POPEYE AND the sleeping fish

[general tzao]

ok so my blue dwarf gourami has popeye so i put him in a gallon bowl and giving him tetracycline. he is lying on the bottem of the tank motionless except for his gills and occasional eye movement and when he does try to move his tail fin only curves to one side... also there seems to be a string of clear waste comming out of him... is he a goner? or is this part of popeye recovery? ( popeye only happened to him and water conditions were bad, i was trying to correct the problems with the tank to no avail when i noticed him and moved him to quarentine)

P.S. can a fish have a stroke?

 

[Allivymar]

Fish have brains, albeit tiny, so yeah. Fish can have a stroke. I doubt thats what's going on with your gourami tho.

What are the water parameters in the gallon bowl (ammonia/nitrite levels)? Thats a pretty small bowl; are you filtering it? Is it being aerated?

Popeye is usually not that serious, and does not have other symptoms unless its caused by an infection (as opposed to damage from another fish or decoration inthe tank), in which case ITS a symptom and not the whole disease. I'm guessing here, your fish has a major systemic infection and may be dying (sorry).

I don't know if he can be saved. I would def continue with the antibiotics, but you MUST make sure the water parameters are perfect and there is enough oxygen in the water. That little guy is struggling enough to stay alive; I think anything detrimental to his health will send him over the edge.

You may want to consider euthanizing him. If so, there are a list of humane ways to do that here: http://www.bettasrus.com/disease/euthanasia.htm

 

[general tzao]

HES ALL better after a week on the botem he got up and his eye when away and hes PERFECT! i named him wesley after princess bride since he was only half dead and now he is back in my 46 bow

 

[Allivymar]

Awesome tzao! I have to admit, things sounded pretty dire and I wasn't sure if your gourami was going to make it. Great to have good news How did you treat him? Just the tetracycline? What did you do?

Heh, good name choice too.