Please Help

[laurajulian1984]

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Tank size: 200 litre
pH: neutral
tank temp: 26

Fish Symptoms: Guarmi is istting on the bottom of the tank and is very swolen around the ribs/belly area, almost round when looked at straight on. Has been getting bullied by the other guarmi since we got them a month ago but the swelling is a new thing. It is very lathargic and just sitting in a bottom corner.

Volume and Frequency of water changes: a 50% change every fortnight as advised when we baught the tank

Chemical Additives in your tank: none since it was set up 4 months ago

Tank inhabitants:
another guarmi
3 golden barbs (approx 1")
4 penguin tetra (approx 1")
2 angels (approx 3")
2 mollies (approx 2")
1 red tail black shark (approx 4")
2 knight gobys (approx 1.5")
1 flying fox (approx 2")
1 black ghost knife fish (approx 3.5")
4 filter shrimps

tank has a sand bottom with live plants, bogwood and rose slate decor. the Ph level is checked once a week, tem checked daily

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): 4 new plants, the gobys and the flying fox last weekend. symptoms were there before but have been getting progressively worse over the last fortnight

Exposure to chemicals: none that i'm aware of

Digital photo (include if possible): i have one on my phone that i can text/email but it isn't great quality

please help, i'm really worried about him/her

eta this is my first solo tank so i'm open to advice about everything!

 

[aaronnorth]

do you know your nitrate, nitrite & ammonia?
How long as the tank been set up for?
How long was it running before the gourami was added?
how much do you feed?
filtration?

 

[laurajulian1984]

i haven't any of the test strips for those things at the moment but the water was tested by the fish shop at the weekend when we baught the newbies and they said it was fine.
we have had the tank for about 5 months (was maturing for 1 month before anything was added)
the guarmies were added about a month ago
the tank has a fluval 205 external heater

 

[aaronnorth]

the tank wont mature itself without any ammonia added just for future reference. It will probobaly be cycled now though.
Get a liquid test kit if you do get one.

How much do you feed them?

 

[laurajulian1984]

yeah we put in the setting up stuff when we set the tank up, it all came as a package.
they get fed a pinch of dry flakes and a couple of sinking pellets once a day. they do sometimes get a treat of worms or live/frozen foods

 

[aaronnorth]

so it isnt overfeeding. It could be a case of internal bacterial infection,

WILDER will be able to hepl more as she is the expert on illnesses

 

[laurajulian1984]

is there anything i can do? my Oh has put baby barbs in my spare tank so i can't quarrentine it

 

[aaronnorth]

i think this will work [URL="http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...rnal"]http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...rnal Bacteria[/URL]

it might be getting something like pimafix which treats a variety of diseases.

you could get a breeding trap for the barbs which floats in the tank.

 

[laurajulian1984]

the fish died this morning
when i too it out of the tank it looks like it had starved to death, the swelling has little ridges on it like ribs and there was just nothjing to the fish at all. I think the other one just wouldn't let it eat anything.

can a fish be bullied into starving to death? i have been dropping food right next to it thinking it will eat it

 

[aaronnorth]

It could of been dropsy. The abdomen usually swells and the scales raise out in a pinecone effect. Once the scales burst then the fish dies. It is also very contagious if the liquid touches another fish.

A fish can be bullied to starve to death, if it feels really scared & stressed then it wont come out of hiding.

 

[laurajulian1984]

there was no sign of sticking out scales when i took it out of the tank this morning, just the swelling and thinness. does that mean i can rule out dropsy?

 

[aaronnorth]

well the scales could of burst. PM wilder and give a link to this topic, i am sure she will know better.