Sudden ich in one gourami

Hi, just noticed that one of my thick lipped gourami in my 29 gallon tank has what I think is ich (Will attack a picture). Only one fish has it so far. This fish is sitting on the bottom of the tank sometimes but comes up to feed and seems a little bit lethargic. It is a planted and cycled tank that has been st up for 2 years. Ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 10 ppm (I am using API master test kit). All the fish I have are 4 thick lipped gourami (1 male 3 female, 1 female has ich) 6 harlequin rasboras, 5 panda cories, 2 julii cories ( yes I know about the shoaling numbers with the cories). I’ve turned the temp on the heater up to 84 because I’ve heard that can help.) I live in Canada so I have very limited access to medications. I feed them mixture of flake, bug bites pellets, frozen cyclops, frozen brine shrimp, and frozen bloodworms. please ask any questions and help me solve this problem! Thank you!

i have a 2 gallon hospital tank but I don’t think that’s big enough.
Bump

 

If it is Ich you need to treat an entire tank and not seperate the fish.
Isn't it something else ? Sand ?

 

If it is Ich you need to treat an entire tank and not seperate the fish.
Isn't it something else ? Sand ?

Definitely not sand, it looks like ich but the white dots are clearer and bigger than ich I’ve seen online. I separated it because the other fish were biting at it and I didnt want them to get it if I can avoid that.
Edit: Her fins are clamped and are moving slowly. ill try to get a better pic.

 

Definitely not sand, it looks like ich but the white dots are clearer and bigger than ich I’ve seen online. I separated it because the other fish were biting at it and I didnt want them to get it if I can avoid that.
Edit: Her fins are clamped and are moving slowly. ill try to get a better pic.

You won't avoid it. If the parasite is in the tank it is in several parts of the lifecycle (mainly invisible).

Read about the lifcycle of Ich and when we have a positive ID start treating (by heat or by meds).

 

The spots seem to be too big for Ichthyophthirius.

I separated it because the other fish were biting at it and I didnt want them to get it if I can avoid that.

If it's Ichtyo you can't avoid them getting it too. It's highly contagious.
Generally, in case of parasites separation is nonesense as you will have to treat all fish anyways to make sure it doesn't survive anywhere.

 

The spots seem to be too big for Ichthyophthirius.


If it's Ichtyo you can't avoid them getting it too. It's highly contagious.
Generally, in case of parasites separation is nonesense as you will have to treat all fish anyways to make sure it doesn't survive anywhere.

That makes sense. I’ll put the fish back in the big tank then? If it’s not ich, what do you think it is? Upon further inspection the fish is bloated. So something is definitely effecting them even if it isn’t ich.
Would an ich treatment still cure what the fish has, even if it’s not ich? Also I raised the temp on the heater but since its becoming winter and it’s kind of cold the temp won’t go past 78 degrees farenheit, even with a lid. Any tips for keeping the heat in? The more that I think about it ive seen a little bit of flashing on plant leaves by some fish and the infected fish has been acting weird and slow the last few days.

 

If it’s not ich, what do you think it is? Upon further inspection the fish is bloated. So something is definitely effecting them even if it isn’t ich.

Bacterial infection, secondary infections, other parasites... the symptoms are unspecific.

Any behavioural info about the group dynamics and actual water parameters (GH/KH/pH) would be helpful.

 

Bacterial infection, secondary infections, other parasites... the symptoms are unspecific.

Any behavioural info about the group dynamics and actual water parameters (GH/KH/pH) would be helpful.

The other gouramis aren’t treating it any different than usual. The male was chasing her a tiny bit a minute ago( not aggressively), but that is normal from my experience. pH is 7.2, and I don’t have a test kit for KH/GH. The fish is slightly more bloated on the left side, and is breathing heavily. She has about 15 spots about 1 millimeter wide (that are mostly translucent) on her body. She didn’t eat or seem interested in food today. No other fish have these spots so far.
I have got my hands on Super Ick Cure by API, should I start dosing that? (Sorry MacZ I know you don’t like talking brand names lol)

 

I have got my hands on Super Ick Cure by API, should I start dosing that? (Sorry MacZ I know you don’t like talking brand names lol)

Especially NOT that stuff, even if it was Ichthyo. Have you ever looked at the ingredients of that junk? It should be prohibited to sell. So in this case using a brand name was a positive thing. If you have to treat ichthyo again, use something that only contains malachite green oxalate and formaldehyde and nothing else. (So Ich-Ex is out, too!)

She has about 15 spots about 1 millimeter wide (that are mostly translucent) on her body.

Then it's not Ichthyophthirius.

Btw, when was the last time you had that in your tank, did you treat it and have you added any fish since? Because unless it's reintroduced Ichthyo is usually completely eradicated after a successful treatment.

 

Especially NOT that stuff, even if it was Ichthyo. Have you ever looked at the ingredients of that junk? It should be prohibited to sell. So in this case using a brand name was a positive thing. If you have to treat ichthyo again, use something that only contains malachite green oxalate and formaldehyde and nothing else. (So Ich-Ex is out, too!)


Then it's not Ichthyophthirius.

Btw, when was the last time you had that in your tank, did you treat it and have you added any fish since? Because unless it's reintroduced Ichthyo is usually completely eradicated after a successful treatment.

Just to be clear this is the first time I have seen this disease in my tank, and I havent dealt with ich in the past, this is the first time.

If you have to treat ichthyo again, use something that only contains malachite green oxalate and formaldehyde and nothing else

I can’t find anything sold in Canada with these ingredients. I found Weco Non-ich with
Sodium Chloride.....................0.50%

Malachite Green......................0.50%
And that’s all the ingredients

 

Just to be clear this is the first time I have seen this disease in my tank, and I havent dealt with ich in the past, this is the first time.

Ok, and since you added the current stock there has been no sign of it for how long?

I can’t find anything sold in Canada with these ingredients. I found Weco Non-ich with
Sodium Chloride.....................0.50%

Malachite Green......................0.50%
And that’s all the ingredients

So table salt and Malachite green... better than nothing, but as said before: This is not Ichthyo so you won't need it. If you should ever need it, make sure to use the double dose, as this is half the concentration of MG that's usually found in these meds.

And for the record: In the EU we have similarly few options concerning meds. A new law is going to be instated soon that puts us pretty much in the same position.

Anyhow: Keep an eye on it, especially that bump on the side. It might be very early stage DGIV. But I'm not sure about that at the moment. It could also be simply a bacterial infection, in which case water changes and humic substances are your best bet. That said, better start changing water already.

 

Ok, and since you added the current stock there has been no sign of it for how long?


So table salt and Malachite green... better than nothing, but as said before: This is not Ichthyo so you won't need it. If you should ever need it, make sure to use the double dose, as this is half the concentration of MG that's usually found in these meds.

And for the record: In the EU we have similarly few options concerning meds. A new law is going to be instated soon that puts us pretty much in the same position.

Anyhow: Keep an eye on it, especially that bump on the side. It might be very early stage DGIV. But I'm not sure about that at the moment. It could also be simply a bacterial infection, in which case water changes and humic substances are your best bet. That said, better start changing water already.

Last fish I added was about 4 months ago, and they were two electric blue balloon rams that I regrettably impulse bought. They died soon after. Symptoms was a red spot on gills and lethargic, and I made a thread on that at the time (i don’t know how to link threads so I’ll give you the title to search if you want to: Electric blue ram red spot) I really hope it isn’t DGIV, I’ve had quite traumatic experiences with that in the past with 3 dwarf gouramis dying when I was a beginner. So you don’t think that whatever this is will kill the fish very quickly? And do you think it is contagious, whatever it is? I’ll add more catappa leaves and do frequent water changes (what do you think, is 25% every day or every second day reasonable)?

 

Last fish I added was about 4 months ago, and they were two electric blue balloon rams that I regrettably impulse bought. They died soon after. Symptoms was a red spot on gills and lethargic, and I made a thread on that at the time (i don’t know how to link threads so I’ll give you the title to search if you want to: Electric blue ram red spot)

Balloon breeds are so sickly and weak they drop dead from looking at them funny. I doubt they had anything contagious.
If there was no case of Ichthyophthirius within these four months, then it hasn't been introduced with the rams.

If the current problem is contagious it's to late for isolation anyway.

As the fish is not yet in critical stage and has unspecific symptoms that can't be connected to a definite cause what else is there but observation and optimal conditions?
I also hope it's not DGIV, really. Because if so your labyrinthfish keeping days are over.

I’ll add more catappa leaves and do frequent water changes (what do you think, is 25% every day or every second day reasonable)?

25% is ok if you go for daily, 50% if you go for every 48 hours. I'd probably do 50% in both cases.

 

Balloon breeds are so sickly and weak they drop dead from looking at them funny. I doubt they had anything contagious.
If there was no case of Ichthyophthirius within these four months, then it hasn't been introduced with the rams.

If the current problem is contagious it's to late for isolation anyway.

As the fish is not yet in critical stage and has unspecific symptoms that can't be connected to a definite cause what else is there but observation and optimal conditions?
I also hope it's not DGIV, really. Because if so your labyrinthfish keeping days are over.


25% is ok if you go for daily, 50% if you go for every 48 hours. I'd probably do 50% in both cases.

Okay, I will keep a very close eye on the fish and keep this thread updated. I’ll try to go for 50% water changes every day.

Because if so your labyrinthfish keeping days are over.

You mean because my labyrinth fish keep dying and I won’t want more or because they will all get DGIV?

 

You mean because my labyrinth fish keep dying and I won’t want more or because they will all get DGIV?

Because I haven't seen any fishroom that ever got rid of DGIV, so most people I know that dealt with it had to quit labyrinthfish.

Okay, I will keep a very close eye on the fish and keep this thread updated. I’ll try to go for 50% water changes every day.

Sounds good.

 

Because I haven't seen any fishroom that ever got rid of DGIV, so most people I know that dealt with it had to quit labyrinthfish.

Wow that’s crazy
I just noticed a corydoras and the male thick lipped flashing on the leaves. The sick one in in the corner of the tank with its nose in a plant and it’s fins not moving. A few minutes ago another female gourami was pecking at it and it wasn’t reacting. I shooed that fish away but I feel like the sick one is getting worse. No dots have spread to the other fish.

 

I woke up this morning and the fish is dead with ramshorn snails all over it I really hope this isn’t contagious and it infects the other fish. Anything I should do other than take it out right away?
Here is a picture of the dead fish. It’s clear now that it’s not ich

 

Sorry for your loss! RIP

For future reference: I would avoid raising temperature until you have a positive ID on the disease, as bacterial infection will accelerate in higher temps.

 

Sorry for your loss! RIP

For future reference: I would avoid raising temperature until you have a positive ID on the disease, as bacterial infection will accelerate in higher temps.

Oh okay that really good to know, thank you. I was only able to raise the temp from 78 to 79 so I don’t think it was a big deal, but thanks again.

 

I knew I forgot to mention something.

I would avoid raising temperature until you have a positive ID on the disease, as bacterial infection will accelerate in higher temps.