Burnt Gourami, Nightmare, Need Help!

[Cal116]

Hello all. I went on vacation last weekend, left Friday morning and came home Sunday evening. I came home and found my Powder Blue Gourami caught in the heater. At first, I thought he was dead but after moving the heater I quickly noticed he was trapped. My other dwarf gourami who is more aggressive probably was chasing him which most likely led to him getting caught in the heater. The one side of his body is burnt pretty bad including his eye and a large hole next to his gill. I'm not sure how long he was caught. Is there anything I can do to help this poor fish? I feel so bad. His breathing has changed since the incident and he has become much more lethargic. He still eats when I feed the tank. Here are 2 pictures of him:
http/www.twitpic.com/gcr6w
http/www.twitpic.com/gcr4g

 

[glolite]

You;ve probably carried out a water change if just returned from holiday (hope it was a good one) but if not, I'd do a 25% water change and dose with melafix. This is a natural healing aid containing tea tree oil, which will heal and protect against infection. The dosing instructions are on the bottle label.

Good luck with the gourami. A heater protector would prevent any more injuries, they are plastic, inexpensive and readily available at most lfs.

 

[kelly528]

You;ve probably carried out a water change if just returned from holiday (hope it was a good one) but if not, I'd do a 25% water change and dose with melafix. This is a natural healing aid containing tea tree oil, which will heal and protect against infection. The dosing instructions are on the bottle label.

Good luck with the gourami. A heater protector would prevent any more injuries, they are plastic, inexpensive and readily available at most lfs.

EEK! Personally I would quarantine him (you can use anything that holds a few gallons of water, eg a Rubbermaid bin even) with very clean water to prevent infection. Add stress-coat, keep the water warm and filtered, and add aquarium salt when the wound closes. Also, feed him high-protein foods like bloodworms to help him regrow the tissue. I have dealt with wounds before and this seems to be the best fix.

Good luck!
-Kelly

 

[Sofia]

Would also be best to quarantine him as your other gourami will probably cause him distress by bullying him. You really should reconsider rehoming one of your gouramis if the are all male as they are very aggresive and will fight a lot.

If you like Gouramis then buy 2 females to keep your male company-dependant on tank size too!!!

Good luck and keep us posted!