Gourami Problem

The last of my male gouramis isn't looking too good (I have already lost three to internal bacterial infections - see previous posts for details).

While he is eating and swimming about normally, I've noticed that he's losing scales in small patches on both sides of his body. He always had odd raised marks on one side which looked part of the pattern on his body, but they have got more pronounced in recent weeks and he's now losing scales in these areas.

I added three females almost two weeks ago and he is chasing them intermittently, but nothing serious. I'm not too sure that they would have caused this damage as he started losing scales before they were introduced.

The skin under the scales looks pink and isn't red or broken. I thought that this was probably the start of an internal bacterial infection so moved him to the quarantine tank and started treating him with pellets soaked in metronidazole.

He's been getting doses twice a day for the past 3 days, but I'm not seeing any improvement. As I said, he is eating very well and is normal otherwise. He's not showing any other symptoms bar the marks and scale loss.

I have a 65l tank with contains 2 honey gouramis (female), 3 powder blue dwarf gouramis (female), 1 nap cory and 5 julii corys and himself.

He has been in the tank for over four months with all these fish (bar the three females). All the other fish look healthy and are not showing any symptoms.

Water parameters have been fine and checked twice weekly. Water changes are 20% weekly. PH is 7.8 and steady.

Please see the pictures below:

"ksimpson" wrote:

. I thought that this was probably the start of an internal bacterial infection so moved him to the quarantine tank and started treating him with pellets soaked in metronidazole.

I think its an external parasite probably Costia but its hard to tell. Metronidazole is an anti biotic for Flagelletes such as Spironucleus Vortens and will have no effect on Protozoa Bacturium.

Did your ph drop or raise sufficiently lately. Acidosia or Alkalosis would show similar simptoms in severe cases.

I would catch the fish and paint his wounds with Metalene Blue and see how he reacts to that. Do not salt bath as he has open wounds.

King british has an anti slime disease on the maret now and I used it to good effect but don`t use it with the Meth Blue. Try him with the MB first.
Might be a good idea to treat the whole tank with an anti parasite.

Thanks Anthony. I'll check my PH to be sure, but I'd doubt that it moved. This guy had these odd marks on him from day one. The skin was also slightly raised. I though this was a scar from a fight or from a heater burn.

However, these are the areas that became scaleless and, since this morning, slightly inflamed with some signs of fungus.

I had Protozin and added it to the tank. I also got some Methane Blue today and will try that tomorrow (after a very large water change).

I haven't treated the whole tank yet as the other fish look fine. I suppose it could be a parasite, but given my previous experience and the fact he's a gourami, my money is on a bacterial infection.

As you said the metronidazole did nothing, in fact, it could be resposible for the fungus. He's gone downhill today. Hopefully the Protozin will help and he'll be better tomorrow.

Treating these things is so difficult. It's very hit and miss in terms of knowing what you're treating in the first place. Once you have identified it, treatments are not that easy to come by either, especially for bacterial infections.

If you start with the Protozin you would be best finishing the course. I don`t think it will do much good though. I taught that he only developed the open wounds, I did not think that he had the when you bought him.

They could have been heater burns and they got infected.

Keep us posted on his condition. A blue bath might do the trick.