Gourami wont eat

Question
QUESTION: hi, we have a cycled tank with a dwarf blue gourami and he stopped eating
and just hangs at the top. treated him for constipation to no avail.he wont eat
red worms or peas or anything. he has been swollen on the side. we even
tried salt cuz we thought he was just constipated. he sometimes poops a thin
yellowish hair like poop but nothing normal. water is perfect and weve had
him for 1 1/2 year and this all started when we included red worms as a part
of his diet. he does not have droopsy. weve tried it all i think we need to
medicate. could you guide me? thank you so much. he is fading fast, getting
very thin. thanks.

ANSWER: Hi Susan,
Constipation leads to Swim Bladder Disease if not cured in time.  Bloodworms is not a good diet for fish, and should only be given now and then as a treat.  
Make a water change to remove some salt from the aquarium, as salt is no good for treating Swim Bladder.
You will have to act fast to save your fish.  Try to find "Kanamycin" which is a good antibiotic for Swim Bladder.  If you cannot find it, buy "Tetracycline" or Furan 2.  He needs a good antibiotic.  Seeing as he did produce waste, this may be a good sign.  Follow the instructions on the package, never overdose.
Hope this will help him, and that he will get better.
Lynda

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you sooo much for the quick reply. the water has been changed. we
only left the salt in for 24 hours. can i treat the entire tank? he shares it with
neons, and cory catfish. we have a 2.5 gallon filtered, heated (if needed),
cycled tank we have a king betta in. should we put the gourami in the 2.5 to
treat it and the king betta in a bowl during treatment? it would be far easier
to keep him where he is. thank you again.

Answer
Swim Bladder is not a catching disease, and it is better not to treat fish who are not sick.  Medication is the last step to take when treating fish.  Right now we have no choice but to try and cure your pet Gourami.  Since you know that your water quality is good, and that you have tried everything else, you must treat.  
I just want to mention, and this is very important...if you do raise the temperature for your Gourami, do this very very slowly.  one degree each day, as a rise too fast in temperature, could kill your fish.  Just thought I would mention this.  
If the water temperature doesn't go down too low, it would be better to but your betta in a bowl as long as the bowl is not too small.  I wouldn't want him to be stressed, and bring on another disease.  Putting something in the bowl that he is familiar with would help.  However, if he stops eating, and gets stressed, then you would have to put him back in with the gourami.
I worry about treating a betta who isn't sick.  
Watch him closely, and if you see any signs of stress, take him out of the bowl, and put him back in with the Gourami.  
This is always hard to know what to do when fish get sick...if it was a catching disease, I would say let him stay in, but seeing as it isn't he is better off without medication.  It is like us when we are sick, and take antibiotics... it is bad to take them if we are not sick.  This is why we should always be prepared when keeping fish.  We should always have a hospital tank to put the sick fish in.
Hope that everything will go well, and that you will save your little fish.
Lynda