You always want to do your best to take care of your gouramis. Gouramis are such neat fish to own, and you certainly want to keep them healthy and happy.
There are many things that can go wrong in your fish tank, though. Sometimes fish will wind up fighting or they might get sick for some reason.
If you see that your gourami fish has an open wound of some sort, then you’re probably going to be concerned. What could have happened to cause such a wound to appear on the fish?
Keep reading to learn about why a gourami fish might get an open wound. You’ll also learn what you need to do to help the fish.
Internal Infections
Sometimes gouramis might get infections. Certain internal infections might cause these fish to develop open sores.
Typically, internal bacterial infections will be caused by aeronomas and pseudomonas. It’s likely that you aren’t taking very good care of your fish tank if this type of infection happens.
When fish are being kept in poor conditions, it’s going to be far more likely for an infection like this to occur. You might have significant water parameter issues that need to be addressed.
For example, you might have the pH balance of the water in the wrong range. It’s possible that the water temperature might not be right as well.
Water parameter issues can cause fish to experience stress. Stressed fish wind up having compromised immune systems.
This makes it far more likely that they will get infected. It can be a huge problem that will make the fish very sick.
When fish develop open sores due to having internal infections, this is going to be known as ulcer disease. You’ll see red open lesions on the gourami fish.
Sometimes you might also notice symptoms such as eroding flesh. It’s common to see reddening at the base of the fins as well.
Is This Contagious?
Yes, ulcer disease is highly contagious. There’s a good chance that all of your gouramis will wind up getting the disease.
This is why it’s generally recommended to treat the entire fish tank even if not all fish are showing symptoms. Hopefully, you’ll be able to catch things early and get the fish healthy again.
Solving the water parameter issues will be an important step. For the most part, infections such as this won’t occur unless there is a significant water parameter problem.
Do your best to test the pH balance of the water. Determine if ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels are in acceptable ranges.
From there, you’ll be able to move forward with treatment. If you don’t take action, then your fish could wind up dying.
How to Treat the Fish
The first step of treatment involves fixing water parameter issues. If the water parameters appear to be fine, then it’ll be best to do a water change.
Thankfully, there are various types of medications that you can use to treat this condition. You’ll be using antibacterial medications to try to get the fish to feel better.
If you want advice about specific medications, then it’s recommended to speak to an exotic veterinarian. Those who have exotic veterinarians that treat fish in their areas will benefit from discussing this matter with them.
They can point you in the right direction by telling you which medications to use. It’s said that the most common medications used to treat this issue are Nitofura-G, Kanacyn, and Furacyn.
The fish should get better over time if you catch things in time. If the fish have been sick for a long time, then there is a chance that they won’t recover.
Some also say that aquarium salt treatment will help the fish to heal. If you choose to do this, then be sure to only use the right amount of aquarium salt since too much can easily harm the fish.
Gouramis Need Excellent Water Quality
Although gouramis are considered to be hardy, they are prone to these types of bacterial infections. It won’t be an issue if you’re taking good care of the water in the fish tank, though.
You should try your best to monitor the conditions in the tank closely. Keep the water parameters in the right range and be sure that you’re testing often enough.
Regular water changes will also be of paramount importance. You want to change out 15% of the water on a weekly basis.
If you haven’t been good about doing water changes, then that could be what is throwing everything off. You just need to try to be more proactive in the future to keep the water clean.
Also, understand that overcrowded fish tanks are harder to keep clean. Too much fish poop can throw off the parameters very easily.
Ensure that you’re not overcrowding your tank. Only feed the fish the right amount of food to avoid having unnecessary organic debris in the tank.
If you do all of this, then the water quality should stay really high. Your fish will be very unlikely to have issues with internal bacterial infections.
Physical Injuries
Of course, physical injuries could cause fish to have open wounds as well. If fish are fighting each other, then they might injure each other in the process.
A bully fish could be in the tank with your gouramis. This fish might bite the gourami fish and leave an open wound.
Gouramis might fight each other sometimes if they’re in a tank that is too crowded. Male gouramis are also known to fight each other.
Consider whether the open wound that you’re seeing could be a physical injury that occurred due to fighting. If that doesn’t seem to be the case, then it’s likely that you’re dealing with a bacterial infection as mentioned above.
Final Thoughts
It’s very likely that bacterial infections are the cause of the open wounds that you’re seeing. There’s also a chance that the open sore was caused by fighting.
You’ll likely know if your fish are fighting in the fish tank. This means that it’s more likely that your fish has some type of an infection.
Fix the infection issue by treating the fish with antibacterial medications. You’ll also need to fix any water parameter problems that might be present
Do a better job of monitoring the water conditions in the future. This should help to keep you from having to see your fish develop open wounds again.
Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his family’s fish tank. Being able to maintain a small ecosystem and observe the behaviors and interactions in the underwater world peaked his interest early on and has kept him hooked until this day. On Avid Aquarist, Jeff shares everything he’s learned about helping aquatic life survive and thrive in a home aquarium.