bloated gourami

[Rainne]

hi im new here i just came home from a 3 day vacation and found my paradise gourami really bloated . i only have 1 and not sure if there is a problem with it or not . its swimming but sometimes labored, i need some suggestions

 

[Ariaanna]

How is the water? is it clear? Do you have a test kit? You should test the water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. Bad water quality can cause sickness in fish. If its scales are sticking out like a pinecone, it might have dropsy. If not, it might be suffering from constipation, or if it's a female and you've been giving her very rich, meaty foods, and the tank is overly warm, she may be heavy with eggs. There are several different things that make fish look bloated.

Pending any information, I'd recommend doing a water change and feeding it a mashed, shelled boiled pea (helps with constipation.)

Good luck!

 

[Rainne]

thanks ariaanna we arent sure all my other fish are fine the water is clear and they all eat the same thing we have other gourami but this 1 is the oly parasise gourami. we just checked and no change from last night and we arent sure what sex it is.

 

[Ariaanna]

sex is easy. If it has long fins, with a long tail with sharp edges, it's a male. If it has short fins, and has round tips on its tail, it's a female. Color is also more vibrant in males, but as there are albino paradisefish about, it can be hard to tell.

I'd recommend trying the pea thing, and monitoring how much it eats.

Actually. . . . are you missing any other fish? Maybe he had a very large snack while you were out.

And if the temperature is higher than about 75 degrees or so in the tank, that always puts my paradisefish "in the mood" so to speak, so you might want to check that. . . . if it's hot and there are bubbles in the tank, it's probably a male, if there aren't bubbles, you very well may have an egg-heavy female on your hands.

 

[afromage5000]

are the scales raised? is he/she pale and flushed? Mine died in this condition from what i suspected to be dropsy. Dont let this scare you but be on the lookout. Unfortunately i have not run across any info on a successful treatment but perhaps others have. Good Luck.

 

[MortiferousSoul]

if it has dropsy it would look somewhat like my oto did

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g179/MortiferousSoul/otto2.jpg