I have two Pearl Gouramis, one male one female, who have always been healthy until now (I've probalby had them close to a year). Suddenly they both have an S-shaped curve to their entire bodies when viewed from the top ("plan view" in engineer-speak). They are not appearing to eat, either. Any thoughts on what this might be and how to resolve it?
Gouramis with bent spine
- Thread starter msquared
- Start date
Hmm, I recall a disease causing bent spines, but I can't remember what it's called. You might want to post this in the FW Illness & Disease section to get more responses.
Oh, and you can try soaking their food in garlic juice (either a prepared bought one like Garlic Extreme or crush a clove of garlic and squish the juice out but don't feed the pieces) because garlic is an appetite inducer for fish.
Oh, and you can try soaking their food in garlic juice (either a prepared bought one like Garlic Extreme or crush a clove of garlic and squish the juice out but don't feed the pieces) because garlic is an appetite inducer for fish.
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It does sound like fish TB to me, but someone a little more experienced might have another answer for you. It typically causes bent spines and many times causes fish to stop eating. As far as I know it isn't curable, but it is extremely contagious to all fish. Don't share anything between tanks. It's also able to get people sick. Try to avoid sticking your hands in the tank as much as possible and always wash your hands right away when you do. Avoid sticking your hand in if you have any cuts.
Have you tried feeding them any live or frozen foods to see if they might eat that?
Have you tried feeding them any live or frozen foods to see if they might eat that?
Yes, TB was what I was thinking of! There's no relation between human TB and fish TB, different bacteria. Fish TB can cause a nasty skin infection in humans, though, so don't let any open wounds get wet and wash your hands thoroughly after messing with the tank.
Fish can be treated with Kanamycin, but it needs a long treatment time, like a month. UV sterilizers have been used to help control the bacteria as well (infected fish may or may not benefit once the disease manifests but healthy fish may be able to fight off the bacteria despite exposure to the tank).
Fish can be treated with Kanamycin, but it needs a long treatment time, like a month. UV sterilizers have been used to help control the bacteria as well (infected fish may or may not benefit once the disease manifests but healthy fish may be able to fight off the bacteria despite exposure to the tank).
Thanks, folks. Yeah, they aren't eating eating anything, including frozen bloodworms. Also, they do show some signs of wasting. I can't see missing scales or lesions at this time. As of just returning home from work, it appears that some of my cories are affected as well. They aren't bent, but are just listless and hyperventilating and not eating. My two big angles and seven rummynose tetras seem fine so far. I will attempt treating with antibiotics in an effort to save the fish that have no symptoms. I only have one tank so they've all be exposed now.
EDIT: I also didn't even realize we had the Illness/Disease forum. Searching over there seems to generally back you all up. So I'm going to try to treat as indicated.
EDIT: I also didn't even realize we had the Illness/Disease forum. Searching over there seems to generally back you all up. So I'm going to try to treat as indicated.
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OMG! New info: the water parameters are radically screwed up! I didn't get to test last night or before posting reply #7. I've had super-stable water in the tank for 2.5 years, so I didn't consider it a really high priority. The last time I test was probably 1 month ago and I had the typical measurements: ammonia 0.0, nitrites 0.0, nitrates 20, pH 6.8. Now all of a sudden I have:
ammonia 1.0
nitrites 0.0
nitrates 40
pH <6.0 (literally off the chart low)
I will have to let the tap water sit 24 hours before testing, because it always shows >8.8 pH before it sits. This explains why the angels the tetras aren't looking bad: they love acidic water. I don't have a clue what's going on, or exactly how to fix it. sorry for wasting everyone's time on the TB suspicions. I guess I'll see what the tap water is first, and then post the issue on the general fresh-water forum.
ammonia 1.0
nitrites 0.0
nitrates 40
pH <6.0 (literally off the chart low)
I will have to let the tap water sit 24 hours before testing, because it always shows >8.8 pH before it sits. This explains why the angels the tetras aren't looking bad: they love acidic water. I don't have a clue what's going on, or exactly how to fix it. sorry for wasting everyone's time on the TB suspicions. I guess I'll see what the tap water is first, and then post the issue on the general fresh-water forum.
Due to the bent spine, I wouldn't completely rule out TB I don't think.
If I remember right, anything under a pH of 6 is very dangerous for fish, even those who prefer acidic water. That's just too low. Do you have a kH test kit? If not, with pH fluctuations like that I'd definitely invest in one, and probably gH too (normally they come together). You might need to add something to get kH up so that your pH doesn't fluctuate like that. Definitely work on some water changes to get rid of that ammonia though.
If I remember right, anything under a pH of 6 is very dangerous for fish, even those who prefer acidic water. That's just too low. Do you have a kH test kit? If not, with pH fluctuations like that I'd definitely invest in one, and probably gH too (normally they come together). You might need to add something to get kH up so that your pH doesn't fluctuate like that. Definitely work on some water changes to get rid of that ammonia though.
I agree. I'm also treating with prophelact Kanaflex in case TB is in there. If the water is this messed up, the fish might have gotten it just from being weak. My gH has always been pretty normal at 107-125. The kH has always been low, at 36 or so. I got some pH correction stuff that works as a buffer. That should help. Rather than chasing pH levels all over the tank, this ought to gently help correct the problem. It may be something I have to add regularly, once a month or so, to keep things stable.
I do have a comprehensive test kit for all those parameters. That's how I discovered this problem tonight. When I first started out, I tested once each week just before water changes. I just backed off that after a while because things were super stable for so long. Like I said, before, I'd tested about one month ago and all remained good, so this change is sudden. I am just as concerned about the ammonia, because there's no good reason it should have built up. I am worried that I've somehow lost the bacteria colony in the tank that processes it. I also added Amquel to try to neutralize it for now.
I think this is about all I can do at this point. We'll see how things go from here.
I do have a comprehensive test kit for all those parameters. That's how I discovered this problem tonight. When I first started out, I tested once each week just before water changes. I just backed off that after a while because things were super stable for so long. Like I said, before, I'd tested about one month ago and all remained good, so this change is sudden. I am just as concerned about the ammonia, because there's no good reason it should have built up. I am worried that I've somehow lost the bacteria colony in the tank that processes it. I also added Amquel to try to neutralize it for now.
I think this is about all I can do at this point. We'll see how things go from here.