# Dwarf Gourami really Sick!!!



## CayennePepper (Jul 14, 2010)

A few days ago my gourami starting acting really weird! We noticed him in his prison tank just suddenly drop, and I mean drop (he wasn't swimming) to the bottom of his tank and lay there for a little bit. He then got up and swam around a little bit and seemed fine. A couple of hours later, he did the same thing but after laying motionless at the bottom for a little bit he suddenly started twisting and turning and swimming in tight spirals every which way, including upside down but only to his left like he couldn't straighten up to his right. We panicked and put him in a breeder (so he would keep dragging his head and body against the gravel and hurt himself) in our larger tank. Yes the temp were about the same and the water quality of the larger tank I had tested the day before was withing levels.
After some research, i thought it might be a swim bladder issue so I boiled up some peas, took off the skin, mashed the inside and put it in his breeder for him to eat. He never ate it, but started swimming right side up, though still bent to the left and occasionally dashing to his left in tight spirals (before he was swimming upside down against the bottom of the breeder sometimes barely moving at all).
He was fine for a few days so we released him into the main tank since we didn't think he would show aggression toward my platys or mollies since he was still just a little weak. Figured more swimming space might help him regain some energy.
A day after we released him he started just laying on his side or completely upside down again sometimes dragging himself across the gravel. We put him back in the breeder and gave him more peas, but he wouldn't eat them and somehow managed to jump out of the breeder and back into the main tank. We tried 2 more times to contain him in the breeder unsuccessfully (we felt we needed to because he has burn marks on his head where hes been scraping against the gravel) so we've given up on containing him and he lays at the bottom of the tank now.
I thought it might be hole-in-the-head but I don't know because its mostly where he scrapes himself on the gravel and its inflamed and starting to puff a little. Its also on the side of his face where he drags himself. I'm seriously considering euthenizing him because its been almost a week of this and I can't seem to find a solution. He won't eat, he can barely get himself up for air at the surface and it looks like he's only getting worse! I really don't want to, and I'd really love a solution but I don't want him to suffer needlessly. I'm gonna wait 2 more days to see if anyone can help, if he doesn't die before then.
Please help...!


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## CayennePepper (Jul 14, 2010)

1. Size of tank?
Used to be in a 10 gal is now in a 55 gal.

2. Water parameters
a. Ammonia? 0
b. Nitrite? 0
c. Nitrate? less than 5 ppm
d. pH, KH and GH? 6.4 ph, ?, ?
e. Test kit? API Freshwater Master Test Kit (chemicals not strips)

3. Temperature? 80 F (always has been since I established the tank a months and months ago)

4. FW (fresh water) or BW (brackish)? FW with some aquarium salt (not enough to make it brackish)

5. How long the aquarium has been set up? 8 months

6. What fish do you have? How many are in your tank? How big are they? How long have you had them? in 10 gal none (the gourami was alone in there), in the 55 gal. 6 platys and 7 babyish mollies (less than 1in each). had them platys 3 months, mollies 2 months.

7. Were the fish placed under quarantine period (minus the first batch from the point wherein the tank is ready to accommodate the inhabitants)? ???

8. a. Any live plants? Fake plants? Live plants, something-wort cant remember
b. Sand, gravel, barebottom? gravel
c. Rocks, woods, fancy decors? Any hollow decors? in 10 gal cave, in 55 gal large hollow plastic driftwood decor

9. a. Filtration? 10 gal, penguin biowheel 100. 55 gal, penguin biowheel 350
b. Heater? nope, at 80 F under normal circumstances why get one

10. a. Lighting schedule? What lights are used? 12 hours on, 12 off, led lights
b. Any sunlight exposure? How long? somewhat when I leave curtains open by mistake

11. a. Water change schedule? Sundays, at 2pm
b. Volume of water changed? 20%
c. Well water, tap water, RO water? tap water
d. Water conditioner used? yup
e. Frequency of gravel/sand (if any) vacuumed? every week

12. Foods? Omega One freshwater flakes and occasionally some frozen brineshrimp
How often are they fed? every day

13. a. Any abnormal signs/symptoms? see previous post
b. Appearance of poop? haven't seen any in a while
c. Appearance of gills? normal except going faster like not enough air

14. a. Have you treated your fish ahead of diagnosis? sort of with peas, see prev post
b. What meds were used? none


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## CayennePepper (Jul 14, 2010)

Fish is dead thanks...


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