Kissing Gourami Laying On Side - Help Please

[ProHaloSniper]

Hello,

I have had this one kissing gourami for about 2.5 years. From being in such a small tank, he has matured to around 5". Last week, he started sitting on the bottom of the tank and would come up for food when I fed, but would immediately return to his corner spot in the 10 gal tank. I asked the local pet shop owner and he said that from him being in such a small tank, he could have Nitrate Poisoning. So I treated, but no changes in behavior.

I just went out yesterday and spent a little over $600 on a new 55 gal tank, filter, heater, etc and transferred him in. Today, he is laying on his side at the bottom of the tank and only comes up for a breath of air every once in a while. I was surfing around the net and found that he may need Maracyn-Two for internal bacteria. Is this his problem and solution? Please let me know!

Thanks

--Jim C.

 

[ProHaloSniper]

Sorry for not following the posting guidelines. This is my first time on the site and I am in a great hurry as to find out what to do.

Please help.

Thanks again!

Jim C

 

[poopsydrew]

Sorry for not following the posting guidelines. This is my first time on the site and I am in a great hurry as to find out what to do.

Please help.

Thanks again!

Jim C

Jim, as you said you really need to fill out the form at the top of the fish emergency section. This way the experts will be able to give you a correct and promot diagnosis. Fill it out and then post it and look for Wilder to respond, she is the well known fish doctor here. Good luck.

Drew

 

[WILDER]

Yes add the maracyn but once they lay on there sides not good they rarely make it.
If the fish has been living quite a while in bad water quality sounds like it took its toll on the fish.
Good luck.

 

[-germ-]

I assume the new tank you've placed him in isn't cycled, if only purchased yesterday? I doubt ammonia levels etc will have had a chance to build up to dangerous levels yet but be careful with an uncycled tank if that is the case....
1)Have you still got your old tank water?
2)Did you match the water parameters, particularly PH and temperature, between the old and the new tank?
3)Also what process did you follow when you moved him from the old tank to the new?

 

[ProHaloSniper]

Good news, my gourami seems to be doing much better today with the Maracyn-Two. I followed the dose instructions and he seems to be looking a lot better. The film that covered his eye is also slowly disappearing.

Yes, my tank isn't cycled, but I added some of their water in, and well as a Bio kickstarter (name escapes me atm). I think everything should work out well.

Thanks

--Jim C.

 

[WILDER]

Ok, good luck fingers crossed.

 

[ProHaloSniper]

Hello,

I had a few more questions regarding my Gourami.

Ever since I added Maracyn-Two, he seems to be a little more responsive to everything, but still hangs at the bottom, coming up for air every once in a while.

Today I did my first tests to make sure everything on the tank was going smoothly and noticed that the ammonia level was above 1.0. I quickly added some Amquel Plus to kill the ammonia level down.

Questions that remain are:

1. Why is my gourami half brown/half pink?
2. His fins are beginning to lose their brown streaks (what are/were they?)
3. One eye seems to be somewhat cloudy, but has improved (What causes this)
4. It's been over 5 days since he has shown interest in food, how long can this continue?

Thanks again guys, hope to hear from you!!!

--Jim C.

 

[Christine1014]

Hi Jim,
Unfortunately you're battling two problems at once; whatever the illness is, and the non-cycled tank. Putting some of the the water from old tank into the new one won't do anything; the beneficial bacteria that process ammonia and nitrite live in the filter. Most of the bacteria kick-start things are also ineffective.

Is your 10 gallon still up and running? I think I'd keep him in there for a while while your big tank cycles. (Make sure the water stats in the 10 gallon are okay first, of course). For further explanation of the cycling process, check out the pinned topics at the top of the beginner section. But a fish who's already sick isn't going to get better in a cycling tank. If your other tank ISN'T up and running... is there anyone near you who could lend you some mature filter media?

 

[WILDER]

Will have to sort water quality out or the fish won't get better.
The brown on the fish is it fluffy.

 

[Genie]

could the colouration be stress? my plec has a difference in colour when he's stressed. (know, because battling with an uncycled tank too)

 

[ProHaloSniper]

Thanks for your help guys.

I had checked ALL of my chemical levels yesterday and found that my pH was somewhat higher than it should be. This is after I took care if the high ammonia problem, which has gotten better. I immediately did a water change, about 40%, and gotten the pH to its regular level.

The fish seem to be somewhat more active then they used to, but are extremely flaky and discolored. I'm really at a loss to say what it may be and don't want to treat them for something they don't have.

They are still on Maracyn-Two until tomorrow, when they will have finished their dosage.

One question that remains is: How long do tanks take to "cycle." When the fish seem better, should I do a complete water change to get out any cloudy impurities before adding plants, rocks, and eventually some more fish?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

--Jim C.

EDIT: I forgot to say that I am going to try and get a picture of him...Maybe you guys can can help me more with a visual of what I'm dealing with.

 

[Christine1014]

I wouldn't worry too much about PH. It's going to swing all over the place during cycling. Cycling times vary from tank to tank. For most people, a general answer is "a couple weeks." However there are horror stories of tanks taking months to cycle, and there are nice stories of it taking a week (like when you use a piece of mature media from an established filter or something). If you're cycling with fish, it depends on the size of the tank and number of fish. Generally speaking though, a gourami isn't really considered a "hardy" fish, so cycling with him probably isn't a great idea. Here are a few things to give you some more specific info:

http/www.fishforums.net/Beginner-Resouce...ere-t88643.html

http/www.fishforums.net/Fishless-Cycling-t113861.html

Hope that helps!

 

[-germ-]

Get some SeaChem prime, detoxifies the chemicals given off by fishy waste.......

 

[ProHaloSniper]

Well, to answer some of you guys' questions:

I have a 55 gallon tank. When will I know that it is completely cycled? A beginners guess is "When all chemical levels are in check." If and when this happens, what is the best route I can take to make sure the water is CRYSTAL CLEAR and ready for new fish?

Should I start a fungal treatment for the gouramis? If so, should I move them to the 10 gallon tank? And no, it is no longer up and running, so how to I replicate the water conditions they are in right now? I don't currently have any extra filter media from the 55 gal. It has 2 filter cartridges and 2 bio wheels...can I use that?

I would like to get them both back into the 10 gallon hospital tank so that I can start aquascaping my 55gallon and getting it ready for some new fish.

@Christine1014 - I was told the exact opposite about gouramis by people at Petsmart, which I don't trust. They said they are very hardy fish and very hard to kill, or something to that effect...What are some types of "HARDY" fish?

@-germ- - I will definitely see if my local pet shop, not Petsmart, has SeaChem. Is this a daily use chemical?

Pics of the gourami coming very soon! Within the hour!

--Jim C.

PS: Thanks for those links Christine1014, very very helpful!!! I am still reading as we speak.