My Blue Gourami has had pop-eye on one side as well as a bulge beneath his eye for several months now. At first I assumed injury because of the asymmetry but after it didn’t clear up I’ve treated him with Erythromycin-laced food (per the protocol from Aquarium science) in a hospital tank and after 10 days I’m not seeing any improvement. That’s food on the bottom btw- I vacuum up what he doesn’t eat in a few minutes.
His behavior is normal (he’s the third gourami I’ve owned). He usually lives in a heavily-planted 29 gallon community tank that I’ve had going for a 10+ years and is 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, usually around 20ppm nitrate. Everyone else in the tank is healthy, no newcomers for about a year. He was part of that new batch and was fully grown when I got him- I don’t know how old he was but he did not look like this when I bought him.
I’m thinking at this point it’s likely a tumor, and that I’ll return him to the main tank to live out his days. Or am I missing something?
Posted by Cute_Witness3405