# Sick Pearl Gourami (white spots on fins)



## MVA (Jul 12, 2012)

pictures


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## cecile1 (Jun 7, 2012)

Possibly ick? Looks quite like it online, and from your pics, quite similar. 

I'm not quite sure on course of action- in regards to medication, but I would, and the sooner the better- either quarantine the fish and treat it as soon as you can, or if ( I think you said you had some others) you have others, treat the whole gang. 

I'm sure someone else will chime in on treatments-I've always done the waiting game with disastrous results, and haven't had to deal with the disease since. 

Maybe my diagnosis is off, so I hope this helps in any case!

Here's a link to google- and treatments- It does look like ick-
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/hdwspot.htm


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## Higher Thinking (Mar 16, 2011)

Depending on what you have in the tank, the first line of defense is typically heat and salt. Slowly raise the tank water as this speeds up the life cycle of the ich (you can only kill it when it is in a certain life stage), usually to around 82 degrees. Again this depends on your tank inhabitants as well as where you current temp sits. Then dose salt according to whatever instructions come up from google as I cannot remember. IF all else fails, you can always use medication.


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## sepehr (Oct 6, 2010)

Is that even ick? It looks more like a fin rot to me, probably some kind of bacterial infection. I'm saying this because ick usually appears as small, white spots and round in shape all over the fins and the body and from these pics it looks like if this gourami has fin rots only around the edges. I could be wrong though.


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## cecile1 (Jun 7, 2012)

Ick can appear all over the body, as well as it can start off in small areas, and then metastasize into a full blown all over the body issue. 

The fish may also have some rot, but I do see white roundish specks on the fins of the fish in the photo- I guess only MVA can be quite certain if there are white specks on her fish, but she did say they were white spots, and the pics seem to show it- maybe better pics would conferm, but it appears so. 

I hope whatever the aliment- the fishie ends up doing well!


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## CatB (Jan 29, 2012)

that looks pretty big for ich though, correct me if i'm wrong... it also looks kind-of fuzzy (but maybe that's just the quality of the photo), which makes me think it's a fungus? it also does look like there's some fin rot.

the good part is that raising temperatures and adding aquarium salt can fix all of these problems, especially with anabantoids (labyrinth fish, which gouramis are). you do NOT want to add any melafix/pimafix because it can harm labyrinth fishes' labyrinth organs and ultimately kill them. if you find it absolutely necessary to use bottled medication, try paraguard... i use it with my betta (also an anabantoid), and it cleared up his fin rot and ich superduper quickly.


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## MVA (Jul 12, 2012)

Thanks all for quick responses!
Currently my temp is around 80. Plus the white spots have been developing for about 4 days. Should I quarantine sick fish? just to observe it further. I can not raise the salinity since I have two very small SAE.

A friend recommended to give it a bath (in case its Ich). Put the fish in a warm, really salty water for 15 seconds and take it out. Parasites fall off in it.


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## chrisjen1985 (Jul 19, 2012)

My friend has always told me to dip them in RO water for about 10-15 seconds and that it will burst the cysts. I have'nt ever had an ich problem, but he said it worked for his after he slowly raised the temp from 75 to 80.


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## MVA (Jul 12, 2012)

I did isolate the fish into a sep. 10 gal tank. Raised the t. to 82 and added aquarium salt half a concentration suggested. Hope that helps.
I also raised t in my main tank...just because


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## alohamonte (Jul 25, 2006)

any update?


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

I can't tell if it's ich or not. It looks more like a fungal infection (possibly from aggression from the other pearls?). I would recommend doing 50% water changes every two days to help replenish the water.


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## MVA (Jul 12, 2012)

UPDATE:

fish was placed in the 10 gal q. tank about a week ago. Salt was added over a period of 2 days (freshwater aquarium salt). About 75% of recommended dosage. Melafix is added every day 50% of recommended dose. 40% water change every day. All readings are 0s. 

White spots got worse! They are an all fins now including feelers and you can actually see cotton-like growth on some parts (rules out ich, confirms fin rot). Girl active and friendly, eats well (I feed now small portions few times a day). Have no Idea what to do now.  do not want to loose a pretty girl cuz the boy in the main tank already made a nest and terrorizing the only girl in the tank. 

Does anyone have any suggestions for treatment?

Thanks


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## kalawai2000 (Jan 15, 2011)

I would change the treatment if its not working. I would use quick cure and salt. Use directions on label and increase salt. Stop use on Melafix..
Quick Cure is good for fungal and external parasites.


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## MVA (Jul 12, 2012)

yea a week of melafix showed no results. Just hate to waste money to save one $4 fish.  I will try Quick Cure or similar product...will post updates


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## Unikorn (Jun 14, 2012)

Wouldn't adding heat accelerate a bacteria infection and make it get worse?


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## 50089 (Dec 11, 2011)

It looks fungal; perhaps even Columnaris? It might not be if the fish is still alive -- are the fungus areas turning red and bursting? Look it up, see if it looks like what you have. It's hard to diagnose fish; some bacterial infections are gram-negative and others are gram-positive and different meds will treat the different types. I don't know that Quick Cure would do much. At this point you might need a heavier antibiotic like Triple Sulfa or Maracyn2. Depending upon what it is though if it's contagious it's likely the whole main tank should be treated.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Ouch, please stop using melafix. It doesn't have a good record for curing and it's harmful to labyrinth fish.

Change out the water and treat with antibiotics.


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## MVA (Jul 12, 2012)

No redness just white spots with grain like developments, the largest on the dorsal fin looks a bit fluffy. 

Ok stopped melafix, which antibiotic should I use? What if its fungal?


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Fungal is always a secondary infection. Treat the bacterial infection first. You can quarantine it so you wont wipe out the good bacteria in your tank with the antibiotics.

Like libaryGirl said, you might need a heavy antibiotic attacking both gram positive and negative bacteria.


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