ethan44 Posted August 15, 2007 Report Share Posted August 15, 2007 Ok so recently one of my Dwarf Gouramis has in the space of about a week gotten to look like it's quite fat. It now spends most of its time hidden in the corner of my tank over hiding low in the plants. The other Dwarf seems fine and still swims everywhere around the tank. So I was wondering is this normal for a Dwarf? Could it be full of eggs or similar? Or is it sick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanuts Posted August 15, 2007 Report Share Posted August 15, 2007 do you have a picture? what colour is the gourami - if it silver/grey then it is probably a female and could be full of eggs - however if it is coloured it is probably a male and if its tummy area is large then it could be sick. can you describe exactly what it looks like - colour of fish, what part is "large", are the scales sticking up, any redness on any part of the body. how is it swimming, whereabouts in the tank. this information could help if you are unable to supply a picture. cheers Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethan44 Posted August 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Yea sorry I don't have a digital camera. It is light blue coloured. It's basicly it's hole stomach area that looks larger. It doesn't have any scales sticking out. No redness that I can see. It's swimming has changed quite a bit. It now pretty much stays in one place low to the ground. It is also really slow at coming out for food, which is really strange as usually both race out to get it. edit: ok I managed to borrow my sisters' camera, sorry about the not so great photos. Hopefully this could help with a possible diagnostic! Thanks too anyone that can help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanuts Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 I am not an expert in fish diseases - but I can say that that behaviour and size is not normal for a dwarf gourami. I can advise that you have a MALE gourami. and from reading on the web I suspect that he may have constipation. Constipation Some fish are more susceptible to constipation than others. Usually fish with more compressed bodies like angelfish and silver dollars. Symptoms are loss of appetite and swelling of the body. The cause is almost always diet. Usually, with a change of diet, the condition rights itself. that info was taken from http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/i ... nstipation from previous posts about constipation on this forum, people advise giving fresh veges, ie shelled cooked peas - but whether this will work with gourami I don't know. do you have any frozen blood worm or live food that you could try him on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethan44 Posted August 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Ok peanuts thanks heaps! I'll get some frozen food for him tomorrow then =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Dwarfs are very prone to dropsy, I suspect that is what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 I hate to say, but that's what our boy looked like before he karked it... He got fatter and looked like a pinecone in the end. The scales look rough in the first picture, not smooth and sleek as they should be, to my eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanuts Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 I orignally thought dropsy too, but when I have had gourami's with dropsy they have eaten and the scales started sticking out rather quickly - it may turn out to be that in the end - but at this point we are being told that the scales are not sticking out so there is some hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethan44 Posted August 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 How can I tell if it is dropsy? And uhhh, what is dropsy? Any reason why it has only affected just the one fish? Any chance of it spread? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanuts Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 in the time that I had dropsy it only affected one fish and didn't pass to other fish. I have heard that it will only pass to fish if the fish "explodes", ie the belly opens up allowing the inside to move through the tank - I am unsure if this is true or not, as once I had determined the fish had dropsy I removed from the tank. Dropsy Symptoms: Bloating of the body, protruding scales. Dropsy is caused from a bacterial infection of the kidneys, causing fluid accumulation or renal failure. The fluids in the body build up and cause the fish to bloat up and the scales to protrude. It appears to only cause trouble in weakened fish and possibly from unkempt aquarium conditions. as the above says it occurs in weakened fish, from numerous threads on this forum a conclusion has seemed to be reached that the imported gourami are not the hardest of fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethan44 Posted August 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Ok thanks. After another close inspection I'm pretty sure that this may be dropsy, as it is actually listing both of the symptoms. Probably the best thing I could do for is it possibly take it to the LFS where I purchased it? As I have know where near enough knowledge or skill to treat fish as I am pretty new. Thanks alot for the help, disappointed about losing one of my fish though =( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Dropsy is caused by water retention through kidney failure or damage. It can have a number of causes and is usually not curable. The damage often occurs before the fish are imported and is very common in dwarfs. I have tried a number of "cures" but have never managed to save them. The fish would be best destroyed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethan44 Posted August 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 Ok yea I sort of figured it was going to end up dieing. Ahhh what you be the best ( most humane) way of destroying it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 some people use cloves but i normally put the fish in a bag with a small amount of water and pop it in the freezer - the fish just goes to sleep when it cools down and doesn't wake up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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