Dragon goby help needed!!!!

[Aqua_blade]

HELP!!!!!!!!!!! I've had my dragon fish for almost a month he started in a 5gal tank (ik WAY to small but he was a baby his in a 10 now cause he grew) and after the third week he started to go to the top and gulp air I changed the water and went and got it tested and now the water almost perfect but his abdomen swelled up in the bad water it still hasn't gone down and he's really active for the normal sit at the bottom dragon fish I need to know how to help him cause he's by far my favorite fish

 

[Drx6x]

did you cycle the new tank? what's your substrate? they have a tendency to swallow gravel so sand is advised. he will need a much larger tank before long 75g is more where he will need. also they do better in brackish water than fresh but most be slowly switched it it as hes use to being in freshwater.

he will also very much like a cave to hide in can be made with pvc pipes and or stacked rocks.
you will also want to get a liqued test kit so you can monitor water conditions such as the api master kit

 

[Aqua_blade]

did you cycle the new tank? what's your substrate? they have a tendency to swallow gravel so sand is advised. he will need a much larger tank before long 75g is more where he will need. also they do better in brackish water than fresh but most be slowly switched it it as hes use to being in freshwater.

he will also very much like a cave to hide in can be made with pvc pipes and or stacked rocks.
you will also want to get a liqued test kit so you can monitor water conditions such as the api master kit

Thank you and he dose have sand I'm worried he might have swallows gravel but he floats so I don't think that's the case he seems to like float up when he stops moving and I bought him from Walmart stupid ik but he's use to fresh water I just wish I knew why he was bloated so I could help him thanks again

 

[Aqua_blade]

Oh and I checked the water before introducing him to the new tank I gave it maybe an hour to cycle tho I did have a water solution to help make the water safe

 

[predatorkeeper87]

Oh and I checked the water before introducing him to the new tank I gave it maybe an hour to cycle tho I did have a water solution to help make the water safe

I suggest reading up on the proper cycling of a tank. 1 hour isn't enough. You need somewhere in the neighborhood of a month if you do fishless old school cycling, and about 3-4 days if you use bottled bacteria.

He is most likely suffering from water quality issues regardless of what your lfs told you the water tests said. I don't trust LFS employees to carry the fish to the counter for me let alone test my parameters.

You need to get a bottle of Seachem Prime or Safe and start using it, also some Tetra SafeStart+ to move the cycle along. You need a MUCH larger tank as well, and start doing 15% to 25% water changes every day or every other day for a while.

Also as already mentioned above these fish prefer brackish conditions so I'd advise getting some aquarium salt and slowly raising the salinity in the tank.

 

[moe214]

You still need a bigger tank, what you're saying sounds like he has an air bubble in him, add Epsom salt, also an hour isn't enough as stated. They are fairly sensitive, and do good in brackish water, do you have it in freshwater?

 

[Aqua_blade]

You still need a bigger tank, what you're saying sounds like he has an air bubble in him, add Epsom salt, also an hour isn't enough as stated. They are fairly sensitive, and do good in brackish water, do you have it in freshwater?

Relatively fresh but I've heard aquarium salt is used to cleanse not actually salt so I've added some sea salt not unionised of course

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

Be careful not to increase the salinity too quickly. If he is in a 10gal tank, then you can change out 5gal everyday, or every other day as mentioned. Start adding a teaspoon of salt to the new water when you do a water change and make sure it is completely dissolved before putting it into the tank. Do this for a few weeks and then start adding a second teaspoon to the new water for a few more weeks, and so on and so forth. The process will tank months but you eventually want to end up with water that has a SG of 1.010-1.015 (oh yeah, you will need a hydrometer to measure the SG/salinity). I believe that you will end up in the range of 1 cup per every 5 gallons to get a SG of about 1.010. This should take care of the brackish needs of the dragon/violet goby. Just make sure you use marine salt (the stuff used to make saltwater for saltwater fish, not just regular aquarium salt).

Ok, now to discuss the health of this guy. He looks pretty thin. It is not uncommon for them too come pretty thin from the store, especially if it was WalMart. However, it shoul only take a week or two for them to start to thicken up. They are filter feeders and will "inhale" their food. I used to feed mine brine shrimp pellets and they would just sit with them and gulp them and spit them out until the pellet broke apart and they would eat the tiny pieces as they broke off. I would strongly recommend you try some brine shrimp pellets. Also, these fish don't float. The swim around the bottom but they sink. I don't believe they even have a regular swim bladder but instead they have a modified swim bladder that allows them to "breath" air. This is why the fish is gulping at the surface. It is also a sign of poor water quality. In a healthy aquarium, they will stay on the bottom at all times. Even when they swim around, it will be on the bottom only. As mentioned, the tank needs much more than an hour to cycle. It sounds like your tank is still cycling and the fish is letting you know by gulping air at the surface. These guys are very sensitive to ammonia and nitrites.

Now, for tank size, as some have already mentioned, these guys get way too big for a 10gal aquarium. They regularly (and rather quickly) can reach 24" and be as thick as your average wrist size. A 75gal is the minimum to keep them but a 125 would be best, or bigger if you want.

I know that this is a lot to take in but these are not your average fish. When kept under the right conditions, they are very hardy and fun fish to keep. Not really anything more "dragon-like" that I know of. If you don't meet their requirements, then they will suffer and eventually pass away. You are seeing the beginning stages of this with yours but it's not too late yet.

A few questions that can help better guide you:

What are you feeding it?

Do you regularly see it eat?

What type of dechlorinator are you using when doing your water changes?

When can you get a larger tank for it?

Are there any other tank mates in the tank with it?