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Bubbles under a honey gourami's skin?


GlennI
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Hello, everyone!  I bought a pair of honey gouramis yesterday and when I got them in the tank I noticed that the male appeared to have bubbles under the translucent parts of his skin!  Is this unusual?  They don't seem to be raising or distorting the surface at all and you can't see one side's bubbles all the way through to the other side, but he's got about six or seven of them total.  Also, one of his pectoral fins seems a bit a janky and may have been damaged in transit - will that heal up on its own?

Thanks for your time!

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Hmm.... I've seen things like this before. I'm not really positive. It is probably _not_ bubbles. Perhaps cysts. Fish do grow tumors frequently.

Now, I am seeing something concerning on the left side in your photo. I've circled it. Looks like a burn or something. If you have a QT tank, might want to set him in it

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I didn't see the cysts, but in two honeys I picked up two months ago, they had reddened gills and were acting sick. One of them passed away on day 2. The second I treated with two rounds of general cure (or paracleanse, same med) and she was nursed to full health.

I'm going to say that it's likely some kind of parasite, especially if the fish is acting a little listless and isn't interested in food.

Also I'm 95% sure your 'male' fish is also a female. Female gold honey gouramis have orange rims on the fins. Males have a lemon yellow 'mohawk' and no orange on the top.

EDIT to add: Personally, I would treat both honeys for parasites to start (something with metronidazole like general cure, metroplex, or paracleanse). If one of them is showing symptoms and they both came from the same tank at the shop, it's best to treat them both.

Edited by laritheloud
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Ah, I must have reversed the info in my recollection lol - this one definitely has orange-tipped fins where the other does not. They're both acting perfectly healthy, exploring the tank and eating full meals.  They've been in there for a full day now with a chill betta and two hillstream loaches - should I just medicate the whole tank at this point?  Seems weird that something as obvious as parasites would slip through the co-op's own quarantine cycle.  😔

Edited by GlennI
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On 7/7/2021 at 1:40 AM, GlennI said:

Ah, I must have reversed the info in my recollection lol - this one definitely has orange-tipped fins where the other does not. They're both acting perfectly healthy, exploring the tank and eating full meals.  They've been in there for a full day now with a chill betta and two hillstream loaches - should I just medicate the whole tank at this point?  Seems weird that something as obvious as parasites would slip through the co-op's own quarantine cycle.  😔

Oh they were from the co-op? That is really strange. It could be a persistent parasite, but whatever you do choose to medicate, I would probably just go for the whole tank (since they've shared a tank anyway). I'm just reporting on my experience with honeys that looked similar to this, and I live on the opposite coast of the co-op.

I do agree that something is going on. She looks a bit pale and skinny.

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On 7/7/2021 at 10:34 AM, GlennI said:

I'm on it.  Thanks!

Good luck! If she's eating, that's a good sign. I don't know if you've owned honeys before but this freaked me out initially -- they do tend to rest/sleep at night, usually in the floating plants or low to the substrate. If they bottom-sit throughout the day that's the sign of a bigger problem.

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