The dwarf gourami disease affects the various kinds of dwarf gourami fish, and it can be fatal for them as the disease has no cure. The dwarf gourami is one of the most popular fishes that can be seen in home aquariums. Their bright and vibrant colors make them pleasing to the eye, and they can liven up your room. Hence, contracting this disease will result in an unfortunate end for these lovely creatures when they have a total life span of approximately five years.
Here is a brief overview of the nature of the disease.
Causes of Dwarf Gourami Disease
The most typical cause is the fish being infected by an iridovirus, which results in a highly contagious infection. It causes necrosis in the spleen and kidneys of the fish. They soon become unable to take any food and will gradually waste away and die.
Lack of nutrition causes their skin to lose its vibrant color, and it may also break out in sores. The tummy might also appear swollen. The skin might also bleed in extreme cases of infection. The fish is likely to die within the next couple of weeks.
How Does the Disease Spread?
Since a virus causes dwarf gourami disease, the infection can be transmitted to the other fishes in the aquarium through the water. You should isolate the fish at the first sign of any symptoms. If the symptoms are mild, then the chances are that you might be able to save the other dwarf gourami fishes in the tank.
You should also change the water in the tank immediately and scrub it clean and disinfect it. Do not put new dwarf gourami fish in the same water because you have removed the infected fish. This is the most common mistake that fish owners make, and the new fishes end up getting infected.
Changing the water regularly is a healthy practice and keeps many other kinds of diseases and infections at bay. It would help if you also cleaned the aquarium or tank glass to get rid of fungal formations and mold that might be a source of some other kinds of infection. The combined effects of multiple germs can wipe out your entire aquarium if you have multiple species of fish residing together.
How to Avoid your Fish Contracting the Disease?
While sourcing your dwarf gourami fish, try to ensure as much as possible that they are not mass bred in a commercial tank. That is how most of the fishes are infected, and by the time you bring them home, the symptoms start to show.
It is a wonderful idea to keep your new fish isolated for some time and then introduce it to the tank if you have healthy dwarf gourami from earlier. Since the disease has no cure, it is worth making this extra effort rather than risking all your fish contracting the disease.
By being watchful about the symptoms of the fish and isolating it as quickly as possible, you may be able to prevent other fishes from getting the dwarf gourami disease.
