My dragon goby needs help

[Rabbit]

My dragon goby is sick and I have no idea what to do for him. He's floating on his side and is bent. On the side that is floating he has a stomach bulge. I've been watching him and every so often it looks like he is desperately trying to swim back down, but can't get anywhere and gives up and continues to float. The bulge is smooth and just on the one side. About a week before this he had started swimming backwards and upside down. He did that for a day and as suddenly as it started it stopped and he seemed completely normal.

In the month I have had him he's been in the wrong environment. He was in a freshwater tank with my Ryukin Goldfish (because I stupidly believed what the sales person at the pet store told me). Since doing a little research I have been slowly adding marine salt to his new tank and switched from gravel to sand. I'm hoping I did this in time and he didn't swallow a piece of gravel.

Is there anything I can do for him? TIA!

PS - if I put this post in the wrong place or this question has been answered before I'm sorry. I just found this forum today.

 

[Laticauda]

What are your ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte readings on this tank. Do you have a hydrometer or refractometer to measure the Specific Gravity (SG)?

 

[Pufferpunk]

All great Qs that need immediate answers.

 

[Laticauda]

So, did he die or something?

 

[SalmonAfrica]

Sounds like one of several things could have gone wrong here.

Fristly, you said that you changed your substrate from gravel to sand. Beneficial bacteria colonizes your substrate, and when you removed the gravel, you may have removed them too. Without this beneficial bacteria, most of the waste produced by your fish wouldn't have been able to be processed. Your fish would have suffered as a result of this.

Secondly, you may have also made the same mistake as many new dragon goby keepers and fed them the wrong food. They need quite small, sinking foods, and preferably should have a fair amount of frozen foods. If fed the incorrect foods, your fish may have been constipated or something similar.

Just two guesses.

Regards

 

[Pufferpunk]

I have changed out entire substrates & as long as my filters are established, I have not had a re-cycle occur. Sand is a much better substrate for them (especially arqaonite). You are very correct on the food though, they are filter feeders & #1 cause of death in these creatures is starvation.