Gouramis?

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Gibberwatt

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jul 14, 2014
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226
Location
North Carolina
I got a pair on neon blue gouramis three days ago at the local petco. The day I brought them home, they were hiding behind the heater and the filter, and refused to eat (I am getting a floating plant soon for better hiding). The second day, the female (heater) ate, and the male (filter) didn't. The third day, the female ate, and the male didn't. This morning, I found the male doing his very best imitation of a board. He got the flush of honor, and now I am wondering, why did he die?

I don't know what my pH (I'm getting a test for that too) is, but I know that my water is on the hard side, and that ammonia and nitrite is good (don't know what nitrate is, getting a test)

My aquarium has been running with fish for over a year and a half, and I have only had one other unexplained death - an angelfish that couldn't survive me taking a two day trip to the grandparents.

Is gourami's death my fault, and how do I fix it, or is it Petco's fault, and how do I get another one without this issue?
 
Typical. Just typical. You go through all that research, trying to make sure that a fish will be happy, decide that you can get two, get two, the both die, do one google, and discover that they are super sensitive to almost any shock possible. Only you do this after you killed two fish.

Since I have decided that I do not have the water to avoid such fluctuations, and therefore do not have the capacity for dwarf gouramis, does anyone know a different (more hardy) breed of fish that would go well with a pair of angels and a red tailed shark?
 
Your Fish

Hello Gibb...

I try to read up on the needs of the fish and then set up the tank and run it for a couple of weeks before I get the fish. I have an extra filter running on an older tank so I can instantly cycle the new one.

Gouramis need a lot of surface plants, to feel comfortable. I have Hornwort, Anacharis and Pennywort floating in my Gouramis tank. They like to feed with their noses close to the surface and if there's a lot of surface plants, they feel like they're hunting. This is comfortable for them.

All fish need pure water conditions, so I make sure I change out a lot of tank water and do it every week. Traces of nitrogen from dissolved fish waste, stress the fish and they get sick. Remove the wastes, the fish stay healthy.

B
 
Never use the water from the store! Mix your water in the plastic bag... After few minutes just take fish from the bag and place in your tank. ONLY the fish...
 
This tank is a year and a half old, and I only ever had fish die offs when I got them from the store. The fish that live there now are perfectly happy, and I have never had a disease (other than stress ich, at the start). I don't have any floating plants though, I will get them tomorrow.

And I change water every week, scrub algea every week, scrub decorations every second week, and clean out filters when I remember (roughly once a month).

Could it be a lack of floating plants that stressed them to death? they were hiding behind the filter and heater.
 
Dont change the water that offen!
Never change mine over a year... Few times like a 20%..
Secret: do not over populate. Put Some plants.. Some shrimps... Some snails... This will keep an ecosystem.

I keep constant water circulation.
 
Your Tank

Hello again Gibb...

I keep several larger, planted tanks and large, regular water changes are the most important thing to a healthy tank. The wastes the fish produce from you feeding them can build to toxic levels quickly depending on the size of the tank. By removing and replacing the water regularly, you remove the dissolved wastes before they build up and make the fish sick.

In the 10 years I've been in the waterkeeping hobby, I've always changed out large amounts of tank water to maintain pure water condtions. In pure water, the fish are never stressed by forms of nitrogen like ammonia and nitrite. Simply put, these chemicals will kill your fish. Changing out the tank water regularly is the only way to remove toxins and maintain a stable water chemistry.

Change a lot of water and do it often and your fish and plants will be healthy.

B
 
That is what I am doing!! I was just wondering what people were saying, doing it only once every three months.
 
Dont change the water that offen!
Never change mine over a year... Few times like a 20%..
Secret: do not over populate. Put Some plants.. Some shrimps... Some snails... This will keep an ecosystem.

I keep constant water circulation.

You are saying change water every three months? That seems like not a whole lot.

That is what I am doing!! I was just wondering what people were saying, doing it only once every three months.
25% change a week is fine, honestly I think your worrying to much the other Gourami is still alive right? If you acclimated them properly it was probably just the stress of living in the store and then moving to your tank. I have a tank set up for hillstream loaches, got 3, 2 died in 48 hours and the 3rd is doing great and from the beginning was always the best looking one so I'm pretty sure it wasn't my fault and I will be getting more soon.
 
Actually, the other gourami just died. I think it was the stress of not having any floating plants to hide under. So, I went out to my local pet store, and tried to locate some hornwort, lotus, water lettuce, anything, and guess what... Neither petsmart, nor petco (the only fish things in my area) had anything more that a tiny lotus, some bamboo, and a ribbon fern. I'm so happy.
 
Actually, the other gourami just died. I think it was the stress of not having any floating plants to hide under. So, I went out to my local pet store, and tried to locate some hornwort, lotus, water lettuce, anything, and guess what... Neither petsmart, nor petco (the only fish things in my area) had anything more that a tiny lotus, some bamboo, and a ribbon fern. I'm so happy.
No local pet stores besides chains? that sucks :(
 
My two gourami are fine without floating plants. Can't keep anything alive that floats. So one made under the driftwood his area. The other hides under a piece of slate on the opposite end of the tank. No floating plants doesn't equal dead gourami.
 
Dont change the water that offen!
Never change mine over a year... Few times like a 20%..
Secret: do not over populate. Put Some plants.. Some shrimps... Some snails... This will keep an ecosystem.

I keep constant water circulation.


Yes, please do continue to do weekly partial water changes. That is the best thing you can do. I recommend getting a nitrate test and get a handle in where that level is. Acclimate new fish slowly, especially if there is a large ph difference between your water and store water.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
Do not change water so often...
Have some plants / snails / shrimps and make it auto sustentable
 
Gibberwatt, how big is your tank? Gourami are very sensitive when water conditions are not pristine. I do a 50% pwc every week like clockwork and my 2 males are happy and healthy.
 
Its a 29 gal with a red tailed shark, two angels, and some ich. I want to fix the last part, but I am vacation (My mother wanted to go the same day that the ich decided to stay).
 
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