Dwarf Honey Gourami swimming upside down

[tayanna]

Some help please. This is my husband's tank. He is away with work. He did a water change on Sunday, parameter all good yesterday. This morning I fed the fish. Just had a look at them and a female gourami was at the bottom of the tank lying sideways. Loss of colour. I thought I should take her out but by the time I returned she had gone and I saw her floating at the top of the tank upside down. When I tried to take her out I noticed she wasn't dead and trying to right herself. Fins are moving, but she can't stay the correct way up. She has swam around the tank a bit but sideways or upside down. I remember she did have a rather long brown poo attached to her yesterday or the day before for a couple of hours. What could this be? Is there anything I can do?

 

[PremierFantasy88]

I'm no expert but my initial reaction if the fish is upside down/not able to right itself is some issue with the swim bladder

Unfortunately the few times I've come across this myself I've not been able to help the fish however there are treatments for sale that claim to be able to help (if this is the actual issue...)

If I was in this situation myself regardless of whether the fish survives or not I would be double checking all my water parameters to definitely rule out any water quality issues

 

[duddossa]

Some help please. This is my husband's tank. He is away with work. He did a water change on Sunday, parameter all good yesterday. This morning I fed the fish. Just had a look at them and a female gourami was at the bottom of the tank lying sideways. Loss of colour. I thought I should take her out but by the time I returned she had gone and I saw her floating at the top of the tank upside down. When I tried to take her out I noticed she wasn't dead and trying to right herself. Fins are moving, but she can't stay the correct way up. She has swam around the tank a bit but sideways or upside down. I remember she did have a rather long brown poo attached to her yesterday or the day before for a couple of hours. What could this be? Is there anything I can do?

I'm really sorry to hear about your gourami🥺 it sounds like a stressful situation for both you and the fish. From your description, it seems like she might be suffering from swim bladder disorder. This can happen due to various reasons, including overfeeding, poor water quality, or a bacterial infection. The long brown poo could be a sign of digestive issues which can affect the swim bladder.

Here's what you can do: First, check the water parameters again (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temperature).🧐 Sudden changes can stress fish and lead to health problems. If everything's normal, try fasting the fish for a couple of days and then feeding a pea (defrosted, peeled, and mashed) to help with potential constipation. If there's no improvement, you might need to seek advice from a vet who specializes in fish.🙂

 

[tayanna]

Thank you for your replies. She died a few hours after I posted. Now we have 3 males and 1 female which I assume is far too many males, so need to try and rehome 2 males

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Thank you for your replies. She died a few hours after I posted.

I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm not sure there is anything you could have done.

I've kept fish <"since the 1970s"> (I had a few years off in the middle) and I've never had one recover from where your fish was.

cheers Darrel