Anorexic Gourmai

[Grumpy_Marine]

Ok we just got back from dinner and i noticed my blue gourmai laying in back corner of my tank. Thought he was dead but saw him breathing, but he is ill. I got him net and looking at him, he lays on side and is so skinny you can see his ribs or whatnot like he hasn't ate ever... i have had him for about a month and seemed to be doing ok. I feed flake, shrimp pellets, bloodworms, algae waffers so he had variety but i am wondering if there is illness that make gourmai not eat and just die of hunger or starve to death? What options do i have to get or nurse him back to health how can i feed him or whatever?

 

[missdixie256]

My BPG loves blood worms... Is the food sinking where he can eat it peacefully? You may want to remove it to another tank and see if he will eat there... He may feel intimidated by the other fish and not eat... What are his tank mates?

 

[Grumpy_Marine]

This is way bad... i looked closer at him, his eyes are sunken in, so skinny you can see his ribs area, then the pouch where is belly is i assume is visible as a bulge, it is as if he is shrivling up from inside out... i have tetras, BPG and loaches in tank with him.... It appears this has been going on for a while with the condition he is in, unless fast acting parasite is eating him like tapeworms would a cat or something.

 

[Lotus]

If you're seeing him eat at most feedings, I'd suspect internal parasites. There are several anti-parasite foods out there. I know there's a Jungle one that's available at most PetSmarts. There's also Gel-Tek Ultra Cure PX, which you can soak the food in. It's important that the fish eat whatever med, the ones you put in the water aren't as effective.

If you're not seeing him eat and he's hiding out, I'd suspect aggression from other fish. What's in the tank with him?

 

[Grumpy_Marine]

2 Blue Paradise Gourmai
1 Striped Raphael Catfish
1 Common Plecto
4 Red Gown Tetras
2 Sissor tail rasorbas
2 zebra danios
3 kuhli loaches
2 dojo loaches
1 horsefaced loach
2 yo yo loaches
2 oto's
1 blind cave tetra
1 ghost shrimp
1 striped peacock eeel(only in one week)

He has always hid in back of tank behind tall plants, i figured that is his nature to be hidden among the plants, perhaps they two BPG are bully him when i sleep. But i have not seen him eat since buying him, but didn't notice condition till today, he still swims around but is very lathargic looking, like it takes all he has to swim. I try to force feed him some bloodworms and flake food but cant get him to eat is there way to force it in his mouth or something? I put in little container with just enough water to keep him covered and some food but he didn't eat it.

 

[Grumpy_Marine]

i know that is a lot of fish, but i have over 500 gph with my filters for filtration, lots of bubbles to oxygenate the water, and tons of live plant and w/c 50% every week or 25% as levels dictate. Levels are good at 0 ammonia 0 nitrites 10 nitrates... doing w/c tomorrow when get back from work.

 

[calico_]

gouramis are prone to internal parasites... but I suppose it's too late to hope you can save the fish, from the way you describe it.

P.S. your filtration system may be efficient but your tank is overcrowded anyway...

 

[Grumpy_Marine]

my tank is also heavily planted as well.... i like the fish stock in there i am fine with work for tank, but the gourmai didn't make it, died yesterday before i got meds from store. I got stuff for next time if happens though.

 

[Lotus]

Sorry to hear that. It sounds like he was being bullied. While gouramis are normally robust, if they're bullied, they tend to hide and not come out to eat.

 

[smurf]

I'm sorry your gourami didn't make it.

For the record my gourami had simular issues. My gourmami doesn't like the flakes intended for him for some reason and will only eat teh pellets intended for the loach in my tank. That was fine, then I got another gourami who is never agressive towards him until feeding time. When gourami 1 tries to eat gourami 2 always bullied him then, its really hard to make sure that every fish in the tank is eating because you can't feed them individully, and especially because these pellets take longet to eat hekind of has to pick at them for awhle. So I usually make sure I put a couple pellets around the plants so he can kind of eat with the confort of knowing he can hide if necessary and he can leave and hide and come back to the same food. I start with flakes on the other side so all the otehr fish go over there and then spread some pellets around that area s usually gourami 1 is left in peace, its complicated but it generally works