# Problem: dwarf gourami going to explode!



## Phoenix24

Ok so I posted a little while ago on another fishy forum that my dwarf gourami seemed to have gotten very fat. As I didn't know the sex, there were 3 options - eggs, parasites, or (more likely as was pointed out) over eating.

So I have been cutting the food down and feeding peas (plus added some anti-parasite meds to be on the safe side) but the gourami just seems to be getting fatter. So after 2 successive starve days I fed peas, and then set up my guppy spawner and separated the gourami away from anything edible (the other fish were getting pretty hungry and the plants are suffering as a result!). It's been nearly 24 hours, and there's still no poop in the mesh cage, and gourami seems quite uncomfortable, sinking a little like a goldfish and gills flapping away.

Its obvious that there's a blockage, and if the peas aren't working I have no idea what to do. Is there any kind of liquid I can put in the water that might act as a laxative (obviously given in a separate container!)? Do I need to get a vet to take a look? I'm really at a loss, I daren't try any physical manipulating in case I cause damage. 

I guess for now i've just got to keep feeding the tiniest amount of pea and hoping it doesn't pop, but it really does look like its on the verge of exploding :|

Eeep.


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## NaomiM

I've heard of people using epson salt to treat constipation with good results. Could be worth a try. Poor fishy - it's horrible isn't it when you see them suffering and nothing seems to work


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## Phoenix24

Someone mentioned epsom salts on the other forum but I have never seen them nor know what to do with them... how are they different from the aquarium salt? Any idea where to get them from?


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## magpie

Epsom salt is not actually salt, but magnesium sulfate, which is how it differs to 'normal' aquarium salt. You can get it anywhere; ebay, amazon... it's often sold in the Health & Beauty sections as it's also great to put in your bath 

I believe it works as a mild muscle relaxant, which is how it helps with constipation in fishies, and the dosage I've seen quoted most often is 1 tablespoon for every 10 gallons, but there seems to be a lot of variation!

I use it in my goldfish tank to raise the GH of my ridiculously soft water 

ETA: this is the one that I bought last time http://www.amazon.co.uk/Epsom-Salt-...F8&qid=1388747664&sr=8-4&keywords=epsom+salts


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## Phoenix24

Thanks. After a quick google it seems I might be able to get it from my local chemist. I will let you know how it goes!


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## NaomiM

Great info magpie - I'll have to remember that for future reference 

Phoenix, good luck!


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## Phoenix24

Meh. Bathed gourami for over half an hour in the epsom salts to no effect! Will try again tomorrow, don't want to overdose the poor thing. Eeep. Blockage must be really bad, why didn't I catch it sooner!?!


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## magpie

Don't beat yourself up about it, sometimes these things happen no matter how closely you try to keep an eye on your tank.

I'd definitely give it a few more days... and fingers crossed xx


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## RachelleW

Bloating is a very common issue for Betta fish and gouramis. First step, I stop feeding all the fish for 2 days. Fish can go a long time without eating and it would take them around 10 days to completely starve to death. This helps their body to have some time to sort out digestive issues and so forth. On the second day, I do a 40% aquarium water change. 
Gourami Stomach Swollen, Inflated, Bloated? What&#039;s Wrong

I once had a kissing gourami get this same issue. After starving the fish for 2 days and then feeding him the inside of a pea.. it healed the fish. Good luck to you. :thumbup:


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## Phoenix24

Thanks, well its day 3 of no food and there's still no poop. Later I will give gourami another epsom salt bath (I think I got my measurements wrong - that's the problem with the good old bucket method!) and pray. Would hate to think 10 days of no food and gourami starves before it poops :|

I'm obviously having a bad fish week. Been so worried about Gourami i've ignored the warning signs in my other tank, and this morning found unhappy fish and a serious nitrite spike. I haven't been that lax - I did do a nitrite and ammonia test when I found a dead fish 2 days ago, but I was in a hurry and used a test strip for the nitrite, and it came up zero - I suspect the test strips are just crap as they show the same readings all the time. There's no ammonia in the tank, so I guess I missed that spike despite testing. The culprit without a doubt is the filter - the pads are falling apart and were very clogged up at the top (poor interpet design). I desperately need another filter!!!!!!!


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## NaomiM

At least you caught it before it caused any more deaths. Hopefully water changes and Prime will deal with the spike and tide you over until you can get the filter sorted.


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## Phoenix24

50% water change, de-clogged filter, 5x prime plus a dose of aquarium salt, and filter running on full with venturi. Plus I have a nitrizorb pouch from the last spike :| What I've done so far seems to have helped the fish anyway, just got to wait for the bacteria to catch up. 

Still no gourami poop!!!! Someone said I should pop it with a pin


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## RachelleW

There are just using sarcasm and need to be slapped lol

I would suggest a bio-wheel filter. Did you try the "cooked pea" trick?


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## Phoenix24

Fed blanched pea this morning to no avail. At this rate gourami is going to die 

Aquaone have a novel internal filter just out, its put together a bit like an external (with cartidges for different media) but obviously for internal. There's also one by tetra called the whisper-something but only available in the USa - silent internal filter. 

Any recommendations for a near silent internal or external welcomes, but right now i'd take one with good filtration.

Tested nitrite yesterday - zero - so must have been a spike not a full on mini-cycle. Phew!


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## blitzens mum

come on fishy we are all rooting for you to poop


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## Phoenix24

Still no poop...


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## NaomiM

Just wondering if it might be worth a longer epsom salt bath, as things seem to be getting quite critical?


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## Phoenix24

Gave a tiny bit of crushed cooked pea this morning. 

Still no poop - I wonder if I need a stronger dose of Epsom salt? I was using half Tsp in 4L water. 

Any idea if some other human laxatives are safe?

Despairing now. :'(


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## NaomiM

Can't really offer any more advice, sorry  Only thing I can think of is that if you have a seperate, filtered hospital tank, maybe you could dose that with the epsom salt and keep him in it until he poos :001_unsure: From my understanding, epsom salt is safe to use longer-term, but I may be wrong (never had to use it myself thankfully!)


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## Phoenix24

I'll give it a try Naomi, fingers crossed!


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## Phoenix24

Bad news. Looked in on gourami and it looks terrible, so terrible I thought it was dead. I don't think it's going to make the night, and rather than stress it more by catching and shoving in a hospital tank I might let the poor thing slip away without any more trauma. If it makes it through to tomorrow afternoon, I will try the hospital tank. The only other thing i'm going to do now is put some of that melafix in the aquarium in case there's infection. If worse comes to the worse I may have to euthanase, I think gourami has suffered enough. 

I won't get another gourami, at least not until I have a set up where I can more closely monitor how much food its getting. Never seen a fish eat itself to death, but maybe like a goldfish there's so much inbreeding that it wasn't right to begin with.


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## NaomiM

Poor little thing  Well regardless of what happens, you've done your best and given it every chance.


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## DoodlesRule

Sorry to hear about your fish - I gave up trying to keep gourami's as they seemed to have a lot of problems and didn't live very long


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## Phoenix24

amazingly gourami is still alive, I think the melafix must have given it a little boost. Re-dosed with melafix. Tomorrow I have to do some filter jiggling so can see about the hospital setup then if its not died in the night.

Bought one of those eheim aquaball 180 internal filters to replace the interpet PF3, so going to pull out the foams in two of the sections (leaving one full foam plus the coarse foam) and fill the space with mature ceramics that have been stored in my unimax external. Hopefully this will up my filtration and avoid another nitrite spike in my temperate tank.

They have more powder blue dwarf gouramis in the store, but considering my stocking levels in the trop tank I may just avoid buying any more fish until a few of the OAPs have gone to fishy heaven (2 cherry barbs nearly 5 years old! Plus 2 four year old black neon tetras)


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## blitzens mum

got everything crossed it works


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## Phoenix24

I'm afraid the gourami hasn't made it. The blockage must have been serious, i'm tempted to do an autopsy and see if its just food or something else. :-(


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## NaomiM

Sorry to hear that  You did all you could.


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## blitzens mum

so sorry to hear the sad news, you did do all you could so dont feel bad


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## magpie

Sorry to hear that x


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