Iridovirus Infections - A Word of Warning

[VoidParadigm]

As some of you may or may not know, I have lost three of my four gouramis to iridovirus infections. Many Dwarf Gourami owners in particular have lost their fish to this type of infection, due to an outbreak at one of the mass-breeders. It has also been found that an iridovirus infection is getting more and more likelier to kill the fish it resides in, meaning it could either be wearing down the strains of the species, or our poor breeding is resulting in higher death tolls.

The two main breeds of Gourami that it appears to be affecting are the Dwarf and the Three-Spot (including all color variants.) It can also occasionally be found in Bettas, and some cichlids as I understand it, especially Angels and Rams, but not common in other fish. Yet, at least. None of the tankmates for my own Gourami died of this infection. It does not appear to be transmitable easily to other species.

One of the symptoms of this infection in an enlarged spleen, often just looking like the fish is constipated or you've been feeding it too much. This can apparently happen months in advance, as my latest deceased Dwarf Gourami was looking extremely plump 3-4 months before the infection actually got to him.

Many fish affected by the iridorivus infection will, in their last days, refuse food and lay on their sides, breathing very heavily. It has been my experience that as the fish starts to pass it will become very discolored, often even appearing black where bright reds, blues, or yellows were once - supposedly due to stress happening within the body. Near the very end, as the gills stop functioning, Gourami fish will try to bolt for the surface, to suck in air. Unfortunately, if the infection doesn't get the fish, drowning certainly will.

I do not know if this will help at all, but possible ways we could attempt to get this infection back under control and stop the numbers of deaths from soaring is to not breed Gouramis who have enlarged stomachs, to buy from reputable dealers who don't overcrowd their fish, and as always to not breed siblings. Giving them a better, more natural diet, and pristine water conditions could also help. This may not stop the infections, but it will help us keep the immune systems of our future Gouramis much stronger.

As far as I know there is not yet a cure for iridovirus infections in Gouramis, if you are aware of preventive methods or cures please share, as much of the information about it that I have is very outdated. This infection has been swept under the rug by many.

My own remaining Gourami, and my pride and joy, Kiwi has an enlarged spleen, and will likely die before she reaches her full potential age. So if you are aware of something I am not, or part of my information is wrong, feel free to share it or to correct me.

For more reading, the University of Florida has an article about Iridovius In Gouramis. While it was written over ten years ago, or so I believe, it still holds a lot of valid information pertaining to the recent outbreaks.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa035

[Northernguy]

Thanks for the link and the info!
It sure sounds like what my bolivians died of.
I also have a blue gourami that has been acting a little off lately.

[gadget228]

I have three golden gourami that are plump but act fine, after reading your thread I will start keeping a better eye on them for any signs of this disease, Thanks for the warning.

[VoidParadigm]

Welcome.

It just annoys me so much that I wasn't informed about this infection or the most recent outbreak until two months after my first two Gouramis died, and didn't know about the enlarged spleens until recently. I wouldn't have got my hopes up when people here said he was likely just constipated or had swallowed a pebble if I had known before.

In seventeen years of raising animals, Bubbles' recent death was the saddest thing I have ever seen. There is nothing that can compare to watching a fish drown. Water is supposed to be their entire life, afterall.

After his death (and as soon as the tears had cleared) I went on a rampage to find out the cause and everything else I could about Iridovirus, at which point I was able to confirm that all three Gouramis likely died of this, including Kiwi's mate who I merely thought she had damaged internally when attacking him in their first week together.

And thus, my collected and experienced info above. I figure it's better people know of the risk and keep an eye out for it like fungus or Ich, instead of find out about it far too late. The more people who know about it, the sooner some scientist dude might decide "Hey, we need a cure for this." lol =P

In any case, NG, I hope your Gourami is merely going through a phase. :)

Oh, and gadget, I hope your Gouramis are just fat. ;P

[GouramiFan87]

I believe the pearl gourami is just another form of the three spot gourami, am I correct? I totally agree with you that because fish have been reduced to mere "ornaments" in many an aquarium, they are carelessly bred and mass produced like an assembly plant. We need to make sure that we buy from reputable dealers who get their gourami from a good source. My guy I think died of this disease.

[annageckos]

Thanks for the info and I am sorry about your fish. The three spot (Trichogaster trichopterus) and pearl (Trichogaster leerii) are different species.

[VoidParadigm]

If the next Gourami dies of the same thing (any species or color variant) don't buy them from that store anymore. Just pointless, considering the high chance they'll die.

[j0hnh0lmes]

I'm sorry to hear about your loses. I hope they get this corrected ASAP! If anyone finds a good breeder let me know as I've been looking for a few new fish.

[VoidParadigm]

Until they can create the virus in a lab they can't even officially say it is an actual Gourami specific strain of disease.

So, pet Gouramis are pretty much sitting ducks for the time being, unfortunately.

[happygrits]

The UF link no longer works, but thank you for the information.
My DG is showing symptoms and it is sad to think he is dying without any help for him. My other fish are doing fine [guppies & white clouds]. This is my fourth DG to do this, no more DG for me as my fish are my living friends in my home and this seems cruel.

I found this article. May be helpful.
Thank you for your plain language.
http://www.aces.edu/dept/fisheries/education/ras/publications/Update/Iridovirus%20in%20gouramis.pdf

[Rhaethe]

Giving them a better, more natural diet, and pristine water conditions could also help. This may not stop the infections, but it will help us keep the immune systems of our future Gouramis much stronger.



As part of this, I very strongly recommend regular fresh greens as part of the diet. Be it via lettuce, real plants they like pecking on, whatever.

Also monitor their feeding very strictly. Instead of judging "how much" by how much they can eat, instead judge it visually via their tummy. As soon as it swells a little bit, remove all food immediately. Definitely have one or two fast days.

A dwarf gourami will gorge until its sick and still dance prettily for more, so keep that in mind.

From the research I've done thus far, maintaining the digestive health of your dwarf goes a long way towards ensuring the chances that the fish won't catch this.

[VoidParadigm]

Good suggestions, Rhaethe.

[tanks4thememories]

http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-health/disease-prevention/fish-viral-disease.aspx (http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-health/disease-prevention/fish-viral-disease.aspx)
Fish Viral Disease
Information on fish viral diseases such as koi herpes virus (KHV), fish pox, lymphocystis, and dwarf gourami iridovirus (DGIV).
By Neale Monks, Ph.D.

Fish viral diseases are impossible to treat directly; the best you can do is avoid buying infected fish and quarantine all new fish prior to putting them in your fish pond or aquarium.

Identification and Transmission
Although fish with viral diseases may display symptoms the aquarist can recognize, positive identification requires biomedical tests beyond the abilities of the average fish hobbyist.

Viruses can be transmitted between fish by direct contact, or by water or wet objects being moved from one fish aquarium to another. In situations where the virus is known to be extremely contagious, as with the koi herpes virus (KHV) and dwarf gourami iridovirus (DGIV), strict quarantining procedures are essential.

Triggering Factors
At least some fish viral diseases appear to be prompted by poor aquarium conditions. The most common disease in aquarium fish, Lymphocystis, is usually associated with heavy metals including copper, poisons such as insecticides, and consistently poor aquarium water quality.

There is also some evidence that inbreeding makes fish more vulnerable to fish viral infections. This may be particularly relevant where “fancy” varieties of ornamental fish are concerned.

Treatment
There are no cures for fish viral diseases in ornamental fish, though research into a KHV vaccine is ongoing.

Koi Herpes Virus (KHV)
The koi herpes virus is a highly infectious virus that only affects the common carp (Cyprinus carpio), including such ornamental fish species as koi and mirror carp. Goldfish are not affected by KHV, and they do not appear to be carriers of the virus, either.

Typical symptoms of the koi herpes virus include bloody or discolored gills; sunken eyes, pale or bloody patches on the skin and damage to the internal organs. Confirmation of a KHV infection is only possible using biomedical techniques, such as testing the fish’s blood serum for antibodies that the fish produces in response to the KHV infection. Because KHV is highly contagious, quarantining new fish and isolating any suspect fish is extremely important.

Symptoms of the koi herpes virus usually only manifest during warm weather when the water temperature is between the mid-60s and low-80s Fahrenheit. KHV has a very high mortality rate – at least 80 percent. But some aquarists have said that increasing the water temperature into the mid-80s can help, presumably because the immune system works quickly enough to develop the antibodies that fight the fish virus before too much harm is done. But even if a fish becomes asymptomatic, it remains a carrier and can infect other carp. Such fish will need to be kept in permanent isolation or with species that are not susceptible to the disease, such as goldfish.

Fish Pox
Fish pox (also known as carp pox) is a fish herpes virus that normally only affects cyprinid fishes, including koi and goldfish. It is not particularly infectious and is not life-threatening.

The symptoms of fish pox include white, gray or pink growths on the skin and fins. These growths are often likened to the color and texture of molten white candle wax. Fish pox infections appear to be chronic but cyclical; infected fish periodically display the symptoms and then recover within a few months.

There is no cure for fish pox, though raising the water temperature will speed up the progress of the infection to the point where the fish becomes asymptomatic. There is no guarantee that the infection will not flare up again sometime in the future.

Lymphocystis
Lymphocystis is the most common viral disease observed among marine fish, though advanced freshwater fish (perciform fish, such as cichlids and gouramis) may suffer from lymphocystis, as well. It is not particularly infectious, but instead seems to develop in response to poor environmental conditions. Among wild fish, heavy metals, poisons and consistently poor aquarium water quality have all been identified as possible triggering factors of lymphocystis.

Lymphocystis causes the body or fins of the fish to develop wartlike growths. These growths often have a characteristic light brown coloration and a rough, cauliflowerlike texture. The disease is not life-threatening, unless the growths obstruct a major body opening of the fish, such as the anus.

Provided aquarium conditions improve, Lymphocystis infections usually go away by themselves, though this may take several months.

Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus (DGIV)
The quality of the dwarf gouramis in the trade has steadily declined for years, with batches of fish showing significantly higher levels of mortality than 10 years ago. Historically, retailers and aquarists have blamed bacterial infections, such as fish tuberculosis (Mycobacterium marinum). In recent years, though, attention has focused on a virus known as dwarf gourami iridovirus or DGIV.

Dwarf gourami iridovirus is apparently specific to the dwarf gourami (Colisa lalia), including the various fancy varieties of the species, such as neon gouramis and sunset gouramis. Infected fish develop a variety of symptoms, including loss of color, decrease in activity and appetite, the appearance of sores and lesions on the body, abdominal swelling and finally death. This fish disease is highly contagious, completely untreatable and invariably fatal.

Dwarf gourami iridovirus is apparently very common. One recent study of fish exported from Singapore found that 22 percent of all dwarf gouramis carried the virus. Aquarists should never purchase dwarf gouramis from fish tanks containing fish exhibiting symptoms consistent with the dwarf gourami iridovirus, and all new fish should be quarantined for at least six weeks prior to being placed in the main fish aquarium.

For most aquarists, my best advice is to keep the hardier alternatives to dwarf gouramis. The thick-lipped gourami (Colisa labiosa) and the banded gourami (Colisa fasciatus) are both similar in size, temperament and coloration and make excellent alternatives.

[VoidParadigm]

Hm. From what I've read and experienced I don't believe it should be called DGIV, due to it being apparent is some other types of Gourami. But oh well. Regardless of where I've researched, that is still great information about viral diseases in numerous fish. I suggest (if you haven't already) to put that up as a link in one of the more general fish thread sections.

Thanks for sharing!

[tanks4thememories]

Hm. From what I've read and experienced I don't believe it should be called DGIV, due to it being apparent is some other types of Gourami. But oh well. Regardless of where I've researched, that is still great information about viral diseases in numerous fish. I suggest (if you haven't already) to put that up as a link in one of the more general fish thread sections.

Thanks for sharing!


Thanx, I'm researching it as we speak. I'll try to come up with something for the disease section in the next few days. Void I could use some input from you if you want to work together on this?

[VoidParadigm]

Heh, you want input, suggestions, or comments, you know where the PM button is. =P

[tanks4thememories]

Heh, you want input, suggestions, or comments, you know where the PM button is. =P

Awesome!!:19:

[mcpaula]

My daughters DG had all the symptoms of Iridovirus. It started with the enlarged spleen and he was falsely accused of eating other fish. We Realized it was an overly large comet when he was caught with the last guppy in still his lips. Stranglely though the comet which we'd had for 2 years suddenly took ill and died. We had noticed a sore forming on the head of the DG for a week and thought he had scraped himself on a rock/cave structure. After the comet died I took a closer look. The wound appeared worse and now the DG was gulping for air at the surface floating to the bottom,laying on its side as if dead, then struggling back to the surface to grab another gulp of air before floating to the bottom again. He had not wanted to eat for two days. The two killifish and a clam were unaffected. It was an emergency. I did a 75% water change, we have well water, so there is NO chlorine, I put in some stress coat, and I started the tank on a 5 day regime of "HALO" which covers many different aquatic diseases. It was touch and go the rest of the night. He had quit gulping for air within a few hours, and chose a spot to hover in the back of the tank to rest for the next day. He showed interest in a few bites of flake by dinnertime,but still did not regain his normal appetite until the next day. The raw,red,hole like wound has slowly been healing, and now on day 5 appears to be almost healed.I won't buy anymore DG as my daughter gets emotionally attached. I'm really glad that I as able to save him for her. I "doctor"all the animals on our little farm, why not her fish too?:chicken: