gourami gill and fin problem

Mirta

Well, this is not really an emergency, since it has been going on like this for quite awhile. One of my golden gouramis (I've got two) in my 80 gal tank has developed some disease - his gills appear to be damaged and his fins sick. In fact his tail has a gap in the middle - looks like somebody cut in with scissors. He has been doing fine so far but lately he has become less active and stays in the upper part of the tank. I suppose he might be in pain. I have never seen anything like it before and cannot diagnose (well that would be impossible for me in any case). I would hate to separate him, I think he might feel lonely and the stress would finish him off.

But maybe it is an emergency and I do have to separate him. I will try to make a pic and maybe someone would kindly help me with some advice.

bettababy

For something like this a few pictures are going to help a lot. The clearer and closer up of the fish the better.
Can you also include some other information so we can better help you?

What are the water params for ammonia, nitrite, nitrrate, pH?
What other fish are in the tank? How many of each? How big?
What kinds of foods are you feeding? How much and how often?
How much decoration in the tank? A photo of the whole tank will help, also
How long has the tank been set up?

Those are going to be the most important questions to start with, but the more you can tell us about your tank and your fish the better and faster we can help.

Mirta

Oh, I will have to do some serious research to answer these questions! I will start doing my homework tomorrow. I am not sure I can get clear pictures since the tank is large and the poor guy keeps to the middle of it. But I will try to do my best. :)

bettababy

All I can ask is that you try your best, but keep in mind that the clearer the photos the better chance we have of resolving your issue.

Forgive me if I'm a bit surprised at your difficulty in answering the needed questions. These are all things that you should know about your tank, all very important pieces of information.

Not all fish are compatible, in any size tank. Water quality is the difference between life and death to a fish. It is impossible to know you are properly caring for something if you don't know for sure what it is... how then could you know what it needs? This leads directly to what you are feeding them... if you don't know the type of fish, how do you know what food to give, or how often?

What I am trying to say is that knowing these things is very important, and it shouldn't take a problem to find them out. You should also be aware of the nitrogen cycle and how it works, the filtration process, what kind of filter you are using, and everything else meant to keep your fish tank running and healthy. I hope this is a lesson to others before a problem sets in... please educate yourselves on what you are keeping. This is to your benefit as much as it is to your fish.