My Poor Gourami!

[misscrosson]

Recently one of my dwarf gourami's has been acting strange..... and I cant really figure out why.... he just stays at the bottom of the tank in one spot... sometimes rubbing against the gravel.... he doesnt even flare anymore.... I've also noticed that his eating habits have decreased... when i feed the fish he still stays in the same spot...

Nitrates - 5
Nitrites - 0
Ammonia - 0

I change out about 50% of my water every week... next water change is suppose to be today....

My tank has been up and running for, about 10months now...

So, any ideas on what might be wrong with my poor gourami would be great... because im clueless as to what might be wrong with him... :huh:

[Genral72]

Any unusual stress lately?

[misscrosson]

Not that I know of...... havn't done anything different, I know that my brown algea is starting to come back again... but i really dont think that would do anything because it never has before...

[fishpoor]

Almost sound like he's got parasites of some kind. If nobody else gives you better advice, quarentine and treat him with maracyn & maracyn 2.

[misscrosson]

Ughh.... I've noticed something really wrong with two of my gourami's... they're both dwarf.... I moved them out of the 70gallon and into a 2.5 gallon (yes i know it's small, but atleast i can keep an eye on them)

One looks like it's having a hard time swimming, the other just looks really weak and beaten up...

in the 70gallon

0 ammonia
0 nitrites
5 nitrates

I usually do a 50% water change every week... just the other day I did a 85% water change hoping it would help...

What might be wrong? and how can i help them?

Also, the filter and air pump in the tank just sucks the one gourami up, so he gets stuck to it... is it alright to just keep it off??? :sad:

Here's a video... maybe it might help...

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d30/misscrosson/th_sick011.jpg (http://s32.photobucket.com/albums/d30/misscrosson/?action=view&current=sick011.flv)

[savo318]

if hes rubbing could he be getting white spot, mine started rubbing before you could see the spots

[webcricket]

No experience with these guys myself, but...

Is that a conure or quaker parrot screaming in the backround? It sounds just like my loud mouth quaker when he wants attention.

[jwddboy]

could be whitespot, could be a parasite (little bit less likley), could be bacteria. Could be a lot of things...

How long have you had them in the tank? Are they old? What filter have you got?

Do you have a seperate tank you can quarantine them into? with a less powerful filter? Dont pour medicine in if you dont know what it is that is causing it. Creating a medicine soup can make the fish worse rather than better.

If worst comes to worst and you are really worried (and dont mind spending a little money) you can take your fish into your LPS or a vet for a diagnosis and help so you know exactly what to do.

[misscrosson]

lol i have no clue what type of bird she is.. im actually scared of birds... :eek: ... lol but the weird thing is im the one who always takes care of her.... errr... **** siblings... lol... :OT:

[misscrosson]

Well, they were in my 70gallon, i removed them into that tank right now and took the video...

the 70gallon has been up and running for like 10months now...

I got both of these fish about 2 months ago... I had an aquaclear on the 70gallon, but on this other tank i'm not sure what type of filter it is...

I live in the middle of no where... closes vet is like 4hrs from here... and there's only one fish store close to here, and I doubt they'd be of much help since just students work there...

[jwddboy]

well all i can think of is you could try a course of meth blue and formalin. It is the old fashioned treatment for everything... well a lot of things. But really i cant think of anything else.

[misscrosson]

hmm.. what about adding salt??.... all the other fish seem fine, but im keeping a close eye on everyone...

[jwddboy]

Salt is a good antiseptic and fungicide. Also sometimes used for parasites. You could try a salt bath but... it will create more stress and may not even work.
Can you explain exactly the symptoms. Look for any odd dots, things on the/ripped up tail, missing scales, wounds, gill movement and activity, gill colouration, eye problems, general discolouration or odd coloration of the fish etc...

[misscrosson]

Well, I think both fish each have something different wrong with them... the honey gourami looks like nothing is wrong, just doesnt seem to be able to swim that well, like he cant keep his balance... and doesnt seem to care to eat...

the powder blue one doesnt seem to have any problems swimming, he even ate the flakes when fed... his colour looks different, hard to describe.. just looks pretty bad..

I havnt noticed any spots or anything tho... and I added some salt..

[jwddboy]

your honey gourami sounds like it has a swim bladder problem...

here is some info in the subject from http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/FAQ.htm:

My fish are upside-down/ can't swim
This is a common problem whereby fish lose their equilibrium and are unable to maintain their position. This can result in the fish swimming awkwardly, laying upside-down either on the bottom or top of the water, or unable to maintain a horizontal position in the water. This is often attributed to swim-bladder problems and indeed this is the most common cause of loss of equilibrium. The swim-bladder is an air-filled sac laying just under the backbone at the top of the abdominal cavity. By inflating / deflating the swim-bladder, the fish can adjust its position in the water and maintain neutral buoyancy.

The swim-bladder can be affected by bacterial or viral diseases. In addition the swim-bladder may malfunction, leading to over or under inflation. Clearly anything which affects the proper functioning of the swim-bladder will also affect the fish's equilibrium.

However, before diagnosing all equilibrium problems as swim-bladder disease, we should be aware that there are other conditions which can cause buoyancy problems. Disease in other organs such as kidneys and intestines for example can also cause problems. This can happen if there is any swelling of the affected organs leading to either a change in organ density or pressure being put on the swim-bladder. This is often a problem with fancy goldfish whose abdominal cavity is tightly packed.

Treatment is difficult, mainly because it is virtually impossible to diagnose the cause and secondly there are only a few conditions that will respond to treatment. It is always worth considering a course of antibiotic injections in case a bacterial infection is involved. An attempt should be made to see whether the fish is defecating, in case the problem is being caused by an intestinal blockage. If this is suspected it is worth either trying to feed the fish a few frozen peas, which act as a laxative, or else try baths in Epsom salts (70g / litre for 5 minutes) which has the same effect.

If these treatments do not work, there is little else that can be done. There is some work being carried out on exploratory surgery, but there are very few veterinarians undertaking this "cutting edge" procedure.

There are a few reports of fish recovering from balance problems, so it is worth giving the fish some time. One report suggested "wedging" the fish upright between two objects was helpful. If there is no sign of recovery after 7-10 days, the kindest thing is to euthanase the fish.

[misscrosson]

well... my honey gourami passed away yesterday.... RIP.... :sad: ... ughh....

I just think the problem with my blue gourami is that the other two male gourami's might have just fought him too much, though, this is just a big guess... so, I've been treating him with salt.... but, he looks soooo sad... :( ... but, he's eating good... he wasn't eating before in the bigger tank... so, we'll see what happens...