Hello all,

I have male Dwarf Gourami on its side, I have currently put him in a clear breeder thing in the tank so the other fish don't pick on him. He is in a 37 gallon tank with an eclipse 3(250 gph) and a sponge filter. There are 9 danios, 6 rasboras, 4 peppered cories, and 5 glolites in there with him. The ammonia is at 0, nitrite at 0, and nitrate at 10. ph is about 7. I change out 15% of the water every week. Right now he is just laying there on his side, he ate a little this morning but it seems he cant get upright. I can't seem to figure out what's wrong with him...I have had him since september with no problems until now.

Your replies are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Sorry to hear about your fish. I've been through 4 or 5 dwarf gouramis in the past few years. People say they are hearty but I've found they are far from it. All of mine developed dropsy and eventually died, while the rest of their tank mates remained healthy.

Is your fish otherwise healthy besides being on his side? It may be a swim bladder problem, I've seen it happen to bettas. I'm not sure what course of meds would be best, probably an antibiotic.

Chrissy

thanks for your reply, he looks healthy aside from not being able to stay upright. He still has his color and still eats but i have to put the food right in front of him.

I'd suggest some medication, it could be a bacterial infection. The decision you have to make is do you want to medicate your whole tank or can you set up a hospital tank for the little guy. Good luck!

Chrissy

hmm...it seems like he has dropsy...his scales are a bit raised, i've read that dropsy is incurable?