gourami needs help! (my apologies...it is very long!)

[Mari]

First some background info:

I have a 20 gal freshwater tank

I have had some bad luck with fish in the past and up until last week the tank had only housed 2 tiger barbs, 1 opaline gourami and a bristlenose pleco for a while, since I had been rather afraid to add any more fish since I have such bad luck...

The tank was fine until one of the tigers went...after being apparently healthy and the tank being healthy, he started getting bloated and not pooping then not eating then he just died.

The other tiger was fine.

a week went by and I knew the tiger would be stressed if I left him alone so I went out and bought two more tigers...and since the tank was a little empty still I bought some bloodfin tetras that my dad liked and added those.

The tigers were getting bullied by a spunkier tiger and so I added one more to help that out since I noticed some of the fins were getting bit..

Now its been about 2 weeks at most since all this has been happening, and everything seems to be going down the drain. The Gourami is the one who needs the most help.

The problem:

The Gourami has what looks like blood at the top part of his fins, both the front of his front fins and his back fin looks bloody too. He is staying mostly up top, and his dorsal fin is droopy. He looks very stressed and is spazzing...every once in a while he will just swim really fast and barely avoids hitting the tank wall. The blood really worries me. He has also lost his shimmer and just overall looks sick and stressed.

I have done two water changes since the whole ordeal, one a few days before adding the fish, and the second was done yesterday when I noticed the problem with the gourami.

Today there is also a problem with one of the tigers...he is staying near the spot where the gourami is, and swimming nose up, in one spot. The spunky TB is still as spunky, and they are all eating as of this morning, including the sick gourami...which I was surprised to see.

During yesterdays water change, I added salt in the water and some extra stress coat, and today I turned the heater on (the water stays at a good temp without it usually) Temps are about 80 in there now.

All the bloodfins (4 of them) seem as healthy as can be. They are swimming normal, eating normal, chasing each other etc.

The bristlenose is also not affected.

What is going on!??? I really just wish I could get this right for once.....

[Giddy012]

Could you post a pic?

It could be as simple as the TB are attacking everyone including each other. I tried to keep them but found they didn't do well in smaller groups 3-4. I've heard many times that they need "large" groups 6-8 and up and a big tank, or a species only tank. A pic would help.

[Mari]

well they are all still alive... I just did another water change today, added salt with this one too...I'm keeping temps up too.

I tried to take a picture but I can't get any to come out as well as I'd like them to... If I do happen to get a clear one you really can't see the blood very well on him.. I will try again, anyone have any tips on how to get good fish pictures?

It seems he looks just a little better today than when I first noticed the problem, a little less blood on him and I haven't really seen him Spaz since that day, he is just up top treading water (at least that's what it looks like). He is still not back to normal though that is for sure. I wonder if it could just be stress? But that would not explain the blood on his fins...and the fact that there is blood, but his fins are intact

Any suggestions anyone?

[eon17]

my afvice is get rid of the tiger barb that is attacking

[Mari]

you know what...that would be very logical...I hadn't really thought about that. Technically, I can return the fish and exchange him for another or so since they have like a 14 day guarantee... I could just say he is too rowdy for my tank. I'm not too sure that is the only problem though... but thanks for the idea

[Giddy012]

While searching online to find out what was wrong with one of my Guppies I came across something that sounded like your fish. It's very rare and I dout that it could be but just in case do some research on Tuberculosis. Until you check this out you should keep your hands out of the water, it the one fish disease that can be spread to people.

http://www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm

[Cichlidsrule]

It could be Tuberculosis, but it's most likely the attacking tiger barb....I was thinking fin rot, but that would most likely affect the other fish as well. Try getting rid of the TB, like Giddy17 said, and see if that helps.

[TheOldSalt]

No matter what the cause, it's obviously an infection. There are numerous remedies available for septecemia and fin-rot, so you might want to try one of those if the salt and waterchanges don't work. Some Mela-fix might even help if you don't want to use much medicine.

[Mari]

Thanks everyone. After not noticing as much improvement as I'd like to have seen, I added some anti fungal meds in there and gave it a shot. The tank is at my parents house, which I wasn't able to visit to give the second dose of meds so my dad did it for me. After going there today I noticed 2 things. The Gourami is a LOT better... he has no more blood and doesn't look nearly as stressed. And the newest smaller tiger just died... I don't know what that was about, but all the bloodfins continue to be ok, everyone is eating and something seems to have gotten worked out amongst the three tigers... though I hope its not cottonmouth what I'm seeing on one of them...cause that would just be my luck.

I hope these guys continue to improve. I did another water change as per instructed by the medicine bottle and replaced the carbon in the filter...so we will see how it all goes