[Monk3y God]

Last week I lost a paradise fish to some sort of aggression and then infection that I thought could be dropsy. I euthanized him, and the other fish in my tank seem ok, except one dwarf gourami. He swims but can't use his caudal fin. It's almost like he is paralyzed in his tail. I have been hand feeding him but I an concerned that this is an internal infection and that he will spread to the other fish in my tank.

Have you ever seen a paralyzed fish? Should I separate him from the tank?

 

[thelub]

Its always a good idea to QT a fish if it appears to be ill just to keep your other tankmates from catching the same bug.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

I have seen this before but i do not know the cause. at local fish stores i see it often in guppies. its very sad.

 

[Virto]

Many imported dwarfs are infected with Iridovirus before they leave Singapore.

From AqariumWiki:

Currently most of the Trichogaster lalius are arriving in pet shops with a virus (Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus (DGIV)) in them. This causes lethargic behaviour, darken of colour, tumours and death within a year. This virus is also believed to infect other fish like Swordtails and Mollys, possibly some Cichlids. There is no treatment for this virus.

 

[Monk3y God]

I lost the dwarf as he was getting thin and laying on his side all day. I am dosing the tank with antibiotics now and everyone seems healthy so far. Could the virus stay dormant for 4 months that I have had the DG?

 

[Virto]

It takes time to do its damage - generally infected fish die within a year, and there is no treatment.

Sounds like a pretty clear case of iridovirus. Do you have any more DG from that batch, or was he your only one?