whats wrong with mr gourami?

[jacblades]

i have been visiting my grandma for the past couple of days.
she has a fish tank that she NEVER cleans except for changing the filter cartridge (she didnt even know about these things called partial water changes ...although surprisingly all the fish have been living there for several years )

its a 20gal with a swordtail, a pleco (who is getting a little too big for the tank) and a gourami.

well-the first thing i did when i got there was clean the tank and i noticed the gourami was a little puffy looking and lethargic. she said he has been looking/acting that way for a while.

i thought he might have dropsy but there was no sign of "pineconage"
i took him out and put him in a seperate container with polyaqua, salt and blackwater expert (its all i brought with me )
he looked so bad that i thought he would die while i was there. he didnt. he progressively perked up each day. he still looks puffy but he is acting almost normally.
any idea what could be wrong? and what i could tell her to do? (before i left, i mixed a big rubbermaid tub of treated water for her to do water changes every 2 days-it should last about 2 weeks)

 

[GuppyDude]

it sounds like u saved him jacblades, im not sure wat that could be, i know my guppys get fat like that off n on and it userally goes away with salt, a water change and melafix i dunno, maybe he eats too much

 

[jacblades]

its definately not overfeeding because he is fat everywhere-especially around his face. it sort of looks a little like dropsy but his scales arent sticking out.
he doesnt even look like a gourami anymore.
i hope he gets better though

 

[GuppyDude]

in dropsy do his scales have to nesisaryily stick? iv heard it depends on how big the scales are. ill try to do sum resurch and get back to u

 

[jacblades]

if he had had dropsy, he would have died by then i would have thought.