Bloated fish..help

[laritheloud]

On 2/6/2022 at 4:46 PM, Danabana said:

I'm trying not to have that look in my tank but I'm doubting this piece of driftwood will ever stop bleeding tannins.  I'm in western PA ...I'm buried in ice and snow.  No outdoor plants to treat.  😂

I lived in Pittsburgh for five years for school! I do miss it sometimes! Stay warm ❤️

[Danabana]

On 2/6/2022 at 4:39 PM, laritheloud said:

You have a powder blue dwarf gourami and he looks like a bloated male. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! It's always sad to see a fish suffer under your care. I want to start out by saying this is likely nothing at all that you have done wrong. Dwarf Gouramis tend to be a little genetically weak and prone to illness these days, which is really sad and rarely (if ever) the fault of the fishkeeper.

@xXInkedPhoenixX has given you excellent treatment advice. He looks to be suffering with an internal infection. Depending on the illness your dwarf gourami is suffering from, it's really a 50/50 whether it'll affect your other fish at all. There's a chance it is viral (Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus; if it is iridovirus, he will worsen very quickly, I'm sorry to say), in which case, he is likely the only fish that will be affected. I would attempt to isolate him and treat him on his own first as the other fish may not develop symptoms at all. If you are able to successfully treat him, then I would move on to treating the other fish he lives with.

I really hope for the best outcome for your beautiful boy. Gouramis of all kinds are some of my favorite fish. When did you purchase him, by the way? Was it recently?

Thank you for your input.  He was purchased November/December from local chain pet store.  He's special to me and I feel so bad for him.  Is it hard to heal once they get internal infection?

[laritheloud]

On 2/6/2022 at 4:53 PM, Danabana said:

Thank you for your input.  He was purchased November/December from local chain pet store.  He's special to me and I feel so bad for him.  Is it hard to heal once they get internal infection?

The timeline is right -- I assume this all started showing up recently. I'm so sorry! I completely understand how special these fish are. 😭 My thicklipped gouramis are like that for me. So sweet, so interactive. I love their little feelers and how they come to say hello to me at the front of the tank every morning and beg for food.

It isn't hopeless but it can be really challenging to turn a fish around sometimes, even for people with a well-equipped fish medicine cabinet. I've heard (don't quote me) that it's a sign of kidney failure to get this kind of bloating and fluid buildup. It's good to be prepared, but don't give up hope. If he's still eating, I would try feeding him medication to get that in him and working on him ASAP. He doesn't appear to be pineconing yet and that's a good sign. He hasn't ruptured or developed any sores, which is something to watch for in the coming days.

You're doing all you can for him and fish illness can sometimes be very difficult to treat. Give him comfort, love, and safe, clean water, and observe him while you wait to get your hands on meds. I'm hoping for the best.

[Danabana]

On 2/6/2022 at 5:01 PM, laritheloud said:

The timeline is right -- I assume this all started showing up recently. I'm so sorry! I completely understand how special these fish are. 😭 My thicklipped gouramis are like that for me. So sweet, so interactive. I love their little feelers and how they come to say hello to me at the front of the tank every morning and beg for food.

It isn't hopeless but it can be really challenging to turn a fish around sometimes, even for people with a well-equipped fish medicine cabinet. I've heard (don't quote me) that it's a sign of kidney failure to get this kind of bloating and fluid buildup. It's good to be prepared, but don't give up hope. If he's still eating, I would try feeding him medication to get that in him and working on him ASAP. He doesn't appear to be pineconing yet and that's a good sign. He hasn't ruptured or developed any sores, which is something to watch for in the coming days.

You're doing all you can for him and fish illness can sometimes be very difficult to treat. Give him comfort, love, and safe, clean water, and observe him while you wait to get your hands on meds. I'm hoping for the best.

Thanks for your encouraging words and help.  I feel foolish that I was unaware of meds to keep on hand for my fish friends.  🐟🐡🐌

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Don't beat yourself up over the meds. One of the things in this hobby even when you are prepared is that there are some hard lessons learned- but trust me once you make a certain mistake you will NEVER do it again. I realize in some cases that's little comfort- say in the case that fish die because of it- but it is in HONOR of those fish that you strive to be a better fish keeper. At least that's how I look at it. 

I think the salt will be one of the better treatments anyway- though it would be nice to have another option. What meds do you have coming? I'm not sure we've talked about that. 

[Danabana]

On 2/6/2022 at 6:10 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Don't beat yourself up over the meds. One of the things in this hobby even when you are prepared is that there are some hard lessons learned- but trust me once you make a certain mistake you will NEVER do it again. I realize in some cases that's little comfort- say in the case that fish die because of it- but it is in HONOR of those fish that you strive to be a better fish keeper. At least that's how I look at it. 

I think the salt will be one of the better treatments anyway- though it would be nice to have another option. What meds do you have coming? I'm not sure we've talked about that. 

I ordered para cleanse and mardel maracyn ....I was planning to try the trio of meds suggested on co op on my quarantined fish.  Do you quarantine new fish?

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I do. We all have different philosophies on it- a lot of people here of course do use the med trio being Co-op fans. Personally I just QT and observe. I don't use medication unless it's needed. My QT fish stay a minimum 4 weeks and up to 6 if healthy. If I need to treat them I keep them in QT at least 2-3 weeks AFTER all signs of illness had gone and if I don't trust it, longer. 

When you get a chance I'd recommend adding Seachem Kanaplex to your med box (and an Ich med like Ich X). Kanaplex has saved my a.... um behind many times. 

Edited February 6, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Danabana]

On 2/6/2022 at 6:30 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I do. We all have different philosophies on it- a lot of people here of course do use the med trio being Co-op fans. Personally I just QT and observe. I don't use medication unless it's needed. My QT fish stay a minimum 4 weeks and up to 6 if healthy. If I need to treat them I keep them in QT at least 2-3 weeks AFTER all signs of illness had gone and if I don't trust it, longer. 

When you get a chance I'd recommend adding Seachem Kanaplex to your med box (and an Ich med like Ich X). Kanaplex has saved my a.... um behind many times. 

😂...you made me laugh.  Behind was cute way to put it.  I do have ich X on hand.  Kanaplex...I'm not familiar with it.  What do you use it for? 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

It's an antibiotic containing kanamycin. It is very effective in treatment of bacterial infection, like columnaris (a scary one) also fungal. There have been times I had no idea exactly what was going on but Kanaplex fixed it. Can be used in the water column and use it to medicate food. It's just a good all-around to have. 

[Danabana]

On 2/6/2022 at 7:08 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

It's an antibiotic containing kanamycin. It is very effective in treatment of bacterial infection, like columnaris (a scary one) also fungal. There have been times I had no idea exactly what was going on but Kanaplex fixed it. Can be used in the water column and use it to medicate food. It's just a good all-around to have. 

I will definitely order some to have on hand.  If you try one med and it doesn't seem to help do you just put carbon in filter to remove it before trying a different med?

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Absolutely that's a good way to do it. Usually in my case I have small QTs so I just do a huge water change and use a piece of Polyfilter to soak up the rest. 

[Danabana]

On 2/6/2022 at 7:55 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Absolutely that's a good way to do it. Usually in my case I have small QTs so I just do a huge water change and use a piece of Polyfilter to soak up the rest. 

Update on my tank...I just lost my female swordtail. She didn't appear to be bloated but it appears like a danio is showing signs of bloating.  Big blue seems worse too.  ☹️

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Ugh. Salt that tank if you haven't already. 😞 

[Danabana]

On 2/6/2022 at 8:21 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Ugh. Salt that tank if you haven't already. 😞 

I had put salt in the tank.  The male swordtail kept nudging her ...very sad. I'm feeling worse now 😞

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Aww. I'm so sorry. Put your seatbelt on, it sounds like it's going to get bumpy in that tank and brace yourself for some losses. 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

...of the meds you have coming if we still have hope start with the Maracyn as it has Erthromycin. 

[BLOBfish]

what are you using to test your water?

[Danabana]

On 2/6/2022 at 8:28 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Aww. I'm so sorry. Put your seatbelt on, it sounds like it's going to get bumpy in that tank and brace yourself for some losses. 

I think you are right.  The swordtail caught me completely off guard. 

[Colu]

On 2/6/2022 at 7:33 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

The Epsom is good to have on hand (even for more than fishy) and thankfully it's pretty cheap. I think you'll need to prepare a QT once we figure out whether he NEEDS medication. I totally understand wanting to get him helped. As long as he's not showing signs of something that might spread to others I would keep him in his regular tank to keep his stress low. To me it's only necessary to move him when you have hashed out a treatment plan. @Colu may be able to pipe in to give an opinion. I'll do what I can to try and help you figure it out, what species is mr fishy? 

I agree @xXInkedPhoenixX keep doing Epsom salt baths if the bloating improves it could be constipation if after a couple of days your seeing no improvement it could also be a bacterial infection and when your antibiotic medication arrive I would add it to his food as it more effective in food and do a 7 day course of medicated food 

Edited February 7, 2022 by Colu

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Colu her other fish are showing similar signs now as a female swordtail passed but no signs of bloating. I'm leaning towards a bacterial infection, what do you think? 

[Colu]

On 2/7/2022 at 3:35 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

@Colu her other fish are showing similar signs now as a female swordtail passed but no signs of bloating. I'm leaning towards a bacterial infection, what do you think? 

I must have missed that if her other fish are showing symptoms then it's more than likely a bacterial infection in that case I would treat with kanaplex or maracyn in food 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Colu she's waiting on an order that contains maracyn and para-cleanse. Since salt is the only thing on hand advised to dose and start the Maracyn when it gets there. 😞 

[Colu]

It's more than likely an internal bacterial infection salt won't have much of an effect it won't hurt as it will help with Gill function and add essential electrolytes I always add some salt when treating sick he how I dose maracyn in food add 1 quarter of a packet of maracyn one scoop of focus 1 table spoon of pellets 1 cap garlic guard a few drops of water feed for 7 days store any leftover food in the fridge you don't have to use the focus it just binds more of the medication to the food @Danabana

[Danabana]

On 2/6/2022 at 10:37 PM, Colu said:

I must have missed that if her other fish are showing symptoms then it's more than likely a bacterial infection in that case I would treat with kanaplex or maracyn in food 

How do you mix it with the food?  I've only treated ich direly in the water.  

[Colu]

On 2/7/2022 at 3:46 AM, Colu said:

dose maracyn in food add 1 quarter of a packet of maracyn one scoop of focus 1 table spoon of pellets 1 cap garlic guard a few drops of water

Mix well a small amount feed twice a day for 7 days 

Edited February 7, 2022 by Colu