emmie_bear

Hello,
I have a pair of beautiful pearl gouramis, they have been no trouble at all until recently when both seemed to get sick at once with different symptoms...
one has what looks like a raw patch on the side of his head, its about 5mml big, pink and looks a little sore. the other has what looks like a little blob of fungus on its back, however since dosing the tank with anti-fungus, it hasnt gone away but it hasnt spread either. I wondered if it might be a parasite but it hasnt moved and doesnt look like a living thing. other than these visual probs the fish are both acting and feeding normally, and seem happy enough. What is wrong with them and how can i fix it? Is there something wrong with the water? the parameters are all fine and i am careful with water changes and use a gravel vac when i do water changes (about once every two weeks, 30%). I keep the temp around 28 c to keep ICH away and use aquarium salt to keep the fish healthy.
I do have a recurring fungus problem with the mollies, but as yet it has not spread to any other fish. And recently I lost my little female siamese fighter, I don't know if this was due to stress from the demanding male or from some reaction to the fungal medication, but she just got very lethargic one day and was dead the next morning. The male is also acting a little lethargic, and looks bloated around his 'neck'. any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated

susitna-flower

First thing I would do is up your water changes. 40 on nitrate is fairly high. I try to keep my tanks under 10. Even up to 20 is probably not going to stress the fish too much, but 40 will. Your tank is very heavily stocked, which would mean you need to be changing 50% EACH week.....This will work wonders to brighten up your fish.

You should think of using a parasite medication, and if the water changes alone don't heal the ulcer on your gourami, you should quarantien it and medicate with Maracyn-Plus. Good Luck.