gourami who might have fungus

Question
Hi Chris,
Thanks for making yourself available to questions!
We had a cyanobacteria problem which we recently treated with a 7-day round of antibiotics. Did wonders for the cyanobacteria, but now we have a honey gourami with white fuzz on his fin/side, as well as a discoloured patch on his side which is growing. He is listless and sometimes seems to be tipping to one side. Our water is "fine" according to our local aquarium shop.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!  Erika

Answer
Hi Erika;

It sounds like it could be a fungus called saprolegnia. It injects a toxin that can paralyze a fish so they often become listless. The fungus infects injuries or raw areas. If the gourami has been bullied, been in fights or there was a spike of ammonia or something, the fungus can easily get started. Here is a web page about it;

http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/detail.aspx?aid=20709&cid=3788&search=

I hope he feels better soon...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins