HELP! Dwarf Gourami in serous trouble!

Savannah

I have a neon blue Dwarf Gourami that i've had for about 6 months.He has been a very healthy fish so far.I was also keeping him with a golden wonder killifish that I had gotten about the same time,they got along and were fine together.But abot 2 weeks ago my killifish passed away of what i suspect was the water in my tank geting to hot because it is near a window and we had a few days in the 100's with no ac.Ever since my killi died my gourami has become much less active and will hide alot more.so i thought that he may have just been lonely and was planning on getting him some tank mates soon but tonight when i went to feed him he hid as usual and i dropped the food by his hideing spot where he usualy then eats when the food drifts down to him but he then suddenly started tilting foward and cant seem to get level on his own and goes under plants to keep him self level now his stomach is also bulgeing like he's bloated or something im affraid its the deadly gourami disease and was wondering if its just kinder to put him out of his misery or if i can save him.HELP!

Byron

I have little experience or knowledge on disease so I won't guess on the problem. But if you can provide more data then one of us may be able to help.

Tank size, water parameters (GH, pH, temperature), live plants, readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? How long has it been running? Water changes--how often and how much of the tank? Any substances other than water conditioner entering the tank?

Byron.

Savannah

10 galion,temp. is 80 degrees, i dont have a gh tester but i do know that my tank is acidic,my ph is 7.4 which i couldn't believe because i have always had soft water but i tested the water that i use to change the tank and its 7.4 too which is veryodd because its always been around 6.4,i do have ph down but i wanted your advice before i add it because i know lowering the ph quickly could harm the fish,but this is the only reading that was out of the normal range.

Nitrate-0
Nitrite-0
Ammonia-0.25

I have a moderately planted tank with floating Wisteria,the tank has been set up for about 2 yrs.,i do a 30%-40% water change once a week,no other substances have bben added besides water conditioner.

Byron

The temp is a bit high, this species would do fine lower [in our profile it gives 73-82F as the preferred range] so depending upon the other fish's needs, around 76-78F would be fine. Maintaining a lower temp means the fish has to work less to manage its internal equilibrium, thus it is better able to deal with things since it is not weakened or under stress. [You know about our profiles?] Otherwise, nothing stands out, so as to the fish's health I can't offer more. This species is plagued with health issues aqs the profile notes.

One comment on the pH, it is best to let this be what comes out of the tap. Tap pH can change, depending upon the water source (some municipalities may have more than one source for their water and these can have different parameters), or due to the municipality adding some substance specifically to raise pH. Places with acidic water often do this since it prevents corrosion of pipes and equipment if the pH is basic (above 7).

Without knowing exactly the cause, it would be dangerous to fiddle with the pH. The chemicals sold to adjust pH are highly stressful on fish, and depending upon the KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) of the water these may not work anyway, as the KH buffers pH to keep it stable at whatever comes out of the tap. KH is related to GH but either one can be higher than the other. You might be able to track down the GH and KH/Alkalinity from the water supplier, they may have a website.

Byron.

Savannah

thanks for the advice i will try lowering the temp. and do a water change to see if that helps (tank is due for one anyways) and just hope that he gets better,but if he dies i dont think i'll be getting another one i just wish i'd known about all the health problems they had before i got one,oh well i'd thought i'd gotten lucky because he was doing so good for the first few months.Also do you think it would be a good idea to add any fish soon or should i not risk it if he may have a contagious disease or parisite.

Byron

Is this the only fish in the tank? If yes, and it dies, we can discuss how to clean the tank. If there are other fish, let's see what develops.

Savannah

The gourami is the only fish in the tank but he hasnot died yet.