I need to share this story, though it is not yet a total success story.
August 9th in the morning, I went about my usual routine and went over to the 20 gallon over populated fish tank I have to feed the guys. Before I continue, I say over populated because I have three different types of gold fish and I recently found out that despite their size they each need 20 gallons to themselves... I also have two Lyre Tail Black Mollys, 1 Blue Gourami, and 1 Dwarf Gourami. This is about the Dwarf Gourami, named Silver Bullet (SB).
That morning, I noticed that SB was resting lazily at the bottom of the tank, and while he's always the last to come up for food since all the other fish tend to go into a feeding excitement much like puppy dogs do, he just waits for them to calm down before moving in on the food. But not this morning. He just stayed at the bottom. I thought he was dying so I took the fish net and tapped him gently to get a reaction. He lazily swam up and noticed the food, then proceeded to eat... I figured I might need to change out the water since it had not been done in a week and my gold fish are pigs.
But I had things to do so I left for the day, and at night he didn't seem worse off, though I noticed a tiny white spot. I planned on using some
ICH medication on Sunday.
Sunday, 8/10, Both my roommate (it is actually his fish) and I noticed the tiny spot was still there and he was still sluggish but he ate so I was not worried. I couldn't use the ich medication until I removed the carbon filtration so I planned on buying some foam to use temporarily. Again I had things to do so I had to leave for the day with my roommate and when we came back Silver Bullet was floating around dizzily, as though he was attempting to swim but couldn't and would allow himself to drift. Also, the white spot was much bigger and now there were more spots in different areas. We panicked and put him in a bowl. We put ich medication in the bowl and put some tubes in to increase airation.
He didn't look like he'd make it. We noticed the tank was warm but he was the only one affected. We cleaned the tank as best we could and did a 50 percent
water change. We went out and bout the foam filter and applied Ich Medication to the main tank to prevent the others from catching it. And my roommate suggested something I thought was crazy, he wanted to apply hydrogen peroxide to Silver Bullet directly but in a very small amount and gently with a cotton swab. I protested but agreed to research it since he insisted it is natural and not a man made chemical. We argued but I found no proof of any harm to fish though I never found anything on applying it directly, only not to allow it to get into their gills.
So we did it... we gently swabbed all the spots with it. SB let us do it, he didn't fight at all... and after a day the spots were completely gone and he was swimming. We couldn't hold him up anymore to apply any more on him since he was swimming away... but he was not eating.
He didn't eat from then on and soon after we noticed there was a new problem. His scaled were spongy and peeling. I blamed the peroxide and my roommate insisted it wasn't harmful. He might have been right since the peeling and sponging wasn't quite where we applied it... We sought out other medication and tried some anti bacterial food.
The peeling and sponging got worse and worse and soon he looked like he had fish leprosy! It even looked like his back half was going to completely fall off from his body, he had a chuck missing out of him. If was gross but he didn't appear to be in pain, if anything we thought he perhaps lost feeling all together in that area.
We ended up getting some powder... I have to check exactly what kind, but it was recommended by a petco employee. We by this point figured it was Gourami Disease and agreed to keep him in a small iso tank (about 3 gallons) until he got better and then into my 10 gallon tank permanently away from the others in case it did not spread. We had treated the 20 gallon tank for ich and the rest of the fish continue to be perfectly healthy and happy.
We stayed hopeful and I even went home for lunch and made sure Silver Bullet knew we were there as much as possible. This may sound crazy but I think he liked that we were showing support. I think he figured out we wanted him to get better. But then, that may be wishful thinking. Whatever the case may be... I still fed him and if he didn't eat I cleaned up the food.
around the 20th, I noticed poop... small amounts, but it was a good sign. His missing chunk didn't look promising but eating does. So we monitored the feeding and at first he never ate in front of us and finally he did.
Now his appetite is back and he is pooping and the gap, that missing chunk and peeling skin seems to be regenerating. Maybe that powder stuff really worked!
I became very sad when I realized many Gouramis must have been put out of their misery, but here's ours and he looks completely hopeless and still he eats and swims and started to regenerate.
This last weekend we moved and on Sunday we brought the fish over to the new apartment. Everyone was happy with their new environment. (We don't use backdrops in the tanks and place the fish where they have the best view of everything we do since they seem to follow our movements and stare at us when we are working out or cooking.) Silver Bullet however got a little scared when we had to take him out of his tank to clean it. At first we used a net and I think that may have hurt him... then we used a cup to put him back in so not to shock him, he seemed to like that better and cooperated in swimming into the cup... I'm telling you, I think these fish are smart or can read minds...
He wasn't as active after that and didn't want to eat again... this morning I noticed poop and I fed him a little. I went about my business and when I came back to clean up any excess food, I noticed he ate it... so we're back in business with the getting better.
He's been in that little tank for 3 weeks. I think he might have to be there for many more weeks if not months but I am hopeful and believe he'll be better soon.
I don't know if it was Gourami disease at all, I suspect peroxide was a stupid move but my roommate insists it wasn't. I know it started with ich, and I am thinking of getting another gourami and some other friendly guys to keep SB company once he's in the 10 gallon, but he has to be 100% for a few months before we do that, and I worry about Gourami Disease. Heck if he did have it, I wonder about the other fish...
BTW we had him for 4 months and he was perfectly fine until the ich incident.
That will teach me to not clean the tank for a week with those gold fish.
We have had some other problems we've since solved with the water and algae... since this happened, everything is good again.
So I know this was long, but I wanted to share it.
Thanks. =)
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They seem fine right now, but I'll keep an eye on them. And I do want to say that the DG that I lost I had had for nearly a year. I'm still reading the other links, so I'll add more as I come across it. Oh... Question. And if this is answered in one of the other links, disreguard, but is it spreading to other non-labrynth fish?
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