Ooops, Fish Trapped Under Rock For A Couple Of Days

Keithoms · Jan 11, 2009

Ok, my dwarf gouramis like hiding alot so ive come to terms with not seeing them very often. THe past few days though ive been looking at the tank from far away and see one at a time swimming around and go... ok.

I just started realising that it was the same one i was seeing every time so i just had a look around my tank for 5 mins and noticed it was missing. I looked and at the back corner of the tank i saw this thing lying completely flat under a boulder of slate. I then saw it was him :no:

I get my net up and pry up the rock to fish (lol?) out the corpse and it twitches! I pull it up more and the poor thing swims away!!

He is looking battered and alot of his fins are torn (been eaten much?)

But he is up and i just fed him. Anything i should do to help him out?

Truck · Jan 11, 2009

probably some melafix would help just to help keep disease away and repair his fins

Keithoms · Jan 11, 2009

And it wont effect a nearly fully cycled filter or other fish?

Truck · Jan 11, 2009

im unsure on that

Keithoms · Jan 11, 2009

LOL, i put some melafix in (3/4 dose) and all the fish started trying to eat it >.<

Schmill · Jan 11, 2009

Remember that for a damaged fish the Melafix treatment is a course over a series of days, (I forget what exactly but it says on the bottle), I think it will do him good

three-fingers · Jan 12, 2009

This is why I don't buy dwarf gouramis any more...

I've only once seen one that looked 100% healthy in shops, and when I bought her she lasted months very healthily before starting to waste away.

When ill, lots of fish do things like dive themselves into the gravel under rocks and such. IMO, it's probably DGIV so melafix wont help too much.

The other possible problem with the gouramis is that I've heard breeders may make over-extensive use of anti-bacterials with dwarf gouramis, meaning they have a very weak immune system and all the very common tiny little bacterial infections the rest of the fish in our tanks are perfectly fine with eventually kill the gouramis. Even in this case, as soon as you stopped dosing the melafix, the gourami would begin to get ill again.

Inchworm · Jan 12, 2009

It's never a good idea to use any medication (especially an antibacterial preparation) unless there's a known need for it. Remember that it's going to effect all the fish in the tank as well.

Melafix, while just a mild antibacterial, is strong and can burn the fish if it isn't well diluted with tank water before adding. Never put it directly into the tank and never use as much as the label recommends.

malakye · Jan 12, 2009

There is nothing to say the gourami was ill, it could have simply got itself stuck, other fish do at times.
I have had gourami's for years, My dwarves are currently breeding, have young in a different tank and never use antibiotics on them so hate when this sort of thing gets said about them.

Hope your fish does well Keithom

kribensis12 · Jan 12, 2009

All the Gourami's i ahve ever had have never done well. They will be healthy and active, then waste away. Stop eating ect. I think inbreeding and poor quality fish is the reason for it.