gold gourami

Question
I'm not sure if you will be able to help me or not, but you were the only person who was not away or maxed out! i have a tropical tank - not sure of the size but it is big. i have a veriety of fish from silver sharks, angels and barbs. i also have a couple of gourami's in the same tank. myself and my partner have just been away on holiday.... we brought the fish a holiday feeding block from our local supermarket, but when we got back we noticed that the gold gourami has almost trebled in size!!! my first thought was that he had eaten one of the other fish, but after extensive searching on the net, I'm not sure now. i don't really know what is wrong with my fish, but he is very fat. some say it could be constipated.... but would this make this fish that big? others have said it could have internal problems such as a tumor or something. i have read that there is a thing called pineconing - where the scales stick away from the body, and i think my fish has started to do this. does this mean that my fish will die? or is there anything that i can do or buy to save him? also some of the other fish seem to be attacking him since he has become "ill"! what do i do, as i don't have another tank?

Answer
Hi Claire,
  It sounds like an internal problem (blocked intestine or something like that).  It would be really difficult for a gourami to eat another fish (they have very small mouths).  

 Pineconing is a symptom, not a disease per se.  Unfortunately, it doesn't look good for him.  Ideally, you should separate him.  You could put him in a new plastic bucket if you don't have another tank.
Basically, the blockage needs to resolve itself, which it might do, given a little time.  Some people recommend putting epsom salt in the water.  I have never tried that, but you might search the web and see what people say about that.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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