brishe Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 We have a community tank set up with three striped gouramis, one is a male and two females, 2 bristlenose, some neons and two rainbow tetras. The Gouramis seem to spend alot of time on the bottom of the tank, they each have their favourite spot they like to go, they are eating ok and swim around occasionally but do spend alot of time resting on the bottom. Is this normal for Gouramis?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 not really ,as these are labyrinth fish, have you tested water quality ? But dont get me wrong they do explore the whole of the aquarium . when did you get them , do all 3 rest on bottom ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Are you sure they are gouramis? What gourami has stripes? Do you have a pic? Gouramis do not sit on the bottom. What size is the tank and how long has it been set up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fattythecatty Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 My gouramis have a couple of spots on the bottom of the tank that they like but for the most part they hang about at the top of the tank and I think that's where they're supposed to be. Sometimes they can be quite shy fish, is there anyone else hassling them in the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brishe Posted January 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 not really ,as these are labyrinth fish, have you tested water quality ? But dont get me wrong they do explore the whole of the aquarium . when did you get them , do all 3 rest on bottom ? The water ph is 7.0, ammonia nil but the nitrite is slightly high, We have had them about one month. Yes all three sit on the bottom. At feeding times they are active and they swim around the tank but i do notice them resting just above the stones quite alot,and hiding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brishe Posted January 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Are you sure they are gouramis? What gourami has stripes? Do you have a pic? Gouramis do not sit on the bottom. What size is the tank and how long has it been set up? They were sold to us as gouramis from a pet store (dwarf i think) and on the net i found a picture of them and they were called red striped gouramis with the male having red stripes and the females are blue with subtle red stripes the picture looked just like them but i could be wrong as we are new to tropical fish!! The tank is 90cm long and 120 litres. it has been up and running for about 3 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brishe Posted January 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 My gouramis have a couple of spots on the bottom of the tank that they like but for the most part they hang about at the top of the tank and I think that's where they're supposed to be. Sometimes they can be quite shy fish, is there anyone else hassling them in the tank? They dont look sick but they havnt always done this, they used to swim around alot more. The male is the bossiest fish in the tank and chases around the two girls alot but he hides aswel. I cant see any obvious signs of illness, i dont really know what to do next. I am having a slight problem with high nitrite though which i am trying to sort, maybe that could be an issue?? the other fish are fine though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billaney Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Are you sure they are gouramis? What gourami has stripes? Do you have a pic? the indian banded G has stripes Caryl i think this is what there talking about if thats correct , they do not spend a lot of time at the bottom but do like a rest every now and them . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 brishe, go back to the net and find the BIG name and write that down on this thread. We'll know exactly what you are talking about then Common names are misleading often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fattythecatty Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Wow, Billaney, those are nice gourami, wouldn't mind some of those in my gourami tank!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowfax Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 i had 3 of them in my tank & were active when i first got them & then the started to hide, then stopped eating & died. i had other gouramis, neons & platys so i dont know what the prob was either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 It sounds like Dwarf Neon Gouramis to me. I had two of these, briefly. Mine used to hang out middle-top of the tank. I think they died from either poor water quality or stress. I've read they don't like being with active fish? I had mine in with platys, tetras and a rainbow shark. I'd class tetras and platys as active fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL008 Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Hi All, I know a year or so back Hollywood stopped stocking these Gourami (they may stock them again now) because they couldn't keep them alive. Apparently the imported ones were heavily affected by parasites. Is this info any help? I know they are now selling them again in AKL (various places) so perhaps the problem was solved.. Cheers L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 If this is a behaviour they have started recently, I would be looking at water quality. If your nitrites are slightly up, what are the nitrates? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowfax Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 i heard they were a weak strain of fish, dont know if theres any truth to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
me love fishy Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 dwarf gouramis can be more shy than other gouramis ie golden gouramis but I do agree with what others have put here, I don't think they should be resting on the bottom all the time, my golden gouramis only rest on the bottom just before bedtime (lights out) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 Maybe somthing wrong with fish . lfs dwarves doing same thing . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brishe Posted February 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 i had 3 of them in my tank & were active when i first got them & then the started to hide, then stopped eating & died. i had other gouramis, neons & platys so i dont know what the prob was either. Did you have the same kind (red banded) aswel? because these were active too when i got them, now are hiding and dont spend alot of time eating either, one actually looks like it is quite skinny, man this is stressful, i got some filter medium to help with the building of good bacteria to combat the nitrite, our aqua clear 70 only has ammonia granules, carbon and a sponge at the bottom, petstore said that could b the prob with the nitrite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL008 Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 They are shy fish, but they should be hiding at the top or middle of your tank in plants (or something similar). They prefer slightly dimmer light too. Is the skinny one just skinny or is it a bit sunken in looking? If they are sunken in looking, they could have parasites. Are they on the bottom near the heater, or just generally on the bottom? If they are near the heater that is definitely a sign they are sick. If your nitrite is up, you should do a water change to get it down a bit (say 20%), which should take that stress of the fish - if their behavior changes after that you might not need to worry. Good Luck L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL008 Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 Also, you might find this helpful: http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?s=d ... pic=153493 Has the following information: Dwarf gouramis are one of the two most widely sold gouramis (the other being the three-spot gourami), and virtually every aquarium shop will sell them. They are generally peaceful, accept flake food readily, and are not fussy about water chemistry (though soft, acid water is best). However, despite being widely sold and seemingly easy to keep, they are in fact not easy fish at all. As with any pet animal, it pays to do your research first. Latin name Currently, the Latin name for these fish is Colisa lalia. You will see other names though, such as Polyacanthus lalius and Trichogaster lalius. Identifying dwarf gouramis In their normal form, males are characterised by oblique red and blue stripes, while females are plain silver. There are a variety of artificial forms as well, including some that may be hybrids with other gourami species. These varieties include all-blue forms (sometimes called neon, blue, or powder blue dwarf gouramis) and ones with a red body instead of the stripes (sometimes called flame, red, or sunset dwarf gouramis). Females of all these artificial varieties are more or less plain silver and similar to the wild-type fish. So what's the problem with dwarf gouramis? Put simply, these fish are astonishingly prone to mysterious bacterial infections. Once the fish begin to get sick, death is more or less inevitable. The symptoms are typically: 1 - Lethargy 2 - Loss of appetite 3 - Appearance of bloody patches (sores) on the skin 4 - Death Is this the same as Fish TB? Though the external symptoms are similar to Fish TB, the problem with dwarf gouramis is caused by a completely different bacterium. Fish TB being primarily an issue with marine fish, not freshwater ones. Fish TB is known to infect humans (albeit very rarely), but the dwarf gourami sickness, whatever it is, poses no known risk to humans. However, it is a good idea to wash your hands after handling sick fish, or for that matter anytime after you have worked in your aquarium. But I thought gouramis were hardy? In the wild state, they are. But dwarf gouramis are bred on farms, where antibiotics have been used freely to minimise losses. Once shipped to the retailer, the dwarf gouramis no longer receive antibiotic medication, and the internal bacteria can then start to cause problems. Inbreeding for colour varieties has probably lowered their intrinsic hardiness as well. What can I do? Above all observe two rules: only buy fish from tanks containing healthy specimens, Never, ever buy a dwarf gourami from a tank where there are sick, lethargic, or otherwise unhealthy-looking fish. Secondly, quarantine your fish rigourously. Dwarf gouramis should be quarantined before being added to the community tank, and any new gouramis (of any species) should be quarantined before being added to a tank with dwarf gouramis in it. Anything else? The bacteria seem to be opportunistic, so improving conditions generally helps prevent problems. Specifically, keep the water clean, and don't overstock the tank. Feed the fish on a varied diet, and use a good quality flake food as a staple. Dwarf gouramis like the water warm (25-28C, 77-82F); cooler conditions depress its immune system. Ideally, use soft, acid water, but whatever the water chemistry, perform frequent water changes. Do not combine with tankmates liable to stress the fish, such as tiger barbs, territorial cichlids, and so on. The less stressed the gouramis are, the healthier they are going to be. Social behaviour Like other gouramis, males can be aggressive towards females. Ideally, keep multiple females to every one male so that any aggression is spread out. However, since these fish are normally sold as pairs, you may not have that option. In this case, keep the tank thickly planted and provide lots of caves for the female to hide in. Do not keep a pair in a tank less than 60 cm in length (approx. 20 US gal.). Thanks to Fillet 'O' Fish for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 i heard they were a weak strain of fish, dont know if theres any truth to it. you could be on to somthing :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brishe Posted February 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 Hi, thanks for all that info, we did a water change on the saturday when we discovered the high nitrite then another on monday and am about to do another today, the nitrite is definatly coming down but now the ph is higher than its usual 7.0 its gone up to 7.5, Is there any thing i can do if its parasites?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL008 Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 Hi Again My two cents (and someone may know better): Check they are not constipated (ie have a line of poo hanging off their backsides) (if they are, try them with shell off, mushed peas) Add tonic salt (if you have loaches be careful). You could dose with antibiotics (you can get these from you lfs). Check all the parameters in your tank and make sure your filter etc are all working (sounds idiotic, I know, but you might just find you heater is broken or something like that). Your pH shouldn't have gone up unless you've added something to the tank (like shells, grit, something from the beach). You could try peat moss to get it down lower (don't bother with chemicals like pH up), but as it's only just gone up, I would wait and see. pH on 'new' water can go down after 24 or so hours) Having said that, if you have a high ammonia level, a pH like that will make it pretty harsh on your fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL008 Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 Oh! and take the carbon out of your filter if you are treating with antibiotics. This may be helpful: http://www.animal-world.com/encyclo/fre ... Diagnostic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowfax Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 mine where straight blue, could have been females??? i have notice in the lfs that there is always atleast one thats looks skinny & sick & i wont buy them, they look great & give colour to your tank but they just dont seem to last. good luck with treating them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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