sick fish??

Question

I have a dwarf gerami* i think it is sick because it is acting very strange. it is sitting on the bottome of the tank and not moving very much and its friend is acting normal (same type of fish) and is at the top of the tank what could be wrong with it and how can i fix it????

I am pretty shure both of the ones i have are male and the color is darker than normal on the sick on if possible i will try to upload a pic

ive had them for at least 2 months

Answer 1

That could be so many different things or actually nothing at all. First check the temperature of the tank and make sure it's over 70F. If so ten look very closely at the fish and see if you can see anything that looks wierd at all. Fatter than usual? Colors off? anything at all. All the details about the fish and it's tank will certainly help. I'll watch the question for the additional info and edit my answer if I can help.

MM

Answer 2

I also had the exact same experience. 2 gouramis, both died in the same circumstances. There didn't seem to be anything physically wrong, but apparently our nitrate level was a bit high. Check your levels. Apart from that, it's unfortunate but it might just be unhappy in the tank environment in which case you can hope he snaps out of it, or acknowledge that you've done all you can and leave him to it. He might just be a lazy fish lol. Make sure he's eating - fish can become lethargic when they're not being fed enough.

Answer 3

Darkening color and inactivity can be signs of ammonia in your tank - do you have a test kit where you can check your ammonia level? If you don't have a kit, have you done a water change recently? If not, I'd suggest one of around 25% of the tank volume - just try to get the new water fairly close to the temperature of that in the tank and be sure to add dechlorinator.

See this link for symptoms of ammonia poisoning:
http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/ammonia_poisoning/

I'll check back as well for new info.

Answer 4

If it is a female, it is very likely your fish is pregnant, or is watching over a nest. If the tank is clean, look closely at your fish. If the tank is dirty clean it! But if you have been taking good care of them, and it is not eggs it is guarding, look closely, and you will most likely see some little white dots, or excess fungi looking stuff. In that case, I would talk to a fish professional either where you got the fish from, or if you have a Petco or Petsmart near you, try their too!

Answer 5

I just had the SAME EXACT experience, which culminated in my gourami dying yesterday despite my effort to help him out. I quarantined him in a bowl (they're anabantids, so I assumed a bowl would be okay; especially since I was medicating his water) and he just got worse and died. I think he had dropsy - bloated and scales sticking out. Before that condition became apparent, he was laying on the bottom a lot.