TedsTank

Since as far back s I can remember the dwarf gouramis have been considered sensitive fish....and they are a hot seller....so beautiful.

This Virus is awful...but also, they have been hard to keep for a long time and being on the sensitive side many deaths are also just unfortunate...tank conditions, age, shipping and handling, etc. I remember my dad also always tried to keep them...in the '70's and the good (for real) LFS told him they are just hard to keep. Dad swapped to pearl gouramis....success!!...what a fish!!

Be aware of the virus and its exsistance...but don't label all deaths as the virus.

Tony G.

Hopefully not.. i will let you know if my DG changes in any way, i guess he will be our guinea pig...

Lucy

It's important to note that not all gouramis are suseptable to this disease.
Thick-lipped, Moonlight, Paradise, Banded and Pearl to name a few.
Excellent point, don't jump to the conclusion that it's iridovirus. Always do research, check your water parameters rule out and correct any other issues.

The 4th link in SDS's 1st thread is a good indication of what my Rommy (my DG) looked like, only he looked worse.

sirdarksol

This is why I have my other thread on the issue. I want details of dwarf gourami deaths to try to determine if this is just a round of bad luck or if it's another bout of iridovirus. Earlier this year and late last year, we had an issue among forum members where the majority of dwarf gourami died within a week or two of purchase. While they are difficult to keep, they're not that difficult to keep.

Lucy

In the first link in your first post it names two types of iridovirus.
Lymphocystis and Trichogaster.

Trichogaster is the one that can kill with in 24-48 hours from the onset of the symptoms.
Lymphocystis which cause ugly lesions doesn't seem to have the same death rate.
Deaths associated with this type of iridovirus are usually from secondary infections or it's effected their internals. Ugh sorry, I can't find where I had read that.

Tony G.

I need to share my story

Hobo was with me for a week. I had bought him from what seemed a healthy tank. I wasnt aware of this virus before i got him. Once i got home i noticed his mouth was "black" i gave it no importance. He was pretty active most of the time. The only time i saw him not swimming much was at night and that was because he was probably swimming. Anyway, last night i fed the whole tank and he didnt go up to eat with the gupsters...
I gave it no attention, as i figured he is full ( he spent most of his time by the breeder net sucking the flake food at the bottom, so he practically ate whenever he did) So this morning i turned my room lights on as normal, and the guppies woke up. I fed the fry like i usually do, and he was at the bottom. I figured he wasnt fully awake, so i gave it no importance.
I got homw from school today, to find him dead, bloated, lacking his normal blue color, and he was against the filter's imput (where the water goes in through)

I then put the pieces together. The thing that startles me though, is that there are 2 types of iridovirus. The kind that kill the following days, and the ones that take a while to react. As i have read that the one that takes a while begins to basically destroy the fins, coloration, and there is a " rotting" like look. Hobo didnt have that.

My question is, which one would it have been? He was fine for a week, and a week later he passes, without any physical signs of the slow iridovirus type...
I am confused. I guess we have iridovirus too

Lucy

Ah, crumb, Tony. I hate to hear that Hobo is gone.
Only lab tests might confirm the presence of iridovirus, in Hobo's case and even Rommy's with all his symptoms.
Any illness or virus can be opportune. Meaning it can be present and just waiting for our fish's immune system to go into overdrive for some reason giving the illness a foothold.
Either way, it just stinks to lose a precious fish.

Tony G.

wow... i didnt know that... So you say fish can carry it and not develop it untill their immune system is weak? wow..

thank god clayton never had any contact with any of the 32g's water. Ive been really picky about that.