Gourami with Swim Bladder disease

Hello Prof

My Gourami seems to have picked up swim bladder disease
The symptoms all point to it.

He is healthy, swims around goes to the top for air, but ends up lying on his side or against a plant when motionless.
He still eats when food is made available

Having read up about it, it seems that overfeeding is usually the cause.
The cause is easily rectifiable

My question is, how do we recitfy the current situation.

I'vre read of feeding peas as a laxative.

Do you agree with this?

Is there something else I can do.

He has been like this for about 2 days now, with milder symptons first having started about 4 days ago.


Thanks



Gilbert

 

Are you sure you are not referring to constipation as opposed to swim bladder dissease?

 

Gilbert,

Swimbladder infections which are quite a common problem in fishes such as discus are the result of an infection of the sphincter muscle of the swimbladder. The swimbladder is an organ which can be compared to a balloon and now the muscle that keeps the balloon closed or open has become infected and cannot regulate the passage of air, in or out. The air is normally transported into the swimbladder by being dissolved in the blood and being released there, but the fish can release additional air from the swimbladder by means of the sphingter muscle and then the air the released via the vent of the fish.

Unfortunately this is not easily treated at all and a laxative will not work. You need to treat the infection and this can be done by means of sulfonamides such as Purbac or equivalents which have to be dissolved in the water (I do not have dosages with me here at work). It would be best if you could place him into the separate tank for treatment, with plants of sorts so that he is not additionally stressed.

In discus the treatment is successful in about 30% of cases, in the rest the fish has to be destroyed. What I am saying is that the chances of recovery are poor. If you say he started 4 days ago, you can see that the infection must have progressed quite a but by now and it is dubious if he/she will still recover. If the fish is bloated then he most probably has an infection of the internal organs as well, which is again difficult to treat.

Sorry about the bad news.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

Hi Laure, I was reading up and apparantly constipation can affect the swim bladder, bringing on SBD. It could very well have been inaccurate info

Thanks Dirk

One more question.I the infection contagious?

On closer inspeciton, my female Gourami is bloated.
They where trying to spawn 2 weeks back, and it could be that she is carrying eggs.

 

The infection is not contagious, however bloat very definitely is. It is often caused by Aeromonas bacteria. Overfeeding with food that contains too little roughage or vegetable matter together with too few water changes are the most common causes of bloat.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

How do you treat bloat?

 

Heavy antibiotics, check the internet, but they all stop your biological filtration, so this is not good.

 

Hello Prof

Its definately only the Male Gourami that is ill.

He is not bloated in anyway, just cant float the little bugger.

I would really like to try the Purbac route, and give him a chance.
Could you give me the dosage when you get a chance? Much appreciated.