Is this Dwarf Gourami Disease?

[Patrick M]

Hello! I have around 15 powder blue dwarf gouramis and three three-spot gouramis. Surprisingly, I lost two powder blues this month. The first one developed what looked like a broken/bent back but continued to live for about a month. I thought it was genetics but within a week it quickly declined and passed away. I had a second gourami that began to look extremely skinny with uneven bumps (almost like protruding ribs). I did a full General Cure treatment but wasn't able to save him. I looked at different diseases and came across Dwarf Gourami Disease. Recently I have begun to notice other signs on a few of my other gouramis that match the description of this virus. I have also noticed small holes near their head and some (one in particular) have started developing red patches. I was wondering if someone could confirm this as Dwarf Gourami Disease or something else. If it is DGD, I've heard that there is no cure/treatment. Is this something that is going to run its course and I'll have to start over? If so, how could I best prevent this from being transmitted to my next fish, even if they're not gouramis? Thanks in advance! 

[Colu]

It's possible your dealing with dwarf gourami iridovirus if that's the case theirs no treatment currently available and it has a 100 % mortality it's possible something else could be going on like a bacterial infection what I would do is a course of kanaplex in food feeding a small amount twice a day for 7 days  also add jungal fungas clear fizz tabs containing nitrofurazone to treat the water column the combined treatment is very effective at treating more aggressive bacterial infections if it's iridovirus I would get rid of all your substrate plants wood disinfect the tank with a high dose of hydrogen peroxide  and leave it to dry then I would do that again and disinfect all your filters and other equipment bin any filter media and I wouldn't add any labyrinth fish to this tank again 

Edited June 5, 2022 by Colu

[Patrick M]

Okay, thanks. I bought a Universal Rocks Background and driftwood, would I have to toss those too since they don't absorb water like driftwood? Do you know how this may have happened in the first place? I've had them for about two years and other than moving, they've had a pretty stable life with no new fish added since getting them. I was previously feeding TetraColor XL Tropical Granuals and later switched to Hikari Vibra Bites.

[Colu]

Dwarf gourami iridovirus can remain dormant for over a year before your fish start to show symptoms typically you will start to lose a fish after 1-10 days from showing symptoms you will usually lose one or two fish a month once the virus' start to progress with in the group theirs a link between poor genetic diversity caused by  inbreeding and iridovirus  with your universal rocks background and wood you can disinfect them using a high dose of hydrogen peroxide  let them dry then repeat the process @Patrick M

Edited June 5, 2022 by Colu