Gouramis off balance

[BAD_Habit]

My Gouramis (one of two) is acting up ....I noticed this today

At first he was just heading toward the top of the tank then drifting backward down again....

I went to the Pet supply to buy an additional filter (for my own preference) and when I returned I couldn't find him.

I was due for a water change so went about vacuuming the gravel. once i was almost done I guess all the other fish swimming about made him show his face but he was off balance....

I finished the water change and brought the water level back up and spent a good 30 minutes watching him...It looks as though he is gasping for breaths....so much his gills flare more than any other fish....(in comparison to the other gouramis)

I'm almost over my ammonia spike and ran a test this morning (reason i planned a water change)...But this am he was fine...
Ammonia test was a 1.0

he try's to swim but does all kinds of flips and has no orientation then lays on his side on the bottom......Ive even seen him curl up nose to tail a time or two.....
Its weird because all my other fish seem to be doing just fine....
I'm kinda disappointed and already accepting the fact I might lose this fish...but anybody have a clue to what is or what I may be doing wrong...

thanks in advance.

[somethingfishy]

Sounds like he may have Swim bladder disorder which unfortunately there isn't much you can do. I'm not 100% sure but it sounds like it may be. Your ammonia level is high though, you shouldn't have any ammonia. This is a new tank correct? Another thing I wanted to add is that Gouramis are labyrinth fish which means they can breath air so it will be the last fish to suffocate.

[BAD_Habit]

Just seems strange that he swam fine before and then poof ...He's handicap sort of speak..... [smiley=sick2.gif]

The last couple of hours he has been what i say is like a seizure...just flips all sorts of ways like crazy then stops and lays on the bottom for awhile then spazzes out again..

I know the ammonia levels are high I'm gonna wait a few more hours for the tank to circulate good and test again.....

it is a new tank ...12 days thus far... pictures in the gallery..

cant wait for it to settle and be less of a chore.

thanks for the reply [smiley=wave.gif]

[BAD_Habit]

Well while I posted that last post he passed on to fishy heaven....

guess thats how it goes...... [smiley=annoyed.gif]

[BAD_Habit]

Well after scooping him out and looking him over I noticed his head above his eyes looked bloody inside or internal....

look here

In an earler picture he had a lighter head

look here

Now with this knowledge could it be safe to assume that when i couldnt find him as stated earlier in the first post he might have been inside of one of the three decorations and beat his head about and caused a hemorage of some sort...

It sounds funny but as you can see in the 2 pictures his forehead is alot darker.....and if you cannot tell from the picture it is bloody beneath the skin....

poor fella....

it hasnt been 14 days I think i can get another fish from petsmart...lol.....