deeadrian

HI everyone
sorry for not adding the ph etc - the boyfriend looks after the tanks (we have 2, sometimes 3) and the issue is in the big tank the 350 litre with lots of tropical fish - nothing new introduced for gees over a year now. everyone in the tank seems quite happy - too many bristelnose but we cull regularly and its probably getting that time again.
We have a pair of pearl gourami - maybe a year ago we bought the boy and girl, and for the last week the girl has been sinking to the bottom - literally like her bum is sinking. every now and then the boy goes to her and stirs her up and she can swim up to the surface, but her back end is still low in the water, and shes spending most of her time on the bottom in the plants. I dont want to lose her - can she be saved Nothing new has been introduced into the tank, we always change the water and everything else is fine, im just crushed I'll lose my girl and they made a nice pair

capekate

Hello and welcome to fishlore!
Im so sorry to hear about your female gourami. I had a pair once myself and I know what you mean when the other kind of nudges the sick one along. Its so sad.... I really do not know what to advice. Your tank has been up and running for a very long time, all your other fish are fine. If you had a quarantine tank available, maybe you should put her in there and start some treatment for her. Ive heard that when fish get constipated that they can also act like this. You did not mention any physical problems on her that you can see, like sores, fungus.. wasting.. Other than the swim problems that may very well be swim bladder. You can try feeding her a pea diet and see if that helps. Frozen peas work well for this, defrost it, peel it and cut it in teeny pieces and try to see if she will eat it. This may help. I also heard that you can try soaking some fish food in some medicinal paraffin, glycerol or castor oil may also help. If you have a quarantine tank set up, you may try separating her from the rest and try this diet and see if she improves.
I wish you the best of luck with her...

~ kate

COBettaCouple

Welcome to Fishlore.

I hope that she'll be able to recover. Does she look bloated around her belly area? I agree with Kate and would feed her 3 pellet-sized pieces of thawed & peeled frozen pea twice a day.

What is her regular diet?

sirdarksol

Welcome to Fishlore.

Hope everything goes well.