Poorley Gourami, How Do I Help It?

[chad07]

Hi Guys,

I took a Gurami with alot of his tale missing (How I dont know) about 5 months ago and I think hes ill.

Hes lieing in the middle of the tank on his side, cannot swim how he used to (Hardly at all), he sort of shuffles as another fish goes near him. He used to be buzzing around all over the place but ive noticed that hes been in hiding alot in the last month or so. Al of my other fish are OK, and I always look after the tank to the best of my ability!

Is there anything that I can do to help him? Or is it a lost cause?


Thanks

 

[WILDER]

Size of tank in gallons or litres.
How many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.

He's in a very bad way even a bacterial med sounds to late.
Once a fish losses half of its tail they can get weak trying to stay afloat.

 

[chad07]

Size of tank in gallons or litres.
How many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.

He's in a very bad way even a bacterial med sounds to late.
Once a fish losses half of its tail they can get weak trying to stay afloat.

Now ur testing me, about 10 gallons (Guestimate)
1 angel which in the past has nipped at him but hes always given as good as hes got, 1 Sucker Fish, 1 Mollie, 2 of them sucker fish that have tiger prints (I have forgotten the exact name)
For the last question, I really dont know as I dont have the nessasary testing kits available

Since my first post he has moved a significant distance... Is it worth trying to treat him? If so how?

Thanks for you help

 

[WILDER]

Angel fish really need larger tanks of 20 gallons.
Bacterial med, but to be honest he does sound in a bad way.
Anti internal bacteria med by interpet.

 

[ILuvMyMidasCichlid]

Angel fish really need larger tanks of 20 gallons.
Bacterial med, but to be honest he does sound in a bad way.
Anti internal bacteria med by interpet.

The other poster was right, For Angel fish you need atlest a 20 gallon. Angel fish can also be abit of a bully with other fish. At one point in time I had 2 angels and I had to move them from Community tank to a 20 gallon my themselfs, They liked picking on the others. As for your sick fish, Just because he is laying around doesnt really mean he is ill. Belive it or not Fish can be lazy. But if he has fin damage he might have fin rot. If that is that case his fins would look like there torn or missing peices. That can be treated with medication, If you have waited too long it might be a lose cause. I wouldn't give up yet tho. If you really like keeping fish you need to invest in a water testing kit. I pay about 35.00 for mine, it tests PH Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates and High Range PH. They really come in handy, If he doesnt get any better you might need to put in a tank by himself so he can heal and be treated properly.

 

[hondadal]

Without seeing the fish it`s obviously difficult to diagnose the problem it could be bacterial,swim bladder or a variety of other problems. many gourami`s get far too big for approx 60cm aquariums, which is definitely the case with angel fish (which by the way are shoaling fish). I think my recommendation would be to find a good aquatic retailer locally that could advise you on your fishkeeping in general. They should also have a better chance of diagnosing the problem if you take a video of the said fish (or photo`s) with you and take their advice. Personally i think 20 gallons inadequate, a decent angel can acheive 10 inches top to bottom and 8 inches long. Bearing this in mind and the fact they are shoaling fish, well i`ll leave you with that thought.

 

[chad07]

Without seeing the fish it`s obviously difficult to diagnose the problem it could be bacterial,swim bladder or a variety of other problems. many gourami`s get far too big for approx 60cm aquariums, which is definitely the case with angel fish (which by the way are shoaling fish). I think my recommendation would be to find a good aquatic retailer locally that could advise you on your fishkeeping in general. They should also have a better chance of diagnosing the problem if you take a video of the said fish (or photo`s) with you and take their advice. Personally i think 20 gallons inadequate, a decent angel can acheive 10 inches top to bottom and 8 inches long. Bearing this in mind and the fact they are shoaling fish, well i`ll leave you with that thought.

Sorry Guys, i was wrong it is a 20 gallon tank... Ive given the bloke at the fish shop its measurements.

He hasnt seen the fish but has said that because there arent any signs of disease (He doesnt look any different than when i first had him) then I should leave him be. Would you agree?

I just want to confirm that I had the fish from the shop because he has alot of his fin missing and I wanted to help. Hes survived about 6months and the bloke in the shop gave him 2 weeks maximum. Its all of a sudden hes become like this, all of my other fish are fine. What do you think?

 

[WILDER]

Laying to onside can be bacterial to internal parasites.
Is he thin or bloated.
What does it look like when the fish goes to the toilet.

 

[chad07]

Laying to onside can be bacterial to internal parasites.
Is he thin or bloated.
What does it look like when the fish goes to the toilet.

Thanks for the reply, no he looks the same to me in terms of size but he seems to be a darker grey if that means anything?

Hes still alive this morning but again hes lying in the middle of the tank on the floor. I really expected the worst but hes hanging on....

I have got a tester for Nitrite I think it is, shall I test for this? All other fish are OK though!

I havnt seen him to to the toilet by the way!

Thanks

Chad

 

[WILDER]

Signs of bacterial infections with no noticeable signs are being pale or darker in colour, being lethagic and listless, not eating sometimes.