Nean Blue Gourami has a bulge in his stomach area..

[JamesMJ2]

I am a little concerned one of my Neon Blue G's has a large bulge in his/her(not sure) stomach. Any idea's? Also the skin near his dorsal fin is raw in one spot. They are community fish, so I can't imagine they have been fighting. Anyways let me know what ya think.
P.S. Last week I check the tank stats and they were all in check.

 

[reefrunner69]

No idea, but I'm gonna move it to the FW sick fish forum

 

[Allivymar]

Can you give some more info (or a pic?). What sort of bulge; is it on one side, even on both, any scales sticking out, differently colored then the rest of the fish? Is the fish exhibiting any unusual behaviors?

I ask these questions, because (for example) it could be dropsy (a condition whereby the kidneys shut down and the fish retains water and gets all bloated). Its often a result of an infection elsewhere. Check out http://www.fish-disease.com/diseases.htm and click on dropsy to see what the signs/symptoms are. See if you can match symptoms to any of the other diseases listed as well.

 

[JamesMJ2]

The swelling seems to have evened out to both sides. It's right behind the gills, there is no discoloration of the skin, It does seem to be a little lathargic. It is eating normally though. Let me try to get a pic up....

 

[JamesMJ2]

Here's a picture of the fish. The yellow box represents the area where the bulge was most prevalent, although the swelling has gone down quite a bit.

 

[SixFootDaisy]

My gourami had a buldgy belly not too long ago. I stopped feeding for a day or two and it was back to normal by the next day. He was swimming sideways and all. So I thought he had swim bladder. But who knows now? He's completely fine and back to being his quirky self.

How is your gourami doing today?

If you suspect it is swim bladder, you can feed him/her blanched zuccini [make sure you take ALL the seeds out] or crushed peas. It should help.

 

[Allivymar]

Please understand I am not an expert; just another fish nut like yourself.

My uneducated guess looking at the pic is either constipation or dropsy. If its constipation, try what 6footdaisy suggested; squeeze a pea (rinse it well if canned first) out of its shell and see if you can get this guy to eat it. Epsom salts are another suggestion, but I haven't the vaguest idea how to dose that.

I hate to admit it, but despite the fact the scales aren't lifted, it looks like dropsy to me. Hopefully, since the swelling has gone down its not, cause thats another ballgame entirely.

 

[mrr89]

I don't know much about this type of fish but is it male or female if female it could be pregnant?