Dropsy Or Pregnancy

[00Gingerman]

Hi everyone. Im relitivley new to the forum experiance, so i might be a bit off here
 
my female dwarf gourami (sofie) has puffed up around her chest, as if she swallowed a marble. ive been looking for the signs of dropsy ( the pinecone scales) but all she seems to be doing along that is staying near the top of the tank. shes not breathing too quick (normal speed, shes not hypoventilating either) and seems to react if I interact with her. 
 
perhaps what is most off putting about this is the male (howl) is not building the bubble nest he should be, and with her this size he should really be up to that if she was pregnant.She just sits their, waiting for him if she is pregnant, but if she isnt then shes probably up there to be close to the surface, although I do not see her break the surface
 
i am a newbei that doesn't know a whole lot other then i love my fish. there hasnt been any stresses and ive been putting off my bi monthly 20% because i wasnt sure of her status. shes been up to this for about a 4 or 5 days so the tank is a bit greener then normal.
 
again, as I sit here and watch her she moved towards the front of the tank, watching me. she seems sentiant, but i am really worried
 
ill post some pictures soon, my phones acting up

 

[Ninjouzata]

to TFF!
 
What are your water parameters? pH, Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate.
Did you cycle the tank?
How long has it been set up?
Anything added recently?
Stocking?
 
I love their names btw, Howl's Moving Castle is a great movie.

 

[00Gingerman]

heres one i could get of her, but my phone is naming all of the pictures i take image so they delete themselves. its weird. ^ its attached to origonal post
 
Oh, i cant go back and post it. alright : /

 

[Ninjouzata]

I don't see any pictures. Try uploading them to a photo sharing website such as photo bucket and linking here, if you can.
Answers to my questions would be a good start into figuring out what the problem could be, if she isn't pregnant.

 

[00Gingerman]

to TFF!
 
What are your water parameters? pH, Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate.
Did you cycle the tank?
How long has it been set up?
Anything added recently?
Stocking?
 
I love their names btw, Howl's Moving Castle is a great movie.

 
thanks, all my fish are ghibli names, past and present 
 
ive kept the tank on a regular cycle, its been up for roughly a year, these guys are relativity new though, being added a little more then a month ago. i added them along with 2 pearly, 3 lamp eye tetras and 3 emerald corys. there was already a emerald corey in there before (totoro) as the soul survivor for a apocolipse ( i was much less experianced then, and the apocolypse was brought upon by a mix of ich and cottonwool disease)
 
during that time with just totoro in there i kept the cycle as normal and treated the water, untill i was sure it was clean and good. then i got these guys. carefully watched everything with the water
 
ph is 7.2 and i keep the temp at 70 
 
i think by stocking you mean fish in there now, sorry im new
 
2 pearly (soske& ponyo) and 2 dwarf ( howl and my dear sofie) 3 emerald corys (all named totoro, all varying in sizes like the movie) and 3 lampeye tetras. following 1 inch per 1 gal rule im not overstocking and this has been this first problem in there. all my fish get along well and there is no agression 
http/s1363.photobucket.com/user/00Gingerman/media/image_zps066fa7a4.jpeg.html?sort=3&o=0
 
does this work for you to see it? sorry im so new

 

[Ninjouzata]

Can you explain what you mean by keeping the tank on a regular cycle?
Have a read of THIS to understand more about cycling.
 
1" per gal is an outdated rule..but I'm sorry I forgot to ask, what size tank is this?
By pearly and dwarf do you mean gourami?
 
What are your readings for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? 70 is low..these fish are tropical.

 

[00Gingerman]

i have to go to work now. Im sorry ill be back later. i hope the picture helps in anyway it can and thank you for everyone who helps here

Can you explain what you mean by keeping the tank on a regular cycle?
Have a read of THIS to understand more about cycling.
 
1" per gal is an outdated rule..but I'm sorry I forgot to ask, what size tank is this?
By pearly and dwarf do you mean gourami?
 
What are your readings for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? 70 is low..these fish are tropical.

 
its a 30 gal. yes i mean gourami I'm sorry I didn't say it.
 
ill pick up somthing from the local pet shop on my way back to rase the ph. i thought 7 was alight for them, but then again your local pet shop isn't always the best spot for info
as for cycling i have to save that read till i get back. i ment i kept treating the water with cleaners and adding natural bacteria and such. im sorry i gotta go though : (
 
thank you for your help ill be back later 

 

[Antoniakr]

She meant 70 is too low for the temperature, i hope all goes well and that you find out what's wrong with her

 

[Ninjouzata]

Have a good day at work!
 
That's okay I just wanted to make sure they were gourami.
 
Don't pick anything up for pH, 7.2 is fine. Stable pH is much better than fluctuating.
It would be good if you could pick up a liquid test kit though so you can give us readings for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. API is a popular brand for that.
 
Yes I meant 70 as in the temperature, so sorry for that. I should've been more clear
 
When you get home if you can give us a list of the stuff you've been adding to the tank that'd be good.
 
I can't quite tell from the pic what could be the issue..likely because I'm not as experienced, especially with gourami. I only have a female so don't know what a pregnant one would look like.
Havn't had to deal with dropsy though I think it's usually brought on by bad water quality? This is why I've been asking about the ammonia and such.
 
Please don't beat yourself up about it, everyone is new to it at some point and no one is ever done learning. I feel like a total noob trying to help you but I do want to try my best to help!

 

[DreamertK]

  It looks like dropsy, but the only way to be absolutely sure is if the scales are sticking out. If it is, there's nothing you can do at this point.

 

[00Gingerman]

im sorry to post this so late
 
i got home and i bought the ph increaser but didnt apply it. shes looking alot worse, hyperventalating and she is propped vertically between the wall and my heater.Its deficiently dropsy. it almost looks like some of her scales have poped off and now there are red marks. its really killing me to see her like this. I believe that any animal, from dog to scorpion can make a loving pet and she really was a truley loving and intentive pet. And im truley happy to know her for the short time i had her. this hits harder then my previous mistake because its just her, and she was just so friendly and gentile. 
 
i want to thank everyone, especially ninjouzata for your help here. im sorry i didnt look for help sooner, but i guess sometimes you just hope the best instead of seeing the worst
 
at this state im not sure what i should do to treat the water, if i should just continue with normal treatments and water changes. i looked at the causes and unless she was getting bullied and I never saw it Im at a loss. I feed tropical flaked food, brine shrimp and bloodworms every now and then, i didnt see her with any other diseases and such. would it be because of my temp being too low, because winter is freezing where I am and it might be dropping at night or somthing. im looking for some sort of answer but im not sure at all.
 
again, thank you so much. this  is a very lovley websight and its nice to see so many caring people here

 

[Ninjouzata]

Glad you didn't apply it as there's no need. Did you pick up a liquid test kit? I still recommend doing that.
 
She does not sound good..I think she may be on her way out, and I'm really sorry about it
You may want to have a search around for euthanization methods. I'd recommend clove oil but imagine most places are closed now that you could get it at. It's up to you if you think she should be euth'd though.
 
If it's dropsy I think I've heard of using epsom salts or something. I'm not sure as havn't had to deal with that.
Like I said though it is usually a symptom caused by bad water quality which is why I'd like to see you get a test kit and see the readings.
 
Temperature being low can stress the fish out, yes. Do you have a heater in this tank? If not you should pick one up.
Also what sort of thermometer do you have?
 
You're welcome and I'm so sorry I can't be of more help to you. I've only been keeping fish since May of last year. I hope to see you around here still and we definitely care around here. 

 

[00Gingerman]

Glad you didn't apply it as there's no need. Did you pick up a liquid test kit? I still recommend doing that.
 
She does not sound good..I think she may be on her way out, and I'm really sorry about it

(
You may want to have a search around for euthanization methods. I'd recommend clove oil but imagine most places are closed now that you could get it at. It's up to you if you think she should be euth'd though.
 
If it's dropsy I think I've heard of using epsom salts or something. I'm not sure as havn't had to deal with that.
Like I said though it is usually a symptom caused by bad water quality which is why I'd like to see you get a test kit and see the readings.
 
Temperature being low can stress the fish out, yes. Do you have a heater in this tank? If not you should pick one up.
Also what sort of thermometer do you have?
 
You're welcome and I'm so sorry I can't be of more help to you. I've only been keeping fish since May of last year. I hope to see you around here still and we definitely care around here. 

I have a heater in it because Im in canada and there is a hard cold snap right now. I turned the temp up and will stop around 75 . i have a thrermomiter on the side of my tank that is a stick on one
 
tommorow i will try to pick up a liquid test kit to see, everything is closed now sadly. ive made a thread asking about euthinasia in one of the main threads to see how and what way is the most painless. thank you again

 

[Ninjouzata]

May want to add something like THIS to your shopping list. It's much more accurate than the stick on side of the tank ones.
Glad you do have a heater.
 
Saw your thread, hope someone with more experience than me can comment on it soon!

 

[00Gingerman]

May want to add something like THIS to your shopping list. It's much more accurate than the stick on side of the tank ones.
Glad you do have a heater.

 
Saw your thread, hope someone with more experience than me can comment on it soon!

thank you and I will add it to my list, hopefully I can get to a store before work, its Sunday and I know everything closes earlier. again thank you. if im able to get it I will update this with the results from the kit