EXTREMELY bloated gourami?

[Dow]

My little brother's opaline gourami has a HUGE belly but is otherwise completely healthy. It's been this way for a rather long time. It's a 30 gallon cmomunity tank. Is this normal?

[Mzungu]

How long is "rather long?"

Are his scales protruding out? Do his eyes look normal? Or does he just look a little pudgy?

No other fish are bloated in the tank? What other fish are in the tank?

If you could provide a picture, that might help.

[Dow]

The eyes are completely normal, scales are all laid back. It's not pudge, his stomache looks like he ate a balloon goldfish!
No other fish are like this. There's a paradise gourami, a female betta, 3 kuhli loaches, another opaline gourami, two golden veil angels, an large amazon sword plant, a chinese algea eater... Just a small but eclectic mixture of fish and everybody's fine.
He's been this way for a few months.
I'll try to post a pic when I get home but it is wierd!

[Dow]

here it is. The rest of its body is perfectly fine, his eyes are normal size, fins are healthy, scales are down, just a few spots where he fought with another.

[Mzungu]

Wow.

Is the bloating the same on both sides, or is it more prominent on one side?

[PhishPhreek]

the one with the longer point on its top fin is a male the one with the shorter rounder top fin & bellyful of eggs is a female. Put them in a bare 15g tank with 6" of water & a few floating plants and make room for baby gourami )

They breed in bubble nests like bettas but the eggs float so you can remove both parents after they spawn. Get some microworms or BBS to feed them but don't start feeding them till they are a week old.

[Dow]

Its both sides.


Seriously? That is totally awesome! my little brother will be thrilled.