Extremely Sick Gourami

[ravekiss]

Ok last night when I got home I did a water change and I noticed that the opaline is not looking good at all. His body looks as though he swallows a square block. The middle goes out fat and then it has a sharp change to his skinny tail. He cant keep up for very long, he sinks. I've attached some pics but I dont know if you can see what I'm talking about. Please help as fast as possible, I dont want him to die. This morning he was at the bottom on the gravel tilted as if he'll fall on his side. He's getting worse.

http/photobucket.com/albums/v260/ravekis...&current=g3.jpg

please let me know if you have problems viewing.

 

[black angel]

have you seen him poo recently? maybe he is constipated. whats his usual diet and how much does he eat?
has he been attacked by something, he is missing a lot of his bottom fin?

edited to ask if it could be a female with eggs??

 

[ravekiss]

He's been eating Tetramin Flakes, sometimes Spirulina pellets, Tetramin Tablets. His bottom fin is fine, the gravel is hiding it. He stopped eating though...he wont eat peas.

 

[black angel]

to me it looks like a female as the males have longer dorsal fins. it could be egg impaction if it is a female. another thing it could be is ascites which is a form of dropsy. dont know what else to suggest, and i hope someone can help you. good luck.

have you tested your water in case theres something wrong there?

 

[ravekiss]

Please help somebody I am really desperate...he's not looking good. Its like he can hardly move. Breathing rapidly.

 

[WILDER]

Can the fish maintain it's balance in the water, as it could be swim bladder, try a shelled pea if it's still eating.

 

[ravekiss]

He's not eating and no he cant maintain his balance. How do I treat swim bladder?

 

[WILDER]

If he is not eating that not a good sign i'm afraid, it depends and how far the swim bladder has progressed, if you can issolate the fish you could try an antibiotic like tetracycline.
http/www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/swim_bladder_disease/

 

[ravekiss]

Someone told me to use PimaFix to treat for bacterial infection...anyone ever used this?

 

[WILDER]

Or you could use maracyn.

 

[ravekiss]

Maracyn or Maracyn 2? WHats the difference?

 

[WILDER]

You will need maracyn 2 as it is a gram positive and gram negative.

 

[ravekiss]

Thank you..that should be able to help him right? I'll go over to Petland after work.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi ravekiss

Wait a minute here. The first thing we need to do is settle on a diagnosis before we offer suggestions for medicine.

Now, the first thing I would suspect is some form of bacterial infection since that's a frequent problem with well stocked tanks. I would suggest that you bring a water sample to the lfs and have it tested before doing anything else.

Ask them for the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and get numbers, not their opinion about it. If you are going to Petland Discounts, they should be able to do it for you. What temperature do you keep the tank at? Are any of the other fish showing any symptoms? When was the last time you did a water change and did you vacuum the gravel?

Do you see anything white or any other color clinging to him, or are there sore spots or ulcers visible?

It's also possible that your fish is stressed from being in such a small tank, and that can lead to illness too, but let's see what your answers to the questions are before we go into that.

BTW, what part of New York are you from? I'm on Long Island.

 

[ravekiss]

Ask them for the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and get numbers, not their opinion about it.
What temperature do you keep the tank at? Are any of the other fish showing any symptoms? When was the last time you did a water change and did you vacuum the gravel?

Do you see anything white or any other color clinging to him, or are there sore spots or ulcers visible?


BTW, what part of New York are you from? I'm on Long Island.

My ammonia is 0, Nitrites 0, I dont have a test for Nitrates. The temp is 78-80. No other fish showing symptoms, vacuumed and did last water change about a week ago. No ulcers of anything on body. I'm in Ozone Park, Queens.