for an extended period before adding them to a display tank.

@Andy Sager is better at diagnosing fish illness than me. What do you think Andy?

We got him from a pet store yes and they didn't tell us anything about the disease but I have since read about it .

 

[Aiken Drum]

The employee might not keep fish, and have no more idea about it than you do.

Pet stores give very poor advice on keeping fish, their job is to sell you stuff. If they sell you sick fish, they get to sell you medication, if the medication doesn't help and the fish dies, then they get to sell you more fish. A lot of what they sell doesn't do what it says it does, or does nothing useful, and in some cases is downright harmful. The whole aquatics trade is designed to part you from your money.

You might get better information from a dedicated aquarium store, where their business is based on reputation, but even then its not guaranteed they know what they are talking about.

 

[Gillyweed]

My fault for not doing research ahead of time. If these both die, what other small fish would be better to keep? As me and my kids have grown quite attached to them already! They're so fun to watch.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Depends on the size of tank, and what you find engaging.

If the tank is big enough (80 litres/ 20 gallons +), then a school of active colourful tetras can be great fun to watch. A smaller tank might suit guppies, that are very colourful and a great beginner fish.