Please! Help!

[GouramiMommy]

Yesterday when i fed my Dwarf Gourami, i noticed he wasn't eating. a couple hours later i noticed that he had inflated like a balloon! He doesn't have air bladder... it looks like he is bloated. A pet store recommended a brand that treats for internal parasites but it isn't working!

 

[Jv777j]

It could be bloated or dropsy. Maybe its pregnant. Could he be a she gourami?

 

[fidjet2]

What size tank is he in?
What other fish are in there?
What are the water parameters ( ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte, ph) ?
Would you be able to get a pic of him?
How long has he been in that tank?
Was your tank cycled, if so how?
Does he look a bit like a pine cone ( as in are his scales sticking out at all?

sorry for all the questions

 

[GouramiMommy]

It could be bloated or dropsy. Maybe its pregnant. Could he be a she gourami?

He is a male. we have never had any other gouramis anyway

What size tank is he in?
What other fish are in there?
What are the water parameters ( ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte, ph) ?
Would you be able to get a pic of him?
How long has he been in that tank?
Was your tank cycled, if so how?
Does he look a bit like a pine cone ( as in are his scales sticking out at all?

sorry for all the questions

He is in a 10 gallon
There are some snails and a Pleco
Ammonia: 0 Nitrites: idk.. we had our water tested today and the nitrites and nitrates were perfect
he is hiding in a plant so no not really
My tank is cycled. we used to have a problem with our ammonia about a year ago. but the tank is fine now
He has no visable scale problems, sores, popping eyes, ect besides bloating

 

[This Old Spouse]

A 10g really is too small for him, but the problem is probably dwarf gourami disease, and unfortunately there's no treatment or cure. Sorry I don't have better news.

 

[the_lock_man]

Ammonia: 0 Nitrites: idk.. we had our water tested today and the nitrites and nitrates were perfect

I hope you don't mind if I suggest you invest in your own liquid test kit, so you do't have to rely on the (possibly untrained) LFS employee to do the test right, and interpret the results right. Aquarists best friend, the test kit!

 

[afremont]

A 10g really is too small for him, but the problem is probably dwarf gourami disease, and unfortunately there's no treatment or cure. Sorry I don't have better news.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but isn't the standard list of symptoms for DGD:
1 - Lethargy
2 - Loss of appetite
3 - Appearance of bloody patches (sores) on the skin
4 - Death

I really don't feel that DGD is necessarily to blame for this particular fish. The onset of the bloat is way too fast in my opinion for a virus to have done it. I have a bunch of these fish and they are simply sickly and prone to all kinds of problems primarily due to the inbreeding. To make matters worse, many breeders apparently feed antibiotics to them from birth.

I'm of the opinion that DGD is too often used as a catch-all to explain the illness or death of DGs regardless of symptoms or speed of progression. I'm not saying that this fish doesn't have DGD, but that I think the OP should treat it like any other fish with bloat before giving up.

The ones I have are mostly rescue fish that were croaking off at the rate of two or three per day in the store. I shamed them into selling me the fish for about sixty cents each. I brought eleven home about six weeks ago and I have eight left; they seem to be doing very well now.

 

[This Old Spouse]

That's a good point, that DGD is used as a catch-all. Guilty as charged. I had six that all died from one mysterious malady or another. I do know that they don't do well in a newly established tank, which I had at that time (before I joined this forum and learned so much). One of mine lasted 6 months before dying of unknown causes. Someday I might try to keep them again. Where are you, Afremont?

 

[afremont]

That's a good point, that DGD is used as a catch-all. Guilty as charged. I had six that all died from one mysterious malady or another. I do know that they don't do well in a newly established tank, which I had at that time (before I joined this forum and learned so much). One of mine lasted 6 months before dying of unknown causes. Someday I might try to keep them again. Where are you, Afremont?

I live in the houston area. At any box store or even the LFS I use, it seems like you can always find a dead or dying DG in the tanks. They seem to be skiddish and easily frightened so stress seems to be a big part of their life and they don't really seem to handle it all that well. While they'll be aggressive with each other, apparently they will let other fish bully them to death without putting up a fight.

I can't prove it, but I think that trematodes of some sort is their main malady these days. They seem to pick up gill parasites of some sort that turn into internal parasitic problems if the fish doesn't die first. Nobody around here seems to do fish necropsy, my LFS doesn't even have a microscope any more. I really wish I could have better examined my rescue fish that died. I couldn't find one person in the area that could do it. I'm just about to order a microscope as I write this.

 

[This Old Spouse]

My last DG developed a huge hematoma on his side before he died. I got photos but couldn't bring myself to do an "autopsy" to see if I could see anything in there. I'm actually working my way down in fish numbers and not buying anymore anything until I find a way to boost my income!

 

[shepo1981]

melafix work great for me worth a try

 

[This Old Spouse]

Just an FYI, Melafix is not a medication. Just some melaluca in water. It sometimes relieves injuries and such, but it doesn't replace medication.

 

[Crossfire]

melafix work great for me worth a try

DON'T USE MELAFIX ON GOURAMIS!

The Tea Tree Oil found in it severly damages the labyrinth organ which impairs their ability to breathe air, causing them to drown. Yes, fish can drown. Don't do it!