Dwarf Gourami Swim bladder issue

[MEC13]

I have a dwarf gourami that seems to have some sort of swim bladder issue. Her abdomen is swollen and she tries to swim but keeps sinking back to the bottom of the tank. This has been occurring since yesterday morning, her color is pale and she isn’t eating. All of the water parameters are fine, temp is 80, zero ammonia/nitrites, nitrates around 5-10 and her tank mates (5 x-ray tetras) are fine and eating well. I did a water change yesterday afternoon and I tried an epsom salt bath this morning with 2 tablespoons in 2 gallons of water for 15 minutes. Does anyone know how long it would take to see improvement or if there is anything else I could try. I don’t want her to suffer and I can humanely euthanized if necessary, but I wanted to check and see if there were any other remedies first or how long I should wait for improvement.

 

[Essjay]

The scales over the swollen area look as though they are sticking out a bit like a pine cone. If you look down on the fish from above, do they actually stick out?

If they do, the fish has dropsy. This is a symptom of several underlying diseases and it is difficult to treat without knowing what has caused the underlying disease.
You could try epsom salt baths to draw the fluid out, but I need to warn you by the time dropsy appears it is often too late.

Dissolve 1 teaspoon epsom salt in 1 gallon tank water is a separate container and place the fish in it for up to 15 minutes - if the fish become distressed take it out sooner.
The epsom salt must be pure - no colouring or perfumes.

 

[Colin_T]

its dying, euthanise it

 

[DoubleDutch]

its dying, euthanise it

Agree for the fullest.

 

[MEC13]

Thanks to everyone who replied to this thread. I had already tried the epsom salt bath but her condition was worsening and unfortunately, just about 20 minutes after I started this thread, she passed away. She had several x-ray tetras as tank mates and they seem completely fine, so hopefully whatever was going on wasn’t contagious. She had had some issues in the past, but had fully recovered from them. What sorts of diseases cause dropsy and are there early signs I can look out for before it gets to that stage? Also, I apologize for the delayed response, I’ve just had a lot going on recently.

 

[Colin_T]

Dropsy is commonly caused by an internal bacterial infection that damages internal organs. When the organs rupture or get damaged, the abdominal cavity swells up with fluid and the animal usually dies within a short period of time. There's no early symptoms for dropsy, when the organ/s fail, the fish bloats up and sometimes does a stringy white poop, then they die.

If a fish dies in the tank, do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week to reduce any disease organisms in the water and to reduce the chance of other fish getting sick.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

You should also wipe the inside of the glass down and clean the filter.

 

[MEC13]

Thanks for the response! I did several water changes and gravel vacs after she passed and cleaned the filter and walls, and so far all of her tank mates seem fine.

 

[itiwhetu]

Out of interest how old do you think this fish was. By the scales he looks quite old

 

[MEC13]

Out of interest how old do you think this fish was. By the scales he looks quite old

I got this gourami from PetSmart back in February, so only about 6 months

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I got this gourami from PetSmart back in February, so only about 6 months

Of course, it would've been older than that, given you didn't buy it as a freshly hatched fry.

To be honest, I'm surprised that no-one has shouted "DGV!"

 

[MEC13]

Of course, it would've been older than that, given you didn't buy it as a freshly hatched fry.

To be honest, I'm surprised that no-one has shouted "DGV!"

Yes, I know, I just meant that I’d had her for about 6 months. I thought that DGV could be a possibility. I had several issues come up with this gourami in particular and had to quarantine her multiple times, but never had any problems with my other fishes. I’ll probably steer clear of dwarf gouramis in the future.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Yes, I know, I just meant that I’d had her for about 6 months. I thought that DGV could be a possibility. I had several issues come up with this gourami in particular and had to quarantine her multiple times, but never had any problems with my other fishes. I’ll probably steer clear of dwarf gouramis in the future.

This illustrates a point I was trying to make elsewhere and earlier in the Forum and thank you for providing an example.
Please understand that the following is NOT directed at you personally..
Without any solid diagnostic info about a diseased fish, we attribute a label to the apparent illness.
@MEC13 suggested a swim bladder disease and, like many others, has thought about DGV.

It may or may not be the virus, but regardless, the possibility that it might be spreads and people steer clear of Dwarf Gourami, citing DGV as the reason. In this case, it could just as easily have been a bacterial infection.