Hi all,

Im new here so hello first of all.

I have tried to keep to the rules but i dont know all the answers sorry but here goes:

Request Help

Tank size: 60L
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

My favourite fish decided to get himself stuck in one of my ornaments. He is a gorgeous blue gourami (however you spell that) and has for that last 4 or 5 months been the tank bully, full of life and constantly showing the other fish who is boss.

On saturday he got completely wedged in an ornament. It was really difficult to get him out, in the end i had to literally grab hold of his tail and pull him free. He now has a huge graze down one side of his body and injuries on the top and bottom of his body.

Whilst he seems ok (ish) his temprement has totally changed. It seems like the other gourami who has been in the tank with him from day 1 has sensed his injuries and is now getting his own back and bullying the injured one. What i would normally expect the blue fish to do in this situation is constantly pester the other fish and show it whos boss. However, he is now hiding in the corner of the tank avoiding and confrontation.

i know this seems stupid but i am a little worried I am going to lose him.

Volume and Frequency of water changes:

I do not schedule the changes of the water, i do them as and when it appears they are needed. Usually once every 3 months and i do a 50% water change

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

All i use is tap water purifier stuff. I used to put stresszyme (or something along those lines) in there too but have stopped doing that when i ran out.

Tank inhabitants:

2 large gourami's (one of which is injured!)
2 dwarf cherry red gouramis
2 dwarf white gouramis
2 guppy's
about 7 neon tetras who have been in the tank for about a year, they are massive now as tetras go.
And a frog

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):

A bit i added saturday before the fish got himself stuck:

A live plant (recommended by the pet shop when they tested my water)
The 2 cherry gourami's, the 2 white gourami's and the frog.

Exposure to chemicals:

Digital photo (include if possible):

You will have to issolate him i'm afraid.
How deep are the cuts on him.
Also have you removed the orament from the tank he got stuck in.

You have to do a gravel vac and water change one a week when the tank has cycled.
Take a sample of your water to the lfs and tell them to write the readings down for you.

This post has been edited by Wilder: Jul 1 2008, 11:27 AM

The gourami is highly stressed - first, because of his ordeal and now because of harrassment from the other fish. As Wilder says, you really have no alternative but to isolate him, preferably in a seperate tank.

Once in isolation, I recommend treating his injuries with Melafix to aid healing and to keep bacteria out. Be sure to increase aeration. If you can move him to another tank, leave the lights off in the tank for at least a day, try not to disturb him too much, and leave him to calm down.



Or even better - get your own test kit and check the levels yourself Much easier that way, and you have the results right in front of you.

I recommend the API master tet kit.

This post has been edited by TetraLinz: Jul 1 2008, 11:37 AM

Thanks for your help guys. I will try to answer your questions as best i can:



The cuts are not that deep. The graze down the side just seems to have scraped the scales and doesnt seem deep at all. The cuts on teh top and bottom of him have removed the mane type thing (god knows what you should call that) but dont seem to have damaged his body that badly.

I have removed the ornament...never been a problem before and his partner in crime always hides in there...he must have grown a little.



I will try to isolte him tonight, will this not stress him out even more though? as i have to catch him then stick him in water that hasnt cycled yet?
I have an old tank with a slight crack in it...i will clean it out and see if i can use it to house him for a short while. Its been outside in the rain for months and it pretty damn dirty. Any suggestions on how best to clean it without leaving behind nasty chemicals?

I will also purchase some Melafix too and a testing kit.

Thanks for your help both of you. One thing i forgot to mention...since the ordeal he has developed a slight kinky in his body. If you look at the other gourami, he has a smoth body from head to tail...the blue one now has a slight kink / lump half way down his body. Have i damaged something when pulling him out by the tail?

This post has been edited by Benson112: Jul 1 2008, 12:13 PM

When you say kink to you mean bent spine.
The lump does it look hard or soft like filled with fluid.

Bent spines can be fish tb, internal parasites.
Lost any other fish to bent spines and being really thin.

How hard did you pull him out.

This post has been edited by Wilder: Jul 1 2008, 12:17 PM

I tried softly softly at first but he wasnt budging! So i had to give him a good old pull! It looks like its soft, ill try to get a pic of it later. His spine doesnt look bent but since the injury i have noticed some lob sided swimming but its only occasionally. dump food in there and he soon sorts out his swimming.

No i tend to lose fish that get really fat in the space of a few days then eventually die. Never lost any really thin fish.

For now, here he is pre injury...the orange one behind him is his mate who went in at the same time who is now picking on him...and the offending ornament!:



This post has been edited by Benson112: Jul 1 2008, 12:31 PM

If you pulled him to hard you could of damaged the swim bladder and spine.
What do you feed your fish.
Once fish get really bloated and scales stick out its organ failure the fish never seem to make it once scales stick out. it's called dropsy.

I just feed them the tropical fish flakes...nothing fancy.

I really hope i havent damaged him badly. His scales arent sticking out. He isnt bloated at all (one of my guppys is though and he is huge...at least 3 times fatter than he should be...usual outcome of this is a dead fishy but i have never tried to treat them)

Ive had plenty of tropical tanks but have never really gotten into it as much as i have with this one. I want my fish to survive and not be stressed out and ive done well up until now with minimal deaths over the last 6 months (think ive lost 2 in the last 6 months)

So back to my gourami and the "Hospital tank"....How am i going to move him into it when the water hasnt cycled yet? I dont want to stress him out anymore.

Do you have one of them breeding boxes that attach to the tank.
Fish need a varied diet of frozen foods and veg in there diet.
Frozen daphnia is very good at digesting a fish food.
Don't feed them for a few days.
Cook some frozen peas for a few minutes, let cool down and pop out of shell, mush between fingers into small peices
and add to the tank.
Get your water tested at the lfs too,.

No i dont have a breeding compartment thing just a spare tank that is not set up. Should i take out enough water from my tank for him to live in?

Wow i never knew that. And in that case i am probably feeding my fish completely wrong. I feed them twice a day on the flakes that is it. They now have the live plant to eat but it is only small. I am going to buy some more live plants tonight as the seem to like hiding in it so im going to get alot more.

i will try to peas...how often should i do this? And how often should i give them the flake food?

Peas are good for constipation.
I feed peas twice a week.
If you are going to the lfs pick a plastic breeding box up. You can get airstone fitted with them, but you would need a pump.
Also take a sample of your water to the lfs and tell then to write the readings down for you.
Pick some anti internal bacteria med by interpet just in case, always handy to have on hand.
Make sure the plastic box has a lid so the fish can't jump out, or other fish jump in.
Click on feeding.
<a href="http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/" target="_blank">http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/</a>

I woudln't feed frozen bloodworms while the fish are bloated.
If you feed bloodworms to much they can make fish bloat up.
get some brimestrimp and daphnia in frozen packs.

This post has been edited by Wilder: Jul 1 2008, 12:57 PM

what is the lfs?? lol

I will pick up a breeding tank, i have a pump so just need an air stone to put in there. What about the melafix? Am i ok to add that to my tank with all the other fish in there?

I am going to buy a testing kit so i can keep an eye on all the levels and make sure everything is ok in order to help his recovery. Is there anything else i need to buy / add to the water?

In the breeding traps sometimes they supply airstones inside but you don't always need them if there plenty of aeation in the tank.
Melafix is only good on cuts and wounds.
Liquids test kits are the best, don't buy they test strip cards as they are not very accurate.
There a master test kit by api it has ammonia, ph high and low, nitrite, nitrate.

Ok thanks very much for all your help. I am going to do my best to keep this fish alive. He's worth the money i can sit and watch him for ages! Much better than watching eastenders with the wife haha

Ill take some pics of the tank and the injured fish and post them up later.

Thanks again

p.s still dont know what lfs means? Is it local fish shop? just a guess haha

I would get anti internal bacteria med by interpet and add it to the tank if the fish has a lump.
You must increase aeration in the tank as meds reduce 02 in the water.
Remove black carbon from the filter if you use it and throw it away.

I know im becoming a bit of a pain but im relatively new to this. My filter has 2 sections which you can remove and clean that are like little plastic cages with black balls in there....im presuming this is the black carbon?
Do i only need to remove this whilst i treat the fish? Is this because it reduces the O2 aswel?

I would ask in tropical discusson about the black balls they do sounds like it carbon to me.
If you leave the black balls and they are carbon they will just remove the meds from the tank.
No black carbon dosn't lower aeration in the tank they just removed meds from the tank.

This post has been edited by Wilder: Jul 1 2008, 01:47 PM

Thanks very much ) You have helped alot i will keep you updated on my progress and will post pics up tonight