Excerpted from: Five Almost Perfect Fishes; Great fish for the community aquarium, except for one little thing… by Neale Monks    2                     Dwarf Gourami, Colisa lalia  The good:            Friendly, colourful, and just the right size for the community tank The bad:              Peculiarly sensitive to bacterial infections  Few aquarists haven’t tried keeping these fish at some point, and they remain staples of the hobby thanks to their wide availability, bright colours, sweet dispositions, and willingness to take a range of foods including flake and pellets. Numerous artificial forms exist, such as the “red dwarf Gourami” that lacks the blue strips typical of the wild morph. However, being widely sold doesn’t mean that are easy to keep, and these fish all too frequently sicken and die within a few months of being purchased. Dwarf gouramis appear to be among the fish most likely to contract bacterial infections if water quality or water chemistry isn’t exactly right. The symptoms are bloody sores on the body and a loss of appetite, and short of veterinarian help (i.e., antibiotics), nothing much seems to help.  Even with antibiotics, the prognosis isn’t particularly good, and you should definitely never buy dwarf gouramis from a tank containing specimens showing any signs of this type of infection. But even starting off with healthy fish might not help, as some aquarists believe that virtually all commercially-bred dwarf gouramis (and probably other gouramis as well) carry the bacteria, so the issue isn’t keeping the bacteria out of the tank but making sure it doesn’t become a problem. The best approach is to quarantine dwarf gouramis for a few weeks before being adding them to a tank that already contains other, hardier, gouramis.  It is just as important to make sure that water conditions and filtration are optimal. For the dwarf Gourami that means soft, acidic water conditions, preferably filtered through peat and zero levels of nitrite and ammonium. Frequent water changes to keep the nitrates down is a good idea, and using a hood or cover glass at the top of the tank to keep the humidity of the air just above the water level high is also to be recommended. Feeding presents few problems, but what you don’t want to do is introduce anything that might make the fish sick, such as live Tubifex worms. In short, these are quite demanding fish that need a lot of care if they are to succeed in a community tank.

Yet Another Question about a (Potentially) Sick Dwarf Gourami 5/30/2009 Dear WWM Crew, I'm sure you get sick of the seemingly never-ending string of questions about Dwarf Gourami problems. <Yes, I do. If I could, I'd ban these fish from the hobby. The farmed stock is simply diabolical in terms of quality, and retailers sell them far too frequently to inexperienced aquarists. By all means keep locally bred fish, but farmed Colisa lalia make about as useful pets as rabid dogs.> Nevertheless, I have a concern that I cannot find a solid answer for anywhere on the web. The only abnormality I see in the fish is that his eyes seem quite sunken into his head. Otherwise, he behaves healthily: he is active and he eats eagerly. <Seemingly a secondary bacterial infection, likely some type of Mycobacteria, but possibly something easier to treat.> He is in a tank I set up about a month and a half to two months ago. I bought him recently--within the last week. I realize now I should have held him in a quarantined tank prior to introducing him into the main tank. Here's what I have: A 10 gallon tank with a Marineland Bio-Wheel Power Filter 100 <Too small for this species; 15-20 gallons, minimum. Sure, it's a small fish, but it's also a feeble one, and the more space, the less water quality becomes an issue. Do understand that water quality isn't all about what ammonia and nitrite is at the instant you measure it, but also how diluted the ammonia and nitrite are during those periods when levels rise, e.g., after feeding.> Red Sea's Plant Success Flora Base as the substrate 4 Cherry Barbs - 2 males, 2 females A few snails The Dwarf Gourami - Male. I do 20% changes each week with water run through Aquarium Pharmaceutical's Tap Water Purifier. When I returned another Dwarf Gourami that I was suspicious about (head holes), the Petco people that tested my water told me that the sample's quality was excellent. Ammonia was at 0. This was about a week and a half ago. <Good.> Any ideas about the odd eyes? I don't know if it is just an quirky characteristic, or is indicative of something worse. The latter wouldn't surprise me, given what I've read about Colisa lalia. <Would treat with an antibiotic like Maracyn, while optimizing water conditions (pH 6.5-7, 5-10 degrees dH, around 26-28 degrees C) and offering as varied a diet as possible. If there's any sign of swelling, dosing with Epsom salt at 1-3 teaspoons per gallon is also helpful, but there's no need for this if there isn't any swelling. If one antibiotic doesn't work, try another: each uses different antibiotics (Erythromycin, Minocycline, etc) and each of these work best on particular types of bacteria. Do read this excellent review, taking note of Table 1 when shopping: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_6/volume_6_2/mycobactera.htm > By the way, the pictures shown make the visible socket area surrounding the eye look very dark or black. In actuality, it is more of a fleshy color. <I see.> Thanks for your help, Joey E. <Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Yet Another Question about a (Potentially) Sick Dwarf Gourami 5/30/2009 Thanks for the help. <Happy to help.> One more question then: do you have other suitable suggestions for fish that can be adequately kept in 10 gallon tanks? <Seek and ye will find: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_5/volume_5_3/stocking.htm > Joey E. <Cheers, Neale.>

Sick Gourami 05/27/09
Hello,
I did read through all of your articles and the disease chart, but nothing fit perfectly...
<And yet somehow I have a feeling it's going to be the usual Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus problem. When will people stop buying these fish?>
I just started up my tank about a week ago. I used the tetra cycle stuff to get the nitrate cycle going. I'm thinking I may have overstocked my tank for just starting one up. I have 2 molly's, 2 small gold gouramis, and 2 dwarf gouramis in a 20 gallon tank.
<Mollies do need different water chemistry to Gouramis, so you shouldn't keep them together. If your water is hard and alkaline, you might be okay, but it's always best to keep Mollies with fish that tolerate small amounts of salt: other livebearers, rainbowfish, halfbeaks, glassfish, etc.>
They all seem to be doing fine except the one dwarf Gourami. Now, I got the two dwarf Gouramis from a friend, who I don't think had had the fish for long. I'm aware that a lot of the problem is probably due to stress from moving these poor fish twice in a short period of time. She did not notice any symptoms prior to giving them to me.  The Gouramis symptoms include a reddish wound/bump on its lip, and a group of light pinkish bumps by its one gill. Also, he swims to the surface to get air, then releases air bubbles, then swims to the bottom and hides. He then repeats this over and over about every minute or two. He is swimming okay; slowly, but normally.
<Might be an opportunistic bacterial infection, in which case antibiotics can help. But Dwarf Gouramis are peculiarly prone to Mycobacteria-type infections (often called, inaccurately, Fish TB) when stressed, and a good proportion of them also carry the Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus. Neither of these diseases is curable, so euthanasia is the only option; see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/euthanasia.htm >
He hasn't been eating much mostly because he's so slow and not able to compete with the other fish to get any I think. One of my mollies has
really started beating up on him too... Is this because he is sick?
<Yes.>
I treated my tank just once today with Melafix (before reading your website haha).
<Indeed, "ha ha"; doesn't cure much of anything.>
I don't really have any other tank for isolation, would any sort of container do for a temporary fix?
<No.>
Thank you very much. I hope you have some ideas :(
<Do review the needs/hardiness of fish prior to purchase.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestk.htm
Cheers, Neale.>

New Gourami  05/23/09
New Gourami Adjusting To New Tank
Hi! I have read through your FAQ page and Google, and cant find the exact answer I'm looking for. Basically I just bought a new blue dwarf Gourami, and I have never had one before. I have brought the pH of tank down to 6.5 and it is set to 26 degrees Celsius. There is no nitrate, nitrite or ammonia in the tank. Basically the fish is swimming fine half the time, but then will stop and float randomly. or tilt to the side. is this normal behaviour? To me it looks strange/odd for a fish to do this if it is well...
Other fish in the tank:
2 platies, 2 guppies (its pretty quiet at the moment!)
I would really appreciate a reply, I love the look of these fish but I have only ever had livebearers and catfish previously!
Kind regards, Georgina
<The fish store probably had hard alkaline water. You Gourami probably is having some difficultly adjusting to the lowered pH. Much of the country has hard alkaline water. When you add new fish that are not adjusted to the new water then there may be problems. Try to keep the water consistent at the present levels for awhile and see if his behaviour improves.-Chuck>

Re: new Gourami -New Gourami Adjusting. pH Question  05/23/09
Thanks so much for the fast reply Chuck,  The Gourami is doing better!! no more floating anyway! I just have one more quick question - when I tried to lower the pH of the tank - it was jumping around too much for it to be healthy.... how would you suggest lowering the tank to 6.5 safely (it is currently at 7)? I have bought pH down, and also a container of proper pH 6.5. My tap water is around 7.5 so I cant really just keep it at that.
Kind regards, Georgina
< Adjusting the pH can be a very dangerous game to play. Your tap water is 7.5 and probably the tap water at the local fish store is probably 7.5 too.  If you change the pH of your aquarium then all the new fish may have
problems adjusting like your Gourami. Most fish will do OK at a pH of 7.5 once they are use to it but the soft water varieties probably won't breed.  Wild South American fish seem to have the most problems like cardinal tetras. If you do want to lower the pH there is an OK way and a very good way. The OK way is to take a 5 gallon bucket and fill it with your tap water. Add the pH down as per the directions on the package. Check it after 24 hours. Add more pH down if needed. Check every day until the pH you want is stable for 24 hours. Then use this water for water changes changing no more than 10% of the water at a time. Slowly over a few weeks the acidified water will be at the pH you desired. The best way is to take R/O water and add a buffer to set the pH where you want it. Follow the same procedure in a 5 gallon bucket. I would not recommend messing with the pH for the fish species you currently have.-Chuck>

I have a sick red flame Gourami. As usual, no reading... and am worried re losing NealeM.  04/23/09
<Colisa lalia... a very inbred, badly reared species. Not worth keeping.
Plagued with bacterial and viral diseases. For any degree of success you need to start with a healthy specimen and then provide it with very good conditions; specifically, soft, acidic water, warmth, and good water quality.>
Not exactly sure if it's a male or female. Would guess it is male. I noticed that it started sitting in the top corner of our 30 gallon fish tank. The tank includes 1platy, 1 gold Gourami, 1 red flame Gourami, 1
knife fish, 2 algae fish.
<What's an "Algae Fish"? Do be aware that Pterygoplichthys and Gyrinocheilus spp. are all huge fish, and the latter genus is incredibly mean, both towards its own kind and anything else the aquarist has been
silly enough to keep with them. Gold Gouramis (Trichogaster trichopterus) is another doubtful choice; males are very aggressive.>
The tank maintains a temp. between 74-76 degrees.
<Perfect temperature for Platies, but a little cool for Gouramis, which would like things a degree or two warmer. Do research the needs of your fish *before* purchase. If you keep fish together that have different
requirements, then at least some of them will get sick.>
There are live plants planted within the tank. There are two carbon filters.
<What? What's a "carbon filter"? Do understand carbon is largely useless, and all it does is remove dissolved organic acids and the like. Provided you're doing 25% water changes every week, it's redundant. You need biological media and some mechanical media.>
Water changes are 50-75% every three months.
<Insane. Honestly. Who suggested this? Please read a book!>
The rocks are changed every few weeks for enrichment.
<For what...? Fish don't need "enrichment" as such, though I understand you've perhaps come across this idea from TV shows about zoos and whatnot.
Fish need a healthy, stable environment. If you have more than one specimen and/or multiple species in the tank, then there's plenty of stimuli in the tank already. Moving the rocks about will merely annoy those fish that hold territories, potentially leading to new struggles as fish fight over territories and hierarchies.>
I feed them tropical fish food twice a day and blood worms and brine shrimp for treats.
As I continued to watch I noticed that he was slightly bloated. It is just his abdomen that is swollen. When I look at him from the top he looks sort of pineconed but not as bad as the pics I have seen on dropsy. I QT him in a one gallon tank and immediately started Googling for answers.
<A one gallon tank is a pickle jar. It's not a quarantine tank. No fish transferred to such a ridiculously small container will get better. Please, stop and think about what you're doing! How could you possibly provide good water quality, temperature stability in such a small container?>
The QT tank is at 76 degrees. I am in the process of trying to get the water temp higher, but do not know how successful I will be at that, bc the heater is not reaching a higher temp than 76.
<If it can't make the tank any warmer than this, is obviously too small. That's a bad thing: a heater that "struggles" and has to stay on for extended periods is more likely to fail.>
I came to the conclusion that he had dropsy.
<Dropsy is a symptom, not a disease; it merely means abdominal bloating.>
So I treated the QT tank with Epsom salt treatment.
<You'll notice we talk about using medication alongside Epsom salt; by itself, why would Epsom salt help with a systematic bacterial infection?
Always think about what you're doing!>
Soon after being QT he started obtaining a fungus like spot. I assume it is fungus bc it is fuzzy and white.
<Oh dear...>
So I treated him with fungus clear. A day later I noticed a white substance stringing out of his anus.
<Dismal...>
The things I read about internal parasites says look for red spikes sticking out of anus. Could not see any. He is moving about more than what he was. Has no appetite. I am stuck on a diagnosis. I am considering egg bound in case he is a she, dropsy, or internal parasites.
<Not egg bound.>
I have treated him for all, but he is not getting better or worse.
<You've actually treating him for nothing relevant.>
His abdomen has not gotten much bigger.
<Dropsy is usually fatal with fish this small simply because it's a sign of systemic infection and organ failure. Dropsy is "cured" by preventing it. My feeling here is that your tank is badly managed, and anything half-way delicate simply won't survive the way you keep fish. Sorry to be harsh, but at least I'm honest.>
What do I do?
<Do read here for basics of care:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwmaint.htm
Then look up some ideas about suitable fish for different skill levels, water chemistry, and aquarium sizes:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestk.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_5/volume_5_3/stocking.htm>
I am trying to keep the water clean. I am adding a drop of Quik cure daily.
<Why?>
I think I am going to try and fast him for a couple of days.
<And that would help how...>
It isn't like he is eating much anyways. I did add 1/8 tsp of Epsom salt to the tank one day ago.
<Read about Euthanasia; this fish is doomed:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/euthanasia.htm
Cheers, Neale.>

Re: sick red flame Gourami – 4/30/09
To whom it may concern,
<That would be me, Neale Monks, BSc, PhD and general all-around fish expert by appointment to the sensible and open-minded.>
I did not ask you how to care for a community tank. I strictly asked for advice about my Gourami.
<These two things are related, and you can't separate them. To give an analogy, it's like trying to deal with drug crime strictly through law enforcement without also considering issues such as addiction treatment and
urban development. There's an interconnection between things, and those of us who know something about the subject try to explain that to those who don't. Once you understand the situation, you'll be in a better position to make sensible decisions, solve existing problems and prevent new problems.>
Obviously you have no customer service skills, because the way this was handled was very unprofessional and uncalled for.
<I'm sorry you see things that way. But remember, you're not a customer.
I'm not paid anything. You're a person who's making mistakes, and I'm an expert who, because I care about animals, is willing to spend time helping you. If you don't want the right advice and intelligent exposition, then feel free to do whatever else you want. It's a shame for your fish, but I'll sleep well knowing I tried my best to help you and help your animals.>
I realize that I did not fully supply you with the correct information concerning my tank. The tank is my husbands thing and he has been working out of town for the past few months so I have been maintaining it for him.
I know just enough to keep it maintained. So, as a concerned person for my fish, I turned to you and you harshly put me down.
<I don't see my response as harsh at all. I think you're mistaking honesty and reality for harshness. Just because I didn't tell you what you wanted to hear, then you're seeing that as criticism. It's really not. Your
aquarium has a series of fundamental problems, all potentially interconnected and without me standing next to the tank and looking at it, I have to assume that at least some of them are related to your immediate
crisis.>
All I wanted was advice on how to hopefully cure my fish and that I did not get.
<You said you'd read our article on Dropsy, but then only mentioned Epsom salt. I reminded you that you MUST use an antibiotic alongside the Epsom salt, and also that unless you fix the environmental issues that caused the Dropsy, treatment is pointless. So if you read my message, you'll see I gave you precisely the three things needed to cure Dropsy (if it's going to be cured) -- medication, Epsom salt, environmental improvement.>
We have had this tank and most of the same fish for almost two years and have never had any severe problems until now.
<Big deal. Two years. Your Dwarf Gourami is likely going to be dead in a few days, when it should have a lifespan on 5 years. More importantly, as fish get bigger (and your algae eaters will do, if they're the species I mentioned) they produce more waste. So as time passes, the aquarium steadily becomes more and more heavily stocked, and a crisis point can be reached if your aquarium and filter aren't of adequate size. None of this is personal bias. It's out there in any aquarium book.>
So obviously we do know how to maintain an aquarium.
<I didn't say that; I said you'd made some questionable choices, and if my suspicions are correct about the algae eaters, some very serious problems are waiting around the corner.>
Some of the irrelevant information you supplied me with is false.
<Which bits. Show me. I write for most of the English language aquarium magazines, lots of websites, I've written the first brackish water fish encyclopaedia, I have a BSc and a PhD, I worked at the Natural History
Museum in London and as a marine biologist in Scotland, and I've been keeping freshwater, brackish water and marine fish for 25 years. I'm hands-down the most expert fishkeeper you're ever going to talk to. I gave
you the best possible advice I could given the information I was working with. If you feel short changed, remember: you paid nothing, I promised nothing. I gave you 20 minutes of my time, time I'll never get back. If you want to pay for a vet, then go ahead. Otherwise, you're not going to get better advice anywhere, and certainly not for free.>
Next time someone comes to you for advice, think twice on how you answer.
<I think not. I'll carry on being honest. I don't really feel the need to candy-coat stuff just because some people don't want to hear that they've made mistakes. If you wanted someone to lie to you, to sugar coat their lack of understanding, or just generally advise out of ignorance, then please, feel free to go elsewhere.>
Eventually you will receive a bad rep if this type of customer service continues.
<Quite the reverse in fact. We have an enviable reputation and plenty of site visitors. Most people "get" what we're offering. We're not selling anything; we're sharing hard-earned experience with aquarists all around the world. We get plenty of thank-you notes. "Customer service" doesn't really come into the equation; I dare say the guy at your local big-box pet store will offer plenty of customer service because he's making a sale -- but he'll also be offering dubious advice and will happily sell you fish you can't keep and equipment you don't need. Over here, we trade in honesty and reality. I'm sorry that neither of these appealed to you. Cheers, Neale.> <<Well done Neale! RMF>>

Sick Dwarf Gourami   3/23/09 Hi, I have spent the last couple days reading everything I could find on the web about Gourami diseases, but cannot find anything that addresses the issue my Gourami seems to be having. I have sent a couple pics (not great, still learning to take pics of fish) to hopefully help in diagnosis. It started as a small red spot/area in his anus fin, it turned white and seemed to be "healing" or going away. Over the last month or so I lost two other dwarf gouramis to what appeared to be dropsy. I medicated my entire tank with Maracyn-two, losing the first fish. Shortly after (maybe two weeks) the second Gourami had dropsy. I medicated again with Maracyn-Two, losing the second fish only a couple days into the medication. During this second medication the red sore on the third Gourami came back and started eating away his fin and now it is eating into his body. He is eating, his poop looks normal. It looks much worse than fin rot, it doesn't appear to be Hexamita. <Agreed> Is it just a bacterial infection? <Does appear as such> Should I try medicating with Maracyn? <Mmm, no... I'd try a Furan compound here... will "dirty" your water...> I have been medicating the whole tank because I figured I need to in order to stop the other fish from getting sick as well, but not sure how all this medication is affecting all the other fish. Don't have a quarantine tank, but can get one if needed. <I would move this fish to such a treatment tank for sure... ten gallons would be fine> Some info on my tank: 55 gallon 80 degrees 7.0 ph (has recently been up to 7.5, got it down to 7.0 with this last water change) <Not a worry> Ammonia 0 nitrites 0 nitrates 0 20% water change monthly <I'd change more frequently> 5 dwarf gouramis (4 male, 1 female) 2 gold gouramis (male) 6 glass catfish 1 Indian glass fish 1 Pleco I would appreciate any help you can give me! Thanks, Cat <Unfortunately, Colisa lalia are very prone to disease issues... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/dwfgdis.htm and here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwantibiofaqs.htm Bob Fenner>

Mmm, RMF is unable to copy, move from root web... try on ret.

Re: Sick Dwarf Gourami   3/23/09 "Should I try medicating with Maracyn? <Mmm, no... I'd try a Furan compound here... will "dirty" your water...>" I've not heard of Furan before, is it sold under that name? Thanks, Cat <Yes they are. Please read where you were referred to Re. B>

Sick Gourami  3/18/09 I have 2 male gouramis in my tank along with a few male guppies, some sucker fish & tetras. The smaller of the 2 males seemed to always get picked on by the bigger one. Just this morning I noticed that the smaller one is now lying on his side on the bottom of the tank & his eyes look kinda weird. He's still breathing although whenever other fish go near him does not move. Is he sick? <Hello. What kind of Gouramis are these? Dwarf Gouramis (Colisa lalia) are particularly prone to bacterial infections as well as a viral infection called Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus. Do review here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwdistrbshtart.htmIt's also worth mentioning that male Gouramis are territorial, and unless the tank is fairly big, they will not coexist. Dwarf Gourami males will need at least 90 litres (20 gallons) each, while bigger species such as Three-spot Gouramis will need at least 50% more space than that. Cheers, Neale.> Re: Sick Gourami  3/18/09 He's a Dwarf Gourami, the tank is about 120cm X 60cm X 50cm roughly. Now that I've taken him outta the tank & had a good look at him I think you may be right about having a virus; he tried to swim out of the net when I was having a look so at least I know he still has a bit of kick in him. Can you tell me what I can do for him please? ~Merissa <Certainly is a Dwarf Gourami. By the looks of him, he seems to have sustained eye damage. While seriously damaged eyes don't grow back (obviously) they tend to heal over pretty well and the loss of one eye doesn't cause the fish any problems. If the only problem is damage to the outer surface of the eye, and the eye itself is okay, you may be lucky and it'll clear up completely, and his eye will recover. Either way, damage to the eyes is a very common sign of fighting: fish deliberately peck at each other's faces when fighting, and sometimes the eyes do get damaged. So rather than a virus, I think this is simply a beat-up fish that needs rehoming. The viral infection causes very specific things: loss of colour, weight loss, and most distinctively of all, the appearance of bloody sores on the body. I don't see any of that going on here. Apart from the damage to the eye, this fish actually looks in pretty good condition, and has lovely colours. If possible, rehome him in another tank, otherwise confine the more aggressive specimen to a large breeding net (not the smaller plastic breeding traps) for a few weeks while this fish recovers. Your existing tank should be big enough for two males, but perhaps not in this case. Adding more rocks and especially plants to break up the territories could help. Oddly enough, adding 2-3 more males might also work, by making it impossible for any one fish to either claim a territory or bully all the other fish at the same time. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Sick Gourami 3/18/09 Wow thanks heaps for that =D I have a smaller tank with an adult female guppy & her 6 daughters that's about 40cm X 30cm X 30cm with 5 plants & a bell shaped hidey-hole. Is this tank too small to put him in? <It's on the small side, yes. As a hospital tank though while he gets better, you should be fine though. Just keep up with water changes! Once he's healthier, he'll probably need a new home though.> If so Ill put more plants in the bigger tank. <Good idea. Plastic plants are just as good as real plants, so feel free to get creative with anything weird and wonderful that takes your fancy. Fish couldn't care less what we decorate our aquaria with: plastic plants, ceramic skulls, rocks, caves, whatever. So long as there are hiding places and shade, your fish will stake their territories. A bit of trial and error may be required though to find locations for hiding places that keep each fish out of the other's way.> Thanks again, Merissa <Cheers, Neale.> Re: Sick Gourami   4/1/2009 He doesn't seem to be getting better any time in the near future; is there anything I can do for him aside from water changes? <Have you treated with an antibacterial or antibiotic? In the US, I'd recommend Maracyn, in the UK, eSHa 2000. In other countries, look for something that treats Finrot and Fungus. The main thing is to get the lost eye to heal over. It will heal, and fish function fine with one eye; I think because in the wild many live in murky water where eyesight doesn't matter much anyway. So they use their "radar" system (lateral line) instead.> He doesn't seem to be eating as much either - Im not sure if that's because of loss of appetite or not but i drop food near his good eye, sometimes he'll go for it & sometimes he doesn't. =( <Exactly; if he can't see the food, he won't eat. I have a halfbeak that lost an eye in a fight, and I use forceps (tweezers) to feed him a few bloodworms by hand every few days. I also make a point of dropping the dried foods he eat by his good eye. His eye healed over quickly, and he's basically fine now. Good luck, Neale.>

Poorly Gourami (Red Robins; taxonomy, health)   2/11/09
Hello Crew!
I've had a look all over the internet and at your recently answered question but haven't found anything that really applies to the problem my Gourami has, so i hope you don't mind me emailing!
He's is a 'red robin' honey Gourami who i have had for about 6 months and always been well. Yesterday i came home to find him sitting at the bottom of the tank with a slightly rounded underside - just around where i assume his swim bladder is, at the base of his feelers. He was moved about a week ago from my previous 30 litre tank to a new 120 litre. I have given the tank a water change and the water results are still within the normal parameters (I'm going to test again this evening). I've also put some peeled peas into the tank but he doesn't seem to be interested in them. He is currently sitting at the bottom of the tank and taking the occasional trip to the surface for a quick gulp of air, then sinking slowly back to the bottom. Also, when he's swimming he seems to be finding it difficult and his lips look a bit greyer than usual.
The only other thing apart from the new tank, that has changed, is that i bought 3 small Corys at the weekend, one of which died within 48 hours after barely moving. My second honey Gourami is still behaving absolutely normal and the 2 remaining Corys are perfectly fine. Can you give me any advice? Should i quarantine him? I've also been reading
about some antibiotics that aren't compatible with gouramis and others that shouldn't be used when Corys are in the tank!
Any info you could send would be great - i can't get to my local fish shop until tomorrow evening.
Many thanks for your time
Jess
<Hello Jess. Red Robin Gouramis are curious fish because nobody really knows what they are! Several different fish are sold under the name, most commonly a hybrid between Trichogaster chuna and Colisa lalia, often, though not always, fed with colour-enhancing foods to make their colours brighter than they actually are. Quality is extremely variable, and like a lot of fish mass produced in Southeast Asia, bacterial infections can be a real problem because of the widespread use of antibiotics on the fish farms. Whilst they don't seem to get the dreaded Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus (DGIV) they aren't the hardiest of fish and lifespan is often rather short.
Sometimes Red Robins are merely red-coloured Colisa lalia, in which case DGIV is a risk, as well as all the usual bacterial problems Dwarf Gouramis are prone to. Inbreeding is an issue here, and indeed with almost any fish
that doesn't have its wild-type colouration. That's a point worth reiterating: when you shop for tropical fish and you decide to get a "fancy" form, you're doing a trade-off between genetics and physical appearance. Finally, some Red Robins are fancy Honey Gouramis. Again, inbreeding is an issue, but on top of that you have the problem that
Trichogaster chuna is simply not a fish that does well in hard water, so unless you have soft, slightly acidic water conditions, it's a species to avoid. Having laid out the problems identifying the fish, treatment is somewhat difficult to suggest. DGIV is impossible to cure, so if that's the case, there's nothing much to do beyond painless destruction of the fish. Internal bacterial infections are extremely common among these fish, and only reliably treated with antibiotics. In the UK, these have to be obtained from a vet, and the so-called "anti-internal bacteria" treatments sold in fish shops in the UK are, frankly, useless. Never once heard of a fish cured of anything by using them. Antibiotics used properly (i.e., as per your vet's instructions) will be perfectly safe with your Gourami.
Internal bacterial infections often caused abdominal swelling followed by distinctive raising of the scales along the flank, so that viewed from above the fish looks like a pine cone. At that stage a cure is unlikely and again, painless destruction is the only humane option.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/euthanasia.htm
Constipation is a problem with Gouramis since most are partially herbivorous in the wild, and careless aquarists often forget this essential fact. If squashed tinned (or cooked) peas aren't accepted, then Daphnia may be, and these are almost as good. Obviously Gouramis are slow feeders, and if there are tetras or barbs in there, the Daphnia will be eaten long before the Gourami gets a therapeutic "dose", so you'll have to work around that using a hospital tank of some sort. If the Gourami is healthy-looking apart from the swollen abdomen, then constipation may be the issue. Adding Epsom salt at 1 to 3 teaspoons per 5 gallons can help with constipation alongside the high-fibre foods, but remember to stop adding Epsom salt once the fish is better.
Hope this helps, Neale.>

Dwarf Gourami sickness, and FW stkg.  01/23/09
At Christmas we got a 10 gallon tank with a dwarf Gourami, a silver dollar (who is the size of a 50 cent piece now but I understand will need a much larger tank). These two are buddies and have followed each other around since arriving the same day. I also have six Rummynose tetras, a bamboo shrimp and a vampire shrimp.
<The tank is seriously over-stocked.>
The tank has cycled (with the fish in it since we didn't know the right way to do it) and all these fish survived! I got a Eco Bio-Rock awhile ago because I heard it was good and it seems to have finished off the remaining nitrate in the tank. It has a few real plants in it, and one fake one.
Everyone seemed happy until yesterday when the Gourami started getting glassy eyed and sitting in the water barely moving, his head seems to have darkened, his belly swollen. With a heavy heart I read about Iridovirus in gouramis and I remember when I bought him at Petco, a week later I returned and half the gouramis in the tank looked just like he did now. I think he has this virus. I am sad because he was a lovely curious fish with a good personality and a hearty eater.
I am also sad my silver dollar will lose his buddy - and am worried this virus will spread to the other fish or invertebrates. What can I do to stop this from happening? I will not buy anymore dwarf gouramis :(
<If it is a virus, there's likely nothing you can do except try to build the natural immune/defense systems of these fish by caring for them as well as possible. For one thing, the silver dollar fish needs a bigger tank and is a schooling fish that does best in groups. Clean the tank well... feed them high quality food and do everything you can to keep the water quality as high as possible, etc.>
Melissa
<Best,
Sara M.>

Re: Dwarf Gourami sickness 01/23/09
Hello Sara,
You know, we are new fish owners and trusted the people at Petco to advise us on appropriate fish and tank size. Initially, they told us a Bala shark and pictus cat were good "community fish" for our 10 gallon tank and told us nothing about cycling the tank. Of course we returned these two fish the second day, realizing they were not compatible.
<Ah, first rule of fish-keeping... don't assume the people selling the fish know anything about keeping them.>
After this disaster, I bought several books on the subject including this one: http://en.microcosmaquariumexplorer.com/wiki/101_Best_Tropical_Fishes
by someone who seemed to be a good resource.
I chose our remaining tankmates based on this book's advice for a 10 gallon "model tank". One of the recommendations was: 3 Hatchetfish, 12 Neon Tetras and 3 Panda Corys for a 10 gallon tank - but even *I* felt that was too many.
<Um, yeah... that is a bit much, geez.>
All the people at Petco told us was "one inch of fish per gallon". Here I thought we were being relatively restrained.
<I understand the confusion. The "problem" is that the fish you have aren't going to stay the size they are. For example, silver dollar fish get to be at least the size of your palm.>
I just really just wanted to know if this virus will spread to other fish outside the Betta and Gourami species, but I can't find any more info about it on the web, read through all your questions but couldn't get a definitive answer.
<That's because it's a virus. Like human viruses, they're very difficult to battle. There's a reason there's still no cure for the "common cold"-- it's a virus.>
Yes, I know I haven't done everything perfectly with our new fish, but we are trying and I do care about them a lot and worry about them. Yes, I will get a bigger tank and research more before any more purchases.
<I'm sorry the people at Petco didn't advise you well... and especially sorry the book you bought didn't help much more. Sometimes it's a struggle to find good information.>
Thanks anyway for responding,
Melissa
<Cheers,
Sara M.>
Btw, I'm sorry if I failed to mention that if the Gourami really did have Iridovirus (which I can't say for sure), it's not likely the other fish will get it. It tends to be highly contagious only among other Gouramis.
Sara

Sick dwarf Gourami   11/28/08 Hi My Blue dwarf Gourami got sick. He has some pimple like bumps on him. I sent you a picture. We have a 70 gallon planted tank. I have a lot of young guppies , red and blue dwarf gouramies and a pearl Gourami. None of my other fish has those bumps and the Blue Gourami is acting normal , he is eating and swimming normally. The bumps only appeared today. Thank you! Julia <I can't tell from your photo much about the Gourami in question. Too blurry. But do run through the options listed in this article: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwdistrbshtart.htm In particular, be aware Colisa lalia (your Gourami species) is very prone to a viral infection that is incurable. It is extremely common among Colisa lalia exported from Southeast Asia. Not all sick Colisa lalia have this disease though! So do consider other things that can cause "white pimples" -- Ick/Whitespot, Finrot, Fungus, Velvet, Lymphocystis, to name just a few. Cheers, Neale.>

Man! That's blurry! RMF.

Dwarf Gourami with sore on side 10/16/08 Hi Guys, Congrats on having such a great site. I have learnt a lot from reading the Q&A's but still can't find what I'm after. I have got 3 Dwarf Gouramis which I have had for about 3 months. About 4 weeks ago I noticed one of them had 1 or 2 scales missing from the side of him. The colour of the flesh didn't change. Everything looked fine. <It's an ulcer, and will need to be treated with a suitable antibacterial or antibiotic to prevent secondary infections. With luck, the fish will heal just fine. I say "with luck" because Colisa lalia is a very sensitive species, partly because of inbreeding and partly because commercially bred fish are routinely exposed to viral infections for which there is no cure. I do not recommend aquarists keep this species.> About 7 days ago I got home from work to find it had turned into a patch that looked like raw flesh that was white in colour but looked red from inflammation or infection. It was also raised from the body a few mm's. I put the Gourami into my 40l tank and started treating it with Furan-2. After 2 days the redness had gone away. I continued treating as the sore is still an open. Today I have noticed 2 holes in the white flesh area that are red. The sore is still raised from the surface and looks worse in real life, than in the photos. The fish is still eating normally and looks fine, he is sitting down by the heater a fair bit but I think it is because he is the shy one of the lot and its a good hiding spot. What else can I try? <Very, very difficult to say. The problem with ulcers is that they are not only infected wounds that need healing, but also gateways through which infections can travel into the body of the fish. Small fish like yours are particularly at risk because even a relatively small ulcer will "dig" quite a distance through the body, well into the major blood vessels, muscles and nerves.> My tank details are: 190l tank, 26deg, I top up the salt after every few water changes, Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 5, PH 7.2, lots of real plants, big bits of bogwood, Fluval 405 filter, tank has been running for about 5 months <In theory all sounds fine, though adding the salt shouldn't be necessary when the fish are healthy, and long term we really have no idea what harm constant exposure to salt does to freshwater fish. At least some react very badly, as is the case with Malawi cichlids, so broadly speaking salt should only be used therapeutically, not as a routine additive.> Fish are: Guppies x 10 (about 14 babies as well), rummy nose x 9, Danios x 3, bristlenose x 1, Corys x 2, Neons x 7, Gouramis x 3, pretty tetras x 2, bleeding heart x 2, harlequins x 6 <Should be fine with Colisa lalia.> The Gourami has been moved to a 40l tank, internal filter, 27 deg, salt added, ph 7.2, amm 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 5 Thanks for your help, Tracey <All you can really do is carry on treating for ulcers and Finrot, and hoping for the best. To be honest, this species is so weak I can be especially confident of a positive result, but who knows? Cheers, Neale.>

Bite? RMF

Sick dwarf Gourami   7/12/08
Hi
We have 2 dwarf Gouramis. The male died yesterday and the female is now in our quarantine tank. We have had them one month in a tank along with platys, neon tetras, silvertip tetras and zebra Danios. We noticed discolouration around the mouth a week ago. They both also had/have a white patch on the
side. It looks like a wound but there are no signs of aggression from the other fish. Water quality- NO2 25mg/l NO3 0mg/l ph 7.6 temp 25C.
Can you offer any suggestions before we lose the female too? Thanks. Grace
<Hello Grace. If the fish has patches of fluffy or slimy stuff around the mouth and on the body, the chances are you're dealing with Finrot, Fungus, or "Mouth Fungus" (actually a bacterial infection). These can only be treated using antibacterial or antibiotic medications. In the UK, I recommend a product called eSHa 2000; in the US the antibiotic Maracyn seems to be preferred. As with any medication, remember to remove carbon from the filter if you are using it (and I don't recommend freshwater aquarists bother with it, to be honest). Now, with this said, there is a major problem with a viral infection known as Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus. This is untreatable, 100% fatal, and highly contagious. Because it is so common, I do not recommend aquarists bother with Colisa lalia, and instead suggest they go with other, unaffected species like Colisa labiosus and Colisa fasciata.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/dwfgdis.htm
The symptoms are very consistent: first the fish becomes shy and loses its appetite, then it loses its colour, then discoloured patches and sores develop, and finally the fish swells up with dropsy and dies. It's a shame aquarium shops still stock Colisa lalia, and I've talked to managers of many shops over the years. They all say the same thing -- as much as they'd like to stop trading these fish (which die just as quickly in their tanks!), less expert fishkeepers just keep buying them, so they keep stocking them! It's a vicious circle really, and until aquarists stop buying them, the mass producers in the Far East will keep cranking out low quality, widely infected, Dwarf Gouramis. Anyway, I do hope you have your "NO2" and "NO3" readings back to front, by the way -- 25 mg/l nitrite (NO2) would be deadly to any fish!
Hope this helps, Neale.>

Gourami with a bloated abdomen. - 7/2/08
Hello there. I have a dwarf Gourami with a bloated abdomen. It looks pregnant however, it also looks as though it is bruised. The area in front of the bulging abdomen is dark purple/blue like a skin bruise on a human. Half of the lower fin is this color too. The only tank mate is a giant golden snail. I clean the take regularly and change the filter as recommended. Please help. Thanks.
Sincerely,
Glenda
<Glenda, your Dwarf Gourami almost certainly has Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus; an untreatable, highly contagious to other Dwarf Gouramis, apparently 100% fatal viral disease. The symptoms are very consistent: loss of appetite and shyness; loss of colour; appearance of blisters on the body and fins; swelling of the abdomen; death. Your mistake was buying this species at all -- in my opinion the prevalence of the disease amongst mass-produced Dwarf Gouramis is so high that spending money on them is a waste. My recommendation is to painlessly destroy this fish and then switch to a reliable small Gourami species such as Colisa labiosus or Colisa fasciata.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/dwfgdis.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/euthanasiafaqs.htm
Cheers, Neale.>

Emerald Green Corys and Dwarf Gourami Disease 5/26/08
I have two Gouramis and two Emerald Green Catfish in a 10 gallon tank. If I suspect one Gourami has Gourami Disease swollen abdomen, long stringy elimination and discoloration), I have read in your posts that I should assume the other one, while healthy looking, has it too (correct?).
<It isn't a certainty, but you should certainly remove in infected fish immediately. I'd painlessly destroy it. Various methods, but Clove Oil is perhaps the easiest on you and the fish.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/euthanasiafaqs.htm>
I have done 10% and 50% water changes adding aquarium salt and conditioner. My question is, if my Gourami's are "doomed" and I let them live out their disease, or take them back to the store since they are only a week old, will my Corys stay healthy or be affected?
<The virus doesn't affect catfish, so your Corydoras will be fine. Most other fish are likely immune, though I'd perhaps avoid Honey and Dwarf Gouramis as well as their hybrids.>
Thank you for you time!
<Cheers, Neale.>

Gourami disease, eggs?  -03/28/08
hi,
I have just got 4 dwarf Gouramis and 2 are the opalescent blue and the other 2 are orange with stripes. my one striped one has a dark brown appearance on its head and at the top to,? and appears to be dull and slimy. and the other one appears to have this too along with a dark blue almost navy stripe near the end of its belly. is this normal or a disease.
<Not normal, and yes, likely a disease. In particular check your symptoms against 'Dwarf Gourami Disease', an extremely common and contagious problem among Colisa lalia imports from Singapore especially.
http://208.112.95.51/FWSubWebIndex/dwfgdis.htm
There is no cure. I would simply advise people NEVER to buy these fish unless from a local breeder.>
and finally the last question I have is my blue Gourami is larger than the rest of the tank mates and has been hanging out at the top of the tank. but I have noticed very small,? white circular things near my heater and every now and then the swollen fish will go up near that part of the tank. what is wrong with my fish and what are these things, are they eggs?
<Impossible to say. Quite possibly eggs, through whether from the Gouramis or something else, e.g., snails, is difficult to say. Gouramis are bubble-nest builders and don't normally stick their eggs to the glass. On the other hand Corydoras catfish and some snails do this all the time. If you think they're eggs, then by all means carefully remove them to a breeding trap and see what happens! Fish eggs tend to be about 1 mm across and small round spheres; snail eggs are usually laid in clumps, often in blobs of jelly about 5 mm or so across.>
thank you
<Next time, please send messages with proper capitalization of sentences! Makes e-mails easier to read, share. Cheers, Neale.>

Sick Flame Dwarf Gourami  2/28/08
Hey guys,
I found your site when I was researching how to care for my two new green spotted puffers, but I've found your help so invaluable with them that I was hoping you'd be able to help me with one of my other tanks.
I have a 20 gallon freshwater tank, and in it live 3 dwarf Gouramis (the normal, red with blue striped variety -- all male), 3 dwarf flame Gouramis (also all male), 3 balloon body mollies, and 3 Danios (2 leopard, 1 zebra).
I've had this tank for probably about two months, and it's completely cycled, but I'm going through a bit of an ammonia spike right now --
<?>
exact numbers to follow below. The Gouramis were the last fish I added, and they've been in there for several weeks now. Recently (within the last 2 days) I've noticed that one of my dwarf flame Gouramis looks rather ill. He's laying on the bottom of the tank, gulping air. He's more or less propped himself up against the side of the tank. He's not interested in food, though he is still responsive to stimuli (including the other fish coming over and checking him out. I've had no aggression problems at all, and my tank is filled with lots of plants (floating and rooted) in addition to various other forms of cover.
Something isn't right with him, but I don't know what. Water temperature is 78.2 degrees. There's a bit of salt in the water for the mollies (following the recommendations on the API Aquarium Salt box), though I wouldn't call it salty enough to be brackish...just enough salt to keep the mollies happy (which they certainly seem to be... piggy little buggers).
Readings are as follows:
0 ppm Nitrites.
20 ppm Nitrates (holy crap...I just did a 20% water change yesterday...how did that happen?)
<Accumulates easily...)
The ammonia levels are reading somewhere between 0 and .25 ppm, but it looks much closer to 0 (sorry, my ability to distinguish colors is
just not what I wish it was...)
<Mine neither...>
pH is around 7.6 (it's usually between 7.6 and 7.8).
What's going on with my tank???
<Something perhaps amiss with the test kit...>
No one else in there seems to be having problems, though with nitrate levels like that I fear they soon will be.
What do I do?
Thanks for any help!
Micah
<Add some biological filtration (an "auxiliary" filter...)... For the Colisa Gouramis... they're notorious for being imported with persistent Hexamita/Octomita et al. protozoan infestations... and a particularly nasty virus... Please read here re: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/dwfgdis.htm
Bob Fenner>

Dwarf Gourami Disease  2/25/08
Hello again!
<Ave,>
Okay, I read up on the links, and now I am worried for the rest of my Gouramis (dwarf and regular).
<It's only Colisa lalia and Colisa hybrids you need to worry about; other Colisa and all Trichogaster seem resistant or immune to the Dwarf Gourami Disease pathogen.>
If I remove the sick fish, are the rest of them going to catch it?
<See above.>
I just did a water test: my nitrates are about 30ppm (I am due for a water change), nitrites are 0ppm, the water is testing at 150 (hard), 120
alkalinity and pH at 7.2 (neutral). Should I be adjusting anything?
<Nope.>
if Yes, how do you advise as the best way?
<Broad advice for water chemistry is this: if you don't know how/why to adjust the water chemistry, you probably shouldn't do it. It is easier to mess things up completely. In fact, your water chemistry is just about perfect for a broad range of community fish.>
Sorry to keep asking, I do appreciate the assistance!
Cheryl
<Happy to help, Neale.>

More of a comment, really....Dwarf Gourami disease  2/10/08
Having found a sore on the lip of my male dwarf Gourami early last month, I looked for info on the internet and found Neale Monks' material as posted on your webpage (below):
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/dwfgdis.htm
(FAQs on Colisa lalia, C. chuna... "Dwarf" Gouramis of Many Names, Honey, Flames, Neon Blue, Sunset Fire... Disease/Health)
I was horrified to hear about Dwarf Gourami disease as described in these pages, as I - perhaps naively - believed the breeding of tropical fish for the pet market to be 'all right' (ecologically, in animal welfare terms, ethically) and having purchased the fish from a reputable supplier, I assumed he would be in good health. My despondency deepened the more I read of the webpage....after some time I was convinced that my Gourami was doomed to a painful, wasting death, and was considering euthanising him to prevent further suffering.
My husband suggested that I was perhaps being a bit too hasty about all this, and that we give the fish a chance since he seemed to be alert and happy (feeding well, obsessed with his bubble-nest). The sore lip slowly healed and now (touch wood) he is OK.
The information you provide on your site is an invaluable resource, and Dwarf Gourami disease certainly seems to be a terrible problem that needs to be eradicated at source. Neale Monks obviously - and rightly - feels very strongly about this disease, but my point is that perhaps his opinions on the Dwarf gouramis (the ones that have already been bred and exported by disreputable suppliers, and are pets currently living in peoples' homes) are at times a little too pessimistic - my very limited experience (this far at any rate) shows that gouramis can recover from slight abrasions and do not always succumb to bacterial infections immediately. Of course I don't know that my fish isn't affected and can only hope that he survives to a good age.
This is a minor comment on an excellent web-based resource, and I hope it hasn't caused offence.
With all best wishes, Katrina
<Hi Katrina. No offence at all taken. It's always good to get comments about things I write, even when people disagree. Yes, I do feel strongly about Dwarf Gourami Disease. And it isn't me saying these things are disease-ridden. Australian vets looked at Dwarf Gouramis closely because the virus they carry is very similar to one that's suddenly appeared among populations of a native fish, the Murray Cod. The vets found that 22% of the Dwarf Gouramis exported from Singapore carried the Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus, and they believe the virus at some point mutated and then started infecting the Murray Cod. Furthermore, the quality of Dwarf Gouramis has been declining for at least ten years. Wholesalers in the UK have been attempting to source Dwarf Gouramis from better suppliers.
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=1139
As I hope my comments in those Dwarf Gourami articles implies -- Dwarf Gourami Disease (DGD) has a very specific pathology. Not all Dwarf Gouramis with scratches or sores are infected with DGD any more than not every human who coughs has Bubonic Plague. But if you have a Dwarf Gourami that loses colour, hides away, stops feeding, has stringy faeces, develops bloody sores on the body and ultimately keels over and dies, then there's a pretty good case to believe this fish has DGD. If all your Dwarf Gourami has is a small blister or something, then by all means isolate the fish (always a good call with any sick fish) and monitor for other symptoms. If the fish swims and feeds normally, then precisely as you've reported, the damage could be something as simple to treat as Finrot or plain mechanical damage that needs time to heal. But if the fish subsequently develops the full set of DGD symptoms, then isolating that fish is critical, because infected fish rarely (if ever) get better, and the viruses can spread very easily through the water. In other words, not all sick Dwarf Gouramis have DGD, but some do, and the aquarist should *aggressively* isolated suspected cases, particularly if the tank contains other Dwarf Gouramis (and potentially other Gouramis I suppose). Hope this helps, and thanks for writing! Neale.>

Dwarf Gourami couple, dis.... and a turtle? Incomp.   10/23/07
Hi, I just populated my 60l tank about a week ago, I have 10 neon tetras, 3 kuhli loaches and a male and female dwarf gourami. I also have a tiny turtle, roughly 4cm.
About a week ago, the female gourami had a white patch on her back, I assumed it was a bite from the male since he seemed to follow her around. It appeared to heal, and two days ago had turned somewhat dark.
But then yesterday morning, I found the fish dead, missing the entire tail.
I assumed it was the turtle, but I can't help wondering why he didn't eat more than the tailfin. Also the width of the tail is quite large, so I suppose it could have been gnawed off after the fish perished.
Throughout the day I watched the dead fish to see if someone tried to eat it, and while I didn't see any culprits, around dinner time it did have a hole in the abdomen roughly the size of the turtle beak. I then took the body out, but unfortunately didn't take pictures.
It's hard for me to tell if the fish have acted unusual since I only had them for a week, but the female did seem particularly shy, and the male chased her on occasion.
The male had a period of very energetic swimming in bursts yesterday evening.
Is it likely the turtle killed this fish? I was told in the petstore a turtle this size should pose no problems, and he does rest along with the small loaches and has not appeared to bother them.
-Magnus
<Magnus, whatever the fish store guys are saying, turtles will nip at fish. Red Ear Sliders for example are primarily omnivores that feed mostly on plant matter and invertebrates, but in the limited space of an aquarium, they will definitely go for fish. Move the turtle to its own enclosure ASAP. The other issue is "Dwarf Gourami Disease". This is an epidemic among Dwarf Gouramis from Southeast Asia especially. It is an untreatable viral disease and usually ends in death. The symptoms are consistent: shyness, loss of appetite, lethargy, loss of weight, red sores on the skin, dead patches of skin, and then death. Be on the lookout for these. Buying Dwarf Gouramis that have NOT been locally bred is, in my opinion, a very risky gamble. Hope this helps, Neale>

Dwarf Gourami, Spawning, and Disease - 10/06/2007
Hi,
I have a pair of dwarf gouramis in a 260L tank which has been set up for about 3 months with no problems. About 2 weeks ago the pair had a failed breeding attempt (all the eggs got eaten) and since then the male has not eaten, he hides in the top corner of the tank, hardly moving and his feelers have started to disintegrate, they are now only about a third of their original length. Advice would be greatly appreciated as I am going on holiday next week and wondering whether his illness could be treated before then or if it likely to spread to other tank inhabitants: pearl gouramis Columbian tetras, clown loaches, rainbow fish, algae eaters, silver sharks.
Thanks
Gayle
<Gayle, while it is possible that your gourami has Finrot (in which case treat for Finrot using some appropriate medication such as Mardel Maracyn or eSHa 2000), the odds are 9 to 10 that your fish has Dwarf Gourami Disease (DGD). This starts off with lethargy and shyness, then loss of appetite, then blisters or sores on the body, and then death. There is no cure, and the best you can do is isolate the fish, provide optimal water conditions, and hope for the best. If the fish doesn't improve, then painlessly destroy it. DGD is apparently caused by a virus, so antibiotics do not help. DGD is practically ubiquitous in shipments of Dwarf Gouramis from Southeast Asia. One scientific study found almost 1 in 4 Dwarf Gouramis were infected with it. It is also EXTREMELY contagious, and as soon as one fish dies, the disease WILL spread, so that the entire batch of fish will be infected. For this reason, I personally recommend people NEVER buy Dwarf Gouramis from anywhere other than a local breeder. Truly, it just isn't worth it. If you want to keep a small gourami, skip Dwarf Gouramis (and their hybrids and variants, such as neon, robin, and sunset gouramis). Instead go for Colisa labiosus and Colisa fasciata (Thick-lipped Gourami and Banded Gourami respectively). These fish are similar but not affected by the disease. Your female gourami is, more than likely, infected and so doomed unless you separate the fish immediately and are extremely lucky. But the other fishes (including the pearl gouramis) should be fine. There's no sign that DGD spreads to fishes other than Dwarf Gouramis. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Neale>

Dwarf gouramis?  hlth.  – 08/26/07
Hi! i was will be getting a pair of flame dwarf gouramis fo my 10 gallon. I have done alot of research and know that gouramis catch disease very quickly. i was just wondering what medication would be good to use when i first get them. I know they can have internal diseases and want to get rid/prevent it.)
<Greetings. Dwarf gouramis -- Colisa lalia -- are indeed extremely prone to bacterial and viral diseases collectively known as "Dwarf Gourami Disease" (DGD). These are a problem because of how the fish are farmed. The odds on a standard, store-bought dwarf gourami getting DGD is better than 50% unless the fish is kept in soft, acidic water at slightly higher than average temperature (~5 degrees GH, pH 6.0-6.5, 25-28 degrees C). Even under these optimal conditions, there's no guarantees your fish won't come down with DGD. It's really as simple as this. Now, as for treatment -- there isn't any. None. Zilch. Nada. When a dwarf gourami is infected, particularly with the viral form, well, that's it. The best you can do is destroy the fish painlessly. There's no recovery, and antibiotics (naturally, this being a viral disease) have no effect whatsoever. Nor does adding salt to the tank, prayer, or sacrificing a cock at the altar of Asklepios. Commercially-bred dwarf gouramis are, in my opinion, a total waste of time and money. Far, FAR better to buy one of the similar but infinitely more robust species like Colisa labiosus or Colisa fasciata. These have the same basic colour but are about a third to a half as big as the Dwarf gourami. Obviously they are not really suitable for a 10 gallon tank, though a mated pair might be OK if the tank was a "long" design with plenty of floating plants. If you really want to use a 10 gallon tank for some labyrinth fish, consider one of the smaller Betta species (perhaps the delightful "peaceful betta" Betta imbellis) or one of the droll little "talking" gouramis, Trichopsis spp. Hope this helps, Neale>

Re: dwarf gouramis? Now Trichogaster leeri...  – 08/26/07
thanks so much! i might try though... what about pearl gourami?
<"Trying" Dwarf gouramis is how the Southeast Asian fish farmers get away with mass producing disease-ridden livestock. Inexperienced aquarists think their next attempt will be successful, so retailers keep buying them from their wholesalers, and their wholesalers keep ordering them from the fish farmers. If the newbie aquarists stopped buying dwarf gouramis (except from local breeders) then the demand would vanish and the Southeast Asian fish farmers would have no choice but to change their farming methods. At the moment, one recent scientific study (J Go and R Whittington, 2006) found the incidence of Dwarf gourami iridovirus in dwarf gouramis exported from Singapore to be a staggering 22%! Since the disease is EXTREMELY contagious, once an infected fish is in a wholesaler's, retailer's, or hobbyist's aquarium, that infected gourami will infect all the other dwarf gouramis. Just imagine if 22% of the people around you were infected with TB or Smallpox... how long do you think you'd be healthy? That's why I am so adamant that the demand for Dwarf gouramis dry up, so that this rotten aspect of the ornamental fish trade can be eliminated. Anyway, as for the Pearl gourami -- Trichogaster leeri -- this is an excellent gourami. It is peaceful, attractive, and very hardy. Because it is a medium-sized fish (around 12-14 cm when mature) its minimum space requirement is for a "long" 20 gallon tank (i.e., a tank at least 60 cm long). Obviously more is better. While it naturally comes from soft/acid water environments, in the aquarium it does not seem to be at all fussy, and here in Southern England it does very well in hard/alkaline water. Long lived, i.e., 5-10 years. Doesn't get "dwarf gourami disease" and basically hardy. Hope this helps, Neale>

Re: dwarf gouramis? Now Honeys... Gourami sel.... what's next?  – 08/26/07
wow. feel bad for those poor little dwarfs! what about honey gouramis? (i would like to stick with my 10 gallon) and also, what if the dwarf gouramis don't come from Asia? If i ask my LFS (awesome store, very friendly, fish look great!) if they come from Asia, they say no, the fish look good....? (i love dwarf gouramis!!!=)so funny!)
sorry for all my questions! I want to be a good fish ''mommy''!
<Greetings. If the Dwarf gouramis don't come from Southeast Asia, then there's less change that they suffer from Dwarf gourami disease. The ideal is if they're locally bred (they aren't difficult to breed, so your local fish club might be able to help you there). Tropical fish shops may be able to tell you where their stock comes from. Many order directly from exporters in Southeast Asia, South America, or wherever. But a lot of stores get stuff through "middlemen", importers, and so the store might not know precisely where their livestock comes from. If you *do* want to try dwarf gouramis, then you need to know the signs of Dwarf gourami disease. Fish suffering from this begin by being lethargic, off their food, and shy. As things get worse they develop ulcers and patches of white dead skin, often looking a lot like they have finrot. Then they die. If even one single fish shows these symptoms, then assume they're all infected. I personally wouldn't buy dwarf gouramis EVER except from a local breeder... but it's your money. Honey gouramis are resistant to the disease (as are most other gouramis) BUT they are intrinsically more delicate fish. They need soft/acid water, period. If you don't have that, they're likely to be short-lived. I honestly cannot recommend the alternatives too highly: Colisa labiosus and Colisa fasciata. These are easy fish that look like Dwarf gouramis but can be practically guaranteed to last for years. Being a bit bigger they're also less shy, and easier to tame. They're quite commonly traded, and not difficult to find. Please look them up in your aquarium book. Hope this helps, Neale>

Re: dwarf gouramis? Sel.   8/28/07
thank you so much! I'll ask and if the dwarfs are from Asia, I'll get a different gourami. You guys rock!
<Sounds like you have a plan. Good luck, and thanks for the kind words. Cheers, Neale>

Dwarf Gourami problem 8/7/07
I have two dwarf Gourami in a 60L tank together with 4 Neons, 2 loaches and 2 mollies.
<Not a good mix of livestock. The mollies will really want brackish water eventually or they end up with Finrot or fungus (you mark my words!) and Neons should really be kept in schools of 6 or more. I have no idea what your "loaches" are, but clown loaches at least (the most commonly traded species) grow into huge fish that need a tank perhaps eight or ten times the size of what you have!>
When I introduced the Gourami, everything was fine for a week, but over the
last 24 hours, one Gourami has suddenly become very aggressive towards the other, to the
point of chasing them around the tank relentlessly.
<Entirely normal. You probably have two males. In a small tank, males will also chase females, if the female doesn't want to spawn with him right there and then.>
The one fish being chased has also developed a small white lump on their side, between the fin and the tail, but I can't establish whether it is a bite or another problem.
<Quite possibly signs of physical trauma, in which case treat immediately with combination anti-fungus/Finrot to prevent things getting worse. Make sure you remove carbon from the filter first. Dwarf Gouramis are also prone to something called Dwarf Gourami Disease that starts off with lethargy but halfway to the fish dying it develops tumour-like sores on the body. No cure, except in the long term to stop people buying Dwarf Gouramis so that the breeders in Southeast Asia will breed better stock and not pump them with antibiotics on the farm (don't get me started on this...).>
What would you suggest could be the problem, and what do I do!!!???
<Not much you can do save (obviously) remove one of the gouramis to another aquarium. They will never get on. Period. End of story. Once you're done, please go buy or borrow an aquarium book and read up on social behaviour and water chemistry requirements. This will make your future purchases much more successful!>
Many thanks
Pete Davis
<You're welcome, Neale>

Gourami/tank troubles – 07/23/07
I have been reading your site to try to find out what to do for my tank, but I think that I have several problems going on, and I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to start dumping things in to fix everything, especially when I'm new at this.
<OK.>
1st problem.
Overall alkalinity is high. I assume it is because of our extremely hard water. the pet store said that theirs is always high too.
<Almost never a problem. Freshwater fish are very adaptable. Provided you do water changes around 50% per week to keep the water chemistry stable, and use adequate filtration to keep the water quality high, the fish don't usually care. It's a mistake to get hung up on water chemistry unless you're keeping fishes that need specific environments, like Lake Malawi cichlids or blackwater rasboras. Most of the common stuff, barbs, gouramis, angelfish, etc., are very adaptable. Better still, choose species that *like* your water chemistry, so the "problem" becomes a virtue, and you have healthier fish that are easier to breed.>
2nd:
pH tends to be high, always registers blue on my test kit (7.6, but it could be higher, as that is the highest this test registers). I'm not sure how to get it down. I've been doing regular changes (20%) at least weekly, but sometimes more often than that so that my fish will be okay with the high pH levels.
I've also tried Proper pH 7.0, but it hasn't brought it to the correct level. Do I keep adding it until it is to 7.0 or 7.2 somewhere sufficient, or will that disrupt the nitrogen cycle I'm trying to establish?
<Again, don't bother. If you don't understand water chemistry, and you're finding it a struggle to master, don't try and change it. A pH of 7.6 is fine for most standard community tropicals. Far better you do big water changes each week to keep things stead (i.e., by diluting nitrate accumulation and the background acidification in aquaria that happens anyway) than you add potions that you don't understand. Once you're up to speed on the hobby, it's fun to set up another tank to experiment with. Get some Apistogramma dwarf cichlids or something and then play with water softeners and pH adjusters to get the chemistry those fish want and then watch them breed. For now, forget about it. You're more likely to stress the fish by bouncing the water chemistry about. Above all else, remember pH is only an indicator, and fish don't feel it. If the pH goes down to 7, but the total dissolved solids (the minerals in the water) stay high, you've achieved nothing at all. Invariably, fish want either acid + soft water, or alkaline + hard water. These things come in pairs. You can't focus on the easy one, pH, and ignore the difficult one, hardness.>
With our new tank, I'm trying to get the nitrogen cycle established, so I think that I need some alkalinity so it can be converted to nitrites to nitrates, but I don't want to damage my fish.
<No no no. Alkalinity is derived from hardness minerals, nitrates from ammonia produced by decay and metabolism. The two things are unrelated, except to say this: in very soft, acid water, biological filtration doesn't happen. But that's to do with the tolerances of the bacteria involved. For your purposes, there's no connection. Mature the aquarium using the method you prefer. Some folks like fishless cycling, others a few hardy fish like danios. Either way, proceed with care, and monitor ammonia and nitrites regularly until everything has settled down.>
It has been over a month now--should the nitrogen cycle be established by now? I haven't had any prob.s with high nitrites or nitrates.
<The ammonia to nitrite part of the cycle is usually done within a month of setting up, and the nitrite to nitrate part within 6 weeks of setting up, but that's if you're using a "with fish" cycling method. Things are different if you're adding bacteria cultures straight to the tank (e.g. Bio Spira or some filter media from another aquarium). But ultimately this is all theory: all that matters is the results from your ammonia and nitrite test kits.>
I have a ten gallon tank with 2 gouramis (one bright orange and one lighter orange--male and female of same species) and 1 cardinal tetra. Before the gouramis, I had seven cardinals, but they all died except one.
(probably high pH?) The one left seems to be well adjusted and doing great.
<The cardinals will die off very quickly in immature aquaria. Water chemistry is largely irrelevant. I've kept them in "liquid rock" where the pH was around 8.0. But they are delicate fish in new tanks, and they are also sometimes sensitive to Neon Tetra Disease. The dwarf gouramis are nice fish but famous for being stricken by a viral and/or bacteria set of diseases called Dwarf Gourami Disease, so watch them carefully.>
Prob #3:
Whitish cottony growth all over the tank--esp. on the artificial plants. Some on the glass. We had the problem before, and couldn't get rid of it, so we started over--disinfected the tank and everything in it, and started with new water (thus the nitrogen cycle issues) Is this a normal fungus? Should I try to get rid of it? How? With our old tank, my husband tried some things like Jungle Fungus Clear, but it didn't fix the problem.
<Not fungus, since fungus usually grows only on organic materials that are decaying, like dead fish or wood. This is likely bacteria, a sign of poor water quality and a lack of cleanliness. Check water quality values (nitrite and nitrate especially) and act accordingly. Siphon out any leftover food in the tank. Clean dirty objects like rocks and plastic plants under the hot tap, but avoid using soap, try to just scrub them clean. Do 50% water changes per week. Make sure you have adequate filtration: the filter should provide not less than 4x the volume of the tank in turnover per hour (you will see a litres- or gallons- per hour quote on the filter).>
I noticed just a little of it on one of our gouramis (orange one with deep orange fins) now.
<That's fungus or Finrot. Treat immediately. There are commercial preparations that deal with both, and that's perhaps best here.>
Every time I do a water change, I let the new water sit with Water conditioner in it before adding it to the tank. I was adding Top fin Bacteria supplement, but don't always add it with water changes now, since I am assuming that the tank already has bacteria introduced into it. should I be adding a little of it with each water change?
<No. Once the tank is cycled, the bacteria look after themselves. Adding "top up" doses of bacteria is a waste of time, and indeed many of these bacteria supplements seem to have to practical value at all anyway.>
Has it caused the cottony fungus?
<No.>
Should I add aquarium salt?
<No.>
My guess is that the Top Fin water conditioner already is replenishing electrolytes--does aquarium salt add
other things?
<No.>
Would my water become too salty?
<Yes.>
We have a water softener in our house because of our hard water--does that have an effect on the fish?
<Arghhh!!!! No, don't use softened water from a domestic water softener. Use the drinking water tap, i.e., the unsoftened water. Domestic water softeners -- despite their name -- don't soften water. What they do is replace "temporary" hardness (carbonates for example) with "permanent" hardness (such as chlorides). The goal here is to switch the kind of hardness that furs up pipes and appliances with the kind of hardness that doesn't. While that's fine for washing and plumbing, it's terrible for the fishes because they get stuck with this bizarre and very unnatural set of water chemistry values. Have a read of this: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwh2oquality.htm >
Problem 4:
Our gouramis were eating fine when we first purchased them, but now the bright orange one stays down in the back corner, and isn't eating. (The other is more active and eats fine.) It seems to have a long bulge near it's back fin. It also has had whitish stringy feces from the beginning, when we first got it. (I've read several people on your site mention that as a symptom) Does it have a bacterial infection? or a Parasite? Has the fungus affected it?
<Ah, this Dwarf Gourami Disease. This fish will die. And so will the other one. As I seem to write once a week, and as is pointed out in virtually every fishkeeping magazine on a regular basis, Dwarf Gouramis produced in Southeast Asia especially are exposed to a bacterial and/or viral set of diseases that cause the same symptoms: loss of colour, loss of appetite, lethargy, open sores, death. There's no treatment. It appears to be 100% contagious in small tanks. Remove the sick fish to another aquarium and try to provide optimal conditions if you want, but frankly you may as well destroy it painlessly now and hope the other fish isn't infected. Buying Dwarf Gouramis is a TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY in my opinion and the only reason the fish farmers get away with producing these sickly fish is that inexperienced aquarists (unfortunately) keep buying them. Until that stops, those farmers won't change their ways.>
Is it the pH level that is affecting it? it didn't seem to be
affected by it before).
<No.>
I have been feeding them color-enhancing flake food, once or twice a day, and I try to not feed them more than they will eat in about 5 min.s.
<No, loss of appetite is a normal symptom. Nothing you can do.>
Thanks for your time in helping with our tank issues--
Angela
<Since you are almost certainly going to lose both gouramis, can I make a suggestion for the future? Since you have hard, alkaline water, why not choose fishes that prefer such conditions. Livebearers, gobies, glassfish, rainbowfish among others fit into this bracket. Have a read of this: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwhardness.htm . Hope this helps, Neale>

Dwarf Gourami mouth problem
Hi, I have a 10 gallon tank with a dwarf powder blue Gourami, 2 fancy guppies, a halfbeak, and a small Pleco. I do water test 2x a week and water changes weekly. My Gourami has been fine until 2 days ago when I noticed a small white growth near his mouth, kind of where the gills meet on the bottom, but a little to the left. Since it first appeared, it seems to have turned a bit reddish, but not gotten any larger. He eats fine, swims fine, acts fine in all other respects, can't think of anything I've done different of introduced into the tank that would have brought this on. Sure hoping you can help. Thanks much --Melanie
<Hello Melanie. Without a photo, impossible to be sure. But almost certainly the first stage of "Dwarf Gourami Disease". This has traditionally been blamed on a bacterial infection but recent research by vets suggests a virus may be to blame. Regardless, it is next to impossible to treat. The series of symptoms is very consistent: small blisters or reddish sores, loss of appetite, odd behaviour (hiding a lot), difficulty swimming, then death. The problem is that virtually all mass-produced dwarf gouramis are exposed to the disease because of the very low standards of hygiene used by the fish farmers in Southeast Asia. The more responsible shopkeepers here in the UK simply won't stock dwarf gouramis, or will only use locally bred ones. Less ethical retailers keep bringing them in, despite the fact that the vast majority of them die after a few weeks or months. All you can do is keep is isolate the fish to another tank or destroy it painlessly. Under no circumstances buy another dwarf Gourami unless you are 100% sure it is locally bred. Even then, it is possible the virus could remain in your aquarium and infect the new fish. The best thing to do is avoid the gouramis sensitive to this disease (dwarf gouramis plus the various hybrid/varieties like "robin" and "neon" gouramis). Instead stick with hardier, look-alike species such as Colisa labiosus and Colisa fasciata. Cheers, Neale>

Flame Gourami with 'ulcer' & other gouramis
Dear Crew, Thank you kindly for your efforts. I have a 2-year old 38 gallon tank: temp 75 F, ph 7, ammonia 0, nitrite 0. Its a community tank with several peaceful fish: gouramis, killies, Corys, Otos, rainbows & one baby whale (I'm overstocked by 2 inches). Recently my flame dwarf Gourami (1- years old) developed a white raised pimple / ulcer on his side, the area around it is reddish, there's another reddish area further down without the pimple / ulcer. I'm treating him with Maracyn II & salt (tablespoon per 5 gallons) at 80 F in a hospital tank. My honey Gourami (1-year old) now has a few missing scales on different parts of the body (this is how it began with the flame) so I moved her to the hospital tank. The blue dwarf Gourami (1-years old) has one scale missing that seems strangely similar, but I left him in the main tank. Questions: (1) How should I treat the two gouramis now in the hospital tank?; (2) Should I move the dwarf blue Gourami into the hospital tank?; (3) Should I treat the main 38 gallon tank, if so, how? And would the baby whale survive the treatment? I read baby whales often perish with some medications and I'm quite fond of this nocturnal little guy who lives under the driftwood. Thank you very much, Michelle
<Hello Michelle. Second dwarf Gourami question of the morning, and second time to bear bad news. This is almost certainly "Dwarf Gourami Disease" an apparently viral disease that cannot be treated. The end result is almost always death. The problem for aquarists is that fish farmers in Southeast Asia are mass-producing these fish in ponds where the fish are exposed to the virus. So virtually all the cheap dwarf gouramis sold today carry the virus. It's usually just a matter of weeks or months before they show symptoms. It is extremely contagious, so sick fish have to be removed at once, otherwise other dwarf gouramis in the tank (plus hybrids/varieties like Neons and Robins) will come down with the disease as well. I simply can't say this often enough, but aquarists **just shouldn't, ever, buy dwarf gouramis**. Retailers should stop stocking them. Until the fish farmers lose a market, they'll carry on breeding these unhealthy animals. Anyway, to answer your questions. (1) No treatment exists. Isolation and euthanasia are really the only sensible options. (2) Yes, but don't expect it to get better. It might, under perfect conditions (soft/acid water, live food, excellent water quality). But don't bank on it. Since it's a viral disease, medications, even antibiotics, won't help. (3) Baby whales, like all Mormyridae, are extremely intolerant of medications and should never be exposed to them *unless* you have a guarantee from the manufacturer (or a vet) that said medication is harmless to them. Most are not at all harmless! Cheers, Neale>

Sick male Gourami & egg laden females – 06/11/07
Hello Crew,
<Hello.>
I was hoping you can help me with my blue dwarf gouramis. We have a 180 litre community tank (not sure what it is in gallons sorry) and we had three male gouramis which were fighting, we removed two (took them back to the pet shop to find better homes we hope!) and got two females for the remaining male to make him happier or so we thought it would.
<Litres are fine with me!>
There are 10 tetras, 2 clown loaches, 2 catfish, and the three gouramis.
<All fine for now. Clown loaches, long term, will need a bigger tank but you have a few years to worry about that. Obviously "catfish" covers a lot of ground from 2 cm dwarf Corydoras to 3 metre Pangasiodon gigas, so whether your tank is the right size does rather depend on the species!>
We have recently had bacterial problems in the clown loaches and one catfish had red streaks which we treated with half doses of promenthysul and fungus-ade and cured them.
<Clown loaches are sensitive fish. Do be extremely careful using medications with them: they are notoriously sensitive. Ideally, don't use them at all, and instead do things like saltwater dips to treat external parasite infections, and quarantine new stock before adding them to the community.>
however, the male Gourami now has lumps with scales missing and red around his eyes. One of the lumps now looks like its growing sort of like the cotton wool type disease, so I'm assuming its a fungal disease. I was told it may be Costia by the pet store.
<It may be fungus or Costia, or even Finrot. I have no idea how your pet store can ID the disease without seeing the fish. Anyway, 99.99% certain that the infection you can see is secondary to lump/blistering that was caused by "Dwarf Gourami Disease". This disease is practically ubiquitous among dwarf gouramis shipped from Southeast Asia and perhaps elsewhere. Some reports link it to a virus. It is untreatable and HIGHLY contagious. Infected fish should be removed and destroyed at once. Assume that the aquarium is infected with the virus or bacteria involved, and do not add any more dwarf gouramis (or dwarf Gourami hybrids).>
I was treating him inside the community tank but the females look as though they are full of eggs and I'm not sure what to do as they have only been in there a couple of weeks, and the male has not built a nest presumably because he is sick.
<The male is dying, and the females sound as if they have the early stages, which resemble bloating or dropsy. Look for the other tell-tale signs: lack of appetite and lethargy, often the infected fishes hide away or behave in a manner other than normal.>
Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.
<Advice? Don't buy dwarf gouramis except from a local breeder. Period. End of discussion. I refuse to recommend them in the UK simply because of this, and consider them "junk fish" -- you buy them, and they die within a few months, so why bother? Until people stop buying them, retailers will keep bringing them in, and fish farmers won't attempt to maintain/breed higher quality stocks. If you want some nice alternatives, look at Colisa labiosus and Colisa fasciata; similar in looks but infinitely more robust.>
Thanks very much, Leigh
<Hope this helps, Neale>

Re: Sick male Gourami & egg laden females  6/12/07
Hi Neale,
<Hello Leigh,>
Thanks for your fast reply, Yep it looks like the females must have something too as they have very long poo and bloat which one of our earlier gouramis developed and died from. My dear partner Andrew euthanised him sadly which was hard to do.
<Too bad.>
Should we add Epsom salts and try to save the females?
<Won't make the least difference. Epsom salts are primarily used to fix constipation and act as a muscle relaxant. While that may be valuable if the only medical problem is poor diet, when a fish has a systemic bacterial or viral infection, as here, the Epsom salts will do little of any value.>
The catfish are peppered catfish.
<Ah, my favourites! First and only catfish I ever bred. Lovely beasts.>
I woke up this morning to find a plant on top of the water, I don't know if this is an attempt at a bubble nest?
<Unlikely if the male is actually sick. A bubblenest is usually obvious because it looks like, well, a mound of bubbles.>
Also how would you recommend to treat the tank assuming the tank is infected.
<You can't, sadly. As of 2007, there's no reliable or even halfway effective cure for Dwarf Gourami Disease. This is one of those things where the market has to change, such that people stop buying these fishes forcing the fish farmers to produce healthier stock. In the meantime, try and provide optimal water conditions and diet for you remaining gouramis and hope for the best. If you're sensible, you will remove the sick fish at once and hope that the remaining gourami(s) are uninfected. That's really all you can do.>
Thanks again
Leigh
<Cheers, Neale>

Sick Blue Dwarf Gouramis   5/18/07
I purchased a pair of blue dwarf gouramis two days ago.
<Your first mistake. I cannot recommend anyone buy dwarf gouramis. They are ridden with bacterial and/or viral diseases that eventually make them sick once as they leave the fish farm.>
One seems to be doing fine, but the other has developed a brown "area" from about the center of his body all the way back to his tail.
<It's going to die. Quarantine it if you want, try and optimise water conditions, and if you want to consult a vet. Given the disease appears to be viral (specifically, Dwarf Gourami iridovirus) in at least some cases, antibiotics can't even be relied upon.>
It seems to be getting progressively worse as the hours go by, in fact I have pulled him from the tank and put him in a separate tank. He seems to swim fine and has even been eating a little bit.  
The tank that I had him in is approx 3 months and I haven't had any problems with any of my other fish, in fact I have baby mollies and a pregnant guppy. Any help that you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
<Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Chances are the other one will die. Dwarf gouramis aren't worth buying, period. They are raised in antibiotic laden ponds where they all infect one another but don't succumb to the symptoms just yet. Once moved to the pet store, the antibiotic effect fades away, and the bacteria start to take over. The symptoms are always the same: first lethargy and loss of appetite, then discoloured patches on the body, then open sores, and finally death. Horrible, but the result of a demand for cheap rather than good quality fish. Until people stop buying them, fish farmers aren't going to switch to producing healthier stock. Tell your friends about it.>
Thank-you JMS
<Once both fish have died, which they will quite soon because the one has already infect the other, opt for species of Gourami that don't get "dwarf Gourami disease". The thick-lipped Gourami (Colisa labiosus) and the banded Gourami (Colisa fasciata)  are similar in pattern if slightly bigger, but altogether more hardy. Your tank is now infected with dwarf Gourami disease, so any new dwarf gouramis you buy will likely come down the disease even if healthy at point of sale. Cheers, Neale>

Re: Icky Ich and honey Gourami prob.s (to Jeni please!). Treating Ich & a "Fat" Fish  5/10/07
Hi Jeni, It's Anna here again. Hopefully you remember my situation, my boyfriend put 2 Firemouth cichlids in my community tank.
<How could I forget!>
Well, as it turns out, their aggressive ways are the least of my problems. I have just noticed the dreaded white spots on around 3/4 of my fish (probably due to the unquarantined cichlids!!)
<Yup, what did I say?  I hope he feels really bad...  That'll teach him.>
It is very mild at the  moment and I'm thankful that I spend at least an hour every day CLOSELY examining every fish for problems.
<That's great--and relaxing too.>
It seems I have caught it before it has become a killer.
I immediately changed 50% of the water, cranked the temp up a couple of degrees, with the intention of bringing it to a peak of 87*F over the course of the day, and then added 12 tbsps of sea salt that is free of anti-caking agents and iodine, diluted in some aquarium water and added gradually over 5 hrs. I do have Corys, and I know they do not tolerate salt well but they
seem to be doing better than any of the others. I also added some Stress Coat to relieve the poor little things a bit. I will be changing 20% of the water every day and carefully monitoring the salt levels.  Do you think I am doing the right thing?
<Bump that up to 80% every other day & be sure to clean the gravel well as you are doing it, to remove the free-swimming parasites.  Don't forget to replace the salt you remove.>
I have read many horror stories regarding meds and would like to try the natural option first.
<Me too.>
I am really hoping the combination of salt and heat will kill the nasty little critters (Ich).
<It should.  Watch for fish struggling to breathe & add an airstone if necessary.>
I have also just ordered a 9w (all I can afford) UV sterilizer http://www.fishlore.com/uv_sterilizer.htm   (by Fish R Fun) from EBay, that will be delivered within the next couple of days. I have heard great things about them being used to combat Ich. It may be too late now but hopefully it will help prevent further outbreaks. Do you have any personal experience of using them?
<Sorry, I don't.>
I can't seem to find many people who have.  All the fish seem to be tolerating the salt so far but it's early days.
Upon checking up on them a couple of hours ago, I saw one of the Firemouths with something hanging from its lips. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the tail of one of my beloved WG Neons (ARGH!!!). The other is now searching everywhere for its best mate and seems at a loss. Poor little critter, they were constantly side by side and sooo cute together.
<Awww... so sad.  I hope the boyfriend really feels bad!>
As you advised, I will be returning them to the store today (as soon as I can catch them with the net, as I'm sure you know, almost impossible!)  
<Try luring them out with food.>
Anyway, there is one last problem that's getting me quite worried. My female honey Gourami has been getting fatter for about the past month. She seems happy and has no prob.s with mobility. I am HOPING (as she's my fave fish) that this is due to her being laden with eggs and the male not having anywhere to build a bubble nest. Could that happen? Do they get fat with eggs?
<Possibly>
If not, I'm guessing she may have internal parasites or worse, the onset of dropsy. Should I wait or treat with parasite medicine?
<Parasite meds need to be fed to the fish, by soaking their food in it.  It can't hurt to treat everyone.  Generally though, internal parasites leave fish skinny.  Also, they have white, stringy poop.>
Anyway... Once again, sorry for the length! Thanks for your help last time and thanks in advance for any help with this!
<I hope they get better soon & you don't loose any more fish due to your boyfriend's "gifts".  ~PP>
Anna

Sunken eyes and sick looking Gourami  - 04/14/07
Hi, thanks for your help.
I've had fish for five months now and I love the hobby!
In my 55g tank I have:
3 black skirt tetras
3 dwarf gouramis
6 neon tetras
2 dwarf platies
2 angels (1 small, 1 medium)
1 guppy
1 Australian rainbow
1 small Pleco
Within the last week, I've lost my 2 dwarf platies, a Gourami, and now another Gourami has big problems.  My platies were dead within 15 hours of feeding frozen brine shrimp.  This was the first time I've used this and I know I overfed!
<Fish don't die from being given too much food. They die from too much food being put in the aquarium, and the food decaying and producing more ammonia than the filter can deal with. The ammonia poisons the fish.>
My Gourami was lost a few days later after a night of the power fluctuating on and off for a few hours.  Today I noticed another Gourami seems to be very lethargic (resting against leaves and lying completely motionless).  His eyes are dark and appear to be sunken a little and the ends of his fins are brownish.  
<Dwarf gouramis are incredibly prone to "mysterious" deaths that appear to be caused either by bacteria or, some recent research suggests, by viruses. Basically *all* commercially bred dwarf gouramis have a high probability of being infected. My advice is don't buy them. Opt for the similar (and apparently unaffected) species such as thick-lipped and banded gouramis, Colisa labiosus and Colisa fasciata.>
I'm beginning to wonder if my previous losses are related to my current problems with the Gourami.
<Can't think why.>
The last few weeks, my water has tested "perfect", no ammonia, ph averages between 7.0 and 7.4.  I did a 10% change 2 days ago. Had water tested today with no ammonia, ph of 7.2, a little nitrates? (can't remember if he said nitrates or nitrites, he said it's what eats ammonia).  He didn't give me a number, but suggested it's "a little" high and suggested a water change.
<Nitrates are not especially dangerous, but nitrites are very dangerous, so you do need to clarify this! You want zero nitrites, but nitrates are basically safe anywhere up to 50 mg/l if not more. Yes, zero nitrates are best, but with standard freshwater fish even the fairly high levels of nitrates in municipal water supplies aren't really a serious problem. Anyway, you shouldn't be relying on the guy in the store to test your water and provide advice. It is FAR better to have your own test kits. If you're cheap (like me) buy the dip-strip ones, and slice 'em along the middle to make two from every one strip. Some brands include pH, hardness, nitrite, and nitrate all on one strip -- very useful. You can then compare your results with what you've learned from your favourite aquarium magazines, books, or web sites.>
When I got home, I changed 20%, and now, several hours later, my Gourami seems to be on the verge of death!
<The dwarf Gourami is going to die anyway. At best, you can move it to a quarantine tank. Because the problem may be viral, even antibiotics aren't much help (antibiotics don't do anything to viruses).>
I typed in "sunken eyes" with "Gourami" and couldn't find any answer.  Does this sound a water issue, or maybe a disease or sickness of some kind?
<If it's just the gouramis getting sick, there's not much you can do beyond optimizing water conditions and quality, providing the best diet possible, and hoping for the best.>
All my other fish appear to be healthy, including my neon tetras and both angels.  
<You do realize angelfish eat Neons, don't you?>
One more thing...to try and give you a complete picture...about1.5 months ago, I used some water and all my decorations to quickly start my new 55g tank. (water tested normal in about 1 week) and I've added about 3-5 fish/week.   I am no longer  using my 29g tank.  
<OK.>
Thanks for your response.  I tried to find an answer in the forum, but it said it was temporarily unavailable.  
<Cheers, Neale>

Sick Red Honey Gourami : (   4/4/07
Hello!
<Hi there Krista>
I hope that you can answer my question.  I have looked every where for the answer.
I have a sick Red Honey Gourami.  
<Sick? How?>
He is in a hospital tank.  I have checked both pH and nitrate levels and both are normal.  
<Think about what you have written here... This is not useful information... but your opinion re the facts that you should present...>
I just started giving him/her Melafix and will do this for another 6 days.
<This material is of little use>
One thing I am not too sure about is, should I leave the tank light on or off for the fish?
<Likely not important>
Would having it off have less stress on the fish?
<Perhaps>
If you have any other tips on helping my fish that would be much appreciated!  Thank you!  Have a good day!
Krista
<... need more real data... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/GouramiDisFAQs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Damaged dwarf Gourami   1/24/07
I recently purchased a male dwarf Gourami and since he has been in my quarantine tank has done nothing but swim up and down one of the back corners.
<Likely reacting to its reflection...>
He is eating good
<Well>
but his mouth near his nostril looks like he has rubbed it until it made a sore.
<Common injury... likely occurred during shipping from the Far East...>
There also appears to be a couple of loose scales on the other side of his face near the edge of his mouth. It is reddish and a bit swollen.
<Bad>
The pH is slightly over 7.0 and the tank was filled with purified water when it was started.
<Mmm, do need some mineral content... I'd blend in a little tap...>
Does this sound like he has just injured himself or should I be leaning toward getting some antibiotic or anti fungal medicine?
<Furan compound likely here... Look on WWM re Nitrofuranace use in FW>
I only have one quarantine tank and I am getting new fish soon and have no place to put them till this little guy gets better. Please help. PS I rescued him from a college dorm room where a girl had him in a bowl with no filter or air.  
Stacey
<I do wish you and your Gourami health, long lives. Bob Fenner>

Sick Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami    1/21/07
Hello to whomever is reading this!
      I own a small (but good for a beginner like me) 10 gallon aquarium. I have had it for a week now. It is already cycled (thanks to the rock and driftwood that I purchased out of the tanks at the pet store) and seems to be doing well.
<A good technique>
My tank inhabitants include 1 veil angelfish (which I understand needs a bigger tank in about a year),
<Mmm, before this...>
3 fancy guppies,
<Whom the Angel will likely harass to worse>
2 Mickey mouse platies, 1 cherry barb, 1 bamboo shrimp, and finally, 1 neon blue dwarf Gourami. My dwarf Gourami seems to be getting aggressive and one of the Mickey mouse platies is missing a chunk of his tail.
<Mmm... much more likely due to the Angel>
When the dwarf Gourami goes after the other fish, he gets going really fast and then tips, but not totally on his side. The dwarf Gourami is in a 2 gallon tank now to make sure if he is somehow infected it does not spread to the rest of the bigger tank.
   I know that you have better things to do than read this so thanks a lot.  Is there anything else you think I should do?
                                                   Sincerely,
                                                    Mike H.  
<It may be that this little Gourami is indeed a "rogue"... I would trade it in for another at the fish store (maybe a pair... male and female... to have something for them to focus on) and continue to keep your eye on the Angel. Bob Fenner>

Re: Sick Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami 2  - 1/22/07
Hi Mr. Fenner
   Thank you very much for the quick response.  I really appreciate it. In my last email I forgot to tell you what a great site you have! I got rid of the angel and am wondering with everything I have what other fish you would recommend.   I'm looking for some schooling fish but really anything you recommend would be fine.  The  dwarf Gourami seems to be doing better.  He is still in the 2 gal. tank I'll keep my eye on him.  Thanks again!
                                                     Mike H.   
<Mmm, some of my fave small barbs (gold, checker, cherry) or small Danios (pearl, zebra...) or... Please peruse the site... for, as you know... much, much more. Bob Fenner>

Dwarf Gourami fins turning black - 02/09/2007
Hi,
<Melissa>
Love your site.  I have 2 pair of dwarf gouramis in a 37 gal tank.  Two of them (one male, one female) have fins that are turning black. They are not
torn or frayed, just "ink stained".  This is not normal, but I don't know what to treat for. Any suggestions? Thank you,
Nalo Meli
<Mmm... likely nothing amiss here... particularly if your other livestock appear fine... This is likely a behavioral change, expression... the two may well be engaged in a bit of breeding... Bob Fenner>

Sick dwarf Gourami
Hi
<Hello there>
Your site is very informative. I have a sick dwarf Gourami who has been head standing for a week.
<Yikes, not good>
  I have a 30 gallon tank with 2 gourami's, 6 tetras.
The water quality is normal.
<...?>
I've had these fish for a year with no issues.
I noticed stringy white poop so I isolate the fish in a 5 gallon tank and treated with mashed peas first. No results. Then I tried Epsom salts, no result.  I thought I may be a bacterial infection so I treated it with Maracyn for 3 days, did a 30% water change.  The fish now has normal poop, however it is still head standing.  I'm continuing to treat it with the Maracyn for 2 more days as prescribed, however, I don't know what else to do for this fish.  Any help would be appreciated.
Peggy
<Mmm, could be the actual treatment/s that have led to this behavior, but if you'll give the WWM site a read over again for Gourami Disease, you'll see reference to an all-too-common incidence of a protozoan and treatment for same. I would do this here... Bob Fenner>

Re: Sick dwarf Gourami  2/1/07
The head standing started BEFORE the treatments soooooooooooooo.   I'll try the Flagyl
<Real good. BobF>

Gouramis help????  - 03/02/07
We have a red flamed gouramis and its little belly is now swollen looks like it might pop.. we tried putting it in some water with Epsom salt witch isn't helping, we were also told to try tonic water witch almost killed it.
do you know what it could be and what can we do.....please help
<... the beginnings of sentences are capitalized... Tonic water? For the Quinine? No... Please see WWM... the Gourami Disease FAQs... BobF>

Dwarf Gourami disorder... and successful trtmt.   3/3/07
Hello BobF and crew,
<Brian>
I've seen a few reports of bloating in dwarf gouramis on the WWM Daily pages lately and wanted to report a cure of this using Metronidazole/Praziquantel medicated food and erythromycin in the water.
<Please do!>
One of two dwarf gouramis in a US 10 gal tank began showing symptoms.  The tank is well planted, pH 7.0, 4*dKH, 8*dGH, 10mg/L nitrate and no detectable ammonia or nitrite (AP liquid test kits).  Other inhabitants were four Brochis cats.
<Need more room when grown...>
The symptoms displayed (only the one male Gourami had symptoms) were:
First, he hung out at the top of the tank, gulping air, and then seemingly almost floating himself out of the tank with each gulp of air.  That lasted a day.  The next day he began laying on the bottom on his side, at about a 20 degree angle from horizontal.  This continued for a week during which I began a four week treatment with Jungle's anti-parasite food (Metronidazole/Praziquantel) consisting of three days feeding medicated food, then four days of regular food per week.  Halfway through the treatment, the dwarf Gourami did not appear to be getting any better and had developed open sores on his side.  After much frantic reading, I came to the conclusion he was experiencing "dwarf Gourami disease" a.k.a. "epizootic ulcerative syndrome", and expected to lose him very quickly.  I performed seven days of dosing 200mg erythromycin/day into the tank, and by day six he was eating and defecating again.  Completed the anti-parasite course, and he is looking very well -- no more lying on his side, very active and paying a lot of attention to the female dwarf Gourami.  Through all of this, the female never displayed a single symptom that anything was wrong.
<Interesting>
Now, six months later, he is still doing well, only the slightest discoloration on his side where the sores were that I can only see in certain light.
The Metronidazole/Praziquantel food plus erythromycin appears to be effective on this problem.  He (Lazarus) went from nearly dead to a continued healthy life.
Thank you for your efforts at WWM,
-Brian
<Thank you for this important sharing, relating... You have very likely saved MANY Colisa lalia and hobbyists! Bob Fenner>

Re: Dwarf Gourami disorder  3/3/07
Hello again BobF,
<Brian>
I never meant for the Brochis to be in the 10gal for an extended period of time.  It was a quarantine tank until the Gourami got sick and the 29 gal the Brochis were meant to go to lost nine Corydoras in a very short time, losing both new young ones and a beautiful six year old C. julii.  Fearing a Corydoradinae-specific disorder the Brochis were never moved.
<Ah, thank you for this. Understand that I (sense that I should) respond to such open statements for the sake of others reading... on the Net... all goes on for quite a while, circuitously... Just wanting to make useful remark re the genus...>
Do you think the four fully-grown Brochis cats would be suitable tankmates for an 8" Chocolate Cichlid (H. temporalis) in a well-planted 75 gal tank?
<Yes, likely so... This species of Neotropical Cichlid can be a "wild card"... some becoming quite agonistic... but the Brochis are indeed tough.... and I do think having a school of them will be useful here>
The cichlid has been alone in the tank for 15 months, but seems friendly enough.  I've had to move Corys in the past whose fins were being nipped by a territorial Blood Parrot cichlid they had lived with for years, so I want to make sure the cats will be safe with the big H. temporalis.
I really do hope some dwarf gouramis can be saved with the Metronidazole/Praziquantel + erythromycin treatment -- this fish's recovery was nothing short of miraculous.
<I assure you... your observations will be of tremendous value to others>
   I also found a very interesting reference while trying to sort this out - the American Society for Microbiology's 1974 "Evaluation of Aquarium Antibiotic Formulations" (Trust and Chipman, http://aac.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/6/4/379).  Reading through the concentrations required for effective inhibition of particular organisms helps in treatment selection.
Thanks again to all the crew!
-Brian
<Ah, yes... the industry has had this sort of "wake up" call before... the occasional challenge to prove the efficacy of such "med.s"... I do believe this (legislature) is due. BobF>