sick dwarf gourami!!

[dieanna]

My dwarf gourami is sick. I think he has dropsy. His scales are all sticking out. Also, I noticed some tiny black spots around his fins. Plus, he's not really eating. My 20 gallon isn't set up, but I have a 1 gallon that I had started cycling (fishless). In fear that my other fish would get sick, I put him in the 1 gallon and dropped in a tiny dose of medicine. I have a desk light over the tank to keep it warm. I'm hoping he will pull through this. Am I doing things the right way with him? Any suggestions?

*edit - I forgot to add that he's lost a lot of his color. And wanted to know if I should give the 55 gal a dose of medicine as a precautionary step.

 

[lmw80]

I'm going to tell you that dropsy doesn't have the best recovery rate. It's usually a secondary condition - can be caused by poor water quality or another disease/infection. You did the right thing by quarantining him...my boyfriend did the same thing when our dwarf gourami had dropsy...a one gallon bowl with a light on top.

I would keep dosing for the recommended time on the box and keep a close eye on your other fish as well. What are you water params?

 

[dieanna]

readings on the 55 gal:

temp - 80
pH - 7.8
KH - 80
GH - 150
NO2 - 0
NO3 - 10

I don't have a filter or airpump for the 1 gal is this okay? Do you need the readings for the 1 gal? Also, should I put any salt in the 1 gal?
Thanks.

 

[Guest]

a gourami is a labyrinth so they will get air from the surface, but you want to change the 1gallon water every day so it doesn't get an ammonia buildup.. at least 50% every day i would suggest. Just wait and see how the meds work, i wouldn't really add the salt as it interferes with the osmotic pressure and may actually make it more difficult for the fish to hold water.

 

[dieanna]

ok, will do. thank you for the advice. Do you know what the black spots on his fins could be?

 

[lmw80]

could be another infection or fungus....are they fuzzy?

actually, now that I think about it...black spot is a disease...a parasitic disease at that.

do you have a picture?

 

[dieanna]

Last night I shut the light off and about an hour later I found him dead. The spots weren't fuzzy. It could have been black spot disease. I'll keep my eye on the other fish. If they end up with it, how do I should I go about treating it?

 

[lmw80]

aw, I am so sorry for your loss. You did the best you could.

Well, if it was black spot, I would definitly watch your other fish for it. Dropsy could have been a secondary condition your gourami got from having black spot disease.