# HELP! Mysterious ulcer killing fish! (pictures)



## Tezak (Oct 6, 2009)

For the last 6 months I've had a slow but steady plague in my 2 tanks. The smaller tank was a 10 gallon tank that I was helping my girlfriend with. She had 8 fish in there (probably overcrowded), the list is as follows:

1 SAE
2 dwarf gouramis
2 rosy barbs
3 tiger barbs

Those fish were all purchased in October-November last year and the last one died in mid-march. It started with one of the gouramis, which got an ulcer on it's side but otherwise acted fine, then died suddenly. The two rosy barbs and the SAE went next, but we only ever saw an ulcer on one of the rosy barbs.

We had time between spotting the ulcer and the fish dying to try and treat. With the gourami we tried salt/raised temp/pimafix, and then later with the rosy barb we tried salt/raised temp/furan-2. Nothing helped and the affected fish always died. Finally the second gourami died suddenly so I suspected the rocks she had in there were leeching something and I transferred the 3 (then healthy) tiger barbs to my 50 gallon tank (big mistake). The 10 gallon was later drained and is currently empty.

All three of those tigers died, but we only ever saw an ulcer on the last one to go. That was about a month and a half ago.

However, in the last week I've had two more fish die in my 50 gallon. I was out of town for a week and since I came back a week ago I haven't seen one of my rosy barbs. I assumed it must have been the automatic feeder's fault and no maintenance on the tank for 10 days, but last night my Blue Ram died as well. I hadn't seen any ulcers on him and I couldn't see anything wrong with him when I pulled him out.

Then while cleaning my tank today I noticed an ulcer on the ventral fin of one of my two Blue Gouramis. As is usual there are no behavioral difference, he has always been dominant over the smaller gourami and continues to chase it and assert himself. He doesn't seem sick. Here's the pictures of the ulcer:




























It's pinkish-red ulcer, it's semi raised and less than a centimeter in diameter. There's a second, smaller orange discolouration on his torso but I can't tell if that's also an ulcer.

Like I said in the past I've tried pimafix and furan-2 combined with salt and raising the temp, so I don't know what else to do. This seems to be an infection that persists in the tank for many months without showing itself until it forms and ulcer and kills the fish within 2-3 days.


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## bartoli (May 8, 2006)

The article "Mycobacteriosis− the Stealth Disease" may be of interest to you.

If it is indeed Mycobacteriosis, an UV sterilizer seems to be a good option.


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