Gouramis energency

[shelbidavis]

My water conditions are great it says, but I had a red fire gourami die yesterday (the day petsmart got them in and the day I bought it yesterday) and I woke up today and it was dead. I got a new one today and this one seems to be dying too!!! All of my other new Gouramis I got yesterday too are perfect. What do I do!!! He is barely swimming. Doesn't move from the top corner staring at the surface. He is dying too!!! And I don't know what to do!!! Anything to help please


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[shelbidavis]

I even touched him one and he didn't even move, is it water change shock? I let him sit in the bag for a long time before I put him in I don't understand why the red fire gouramis keep dying and all my other fish are great. Should I do a salt water treatment? I think he is stressed so I don't want to stress him more.


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[Coursair]

My water conditions are great it says, but I had a red fire gourami die yesterday (the day petsmart got them in and the day I bought it yesterday) and I woke up today and it was dead. I got a new one today and this one seems to be dying too!!! All of my other new Gouramis I got yesterday too are perfect. What do I do!!! He is barely swimming. Doesn't move from the top corner staring at the surface. He is dying too!!! And I don't know what to do!!! Anything to help please


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All your other new Gouramis ???

Gouramis fight with each other. Your new DG probably is being bullied or is too scared to move.

What is your complete stock list ???

How many and what kind of Gouramis do you have ???

What other fish ?

When a new fish dies, don't run out and get more fish. Test your water first. And learn if new fish are compatible.

Test strips aren't accurate. Make sure you are using a liquid test kit.

Most Gouramis for sale are male. Males will often kill each other.

Your tank needs more plants, esp floating plants ( at least from the last picture I saw ). Looked nice, but very bare.

Dwarf Gouramis are 100% male in my area. Females are basic silver and you can only get them special order. Even pairs may fight.

Different species of Gouramis usually fight as well.

Remember Gouramis are cousins to Bettas. NOT schooling fish. Not social with each other. SOME people mix them safely. Many try and end up with dead Gouramis.

Also there is a Gourami disease that kills many DGs

Return the fish ASAP.

Consider setting up a quarantine tank in the future.


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[shelbidavis]

Nothin is bullying him. I didn't know test strips were inaccurate that's not good..I have liquid ammonia test kit and that's good. But the rest is the strips. I've read that Gouramis do good in threes, so I got three. No fish have touched him at all. I don't have another tank. Besides a fish bowl I could put him in, he is struggling staying on the surface. I promise I'll do better on research but for right now I want to make sure he lives through the night. I can't bring him back it's midnight. So should I put him in the little bowl, or just leave him to struggle to the surface? He is in a 46 gal. With some tetras and two outer Gouramis and a red tail shark.


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[Coursair]

If you have a spare heater you could put him in a bucket with tank water.

I'd leave him in the tank otherwise. Too cold could kill him as well.

Take him back tomorrow if you can.

What are the other two Gouramis ?

Test strips are better than nothing, but drops are more accurate.

I would do a partial water change even if tests are fine. Use Prime.

My water company occasionally does odd things with my local water


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[shelbidavis]

The other two Gouramis are a blue dwarf and the other is the striped red one. They've been totally fine for two days now. It's just the fire Gouramis that must have a disease or something. They both showed bad sign when I took them home. Saddly I thought it was just from transportation but i guess not. I wouldn't of bought a new fish. I feel so bad! Yes I'll have to take him back in the morning so he doesn't die


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[Coursair]

Keep an eye on your other 2. Once they settle in they may fight. It can get nasty.

Your tank is big enough for two territories, but plants fake or real will help them relax more.

I would not add more fish for a week or two. Make sure your current fish are all fine.


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[kribensislover]

Have you heard of drip acclimation? It's possible that the fish was sensitive in the changes between the pet store water & yours. I know other people have long complicated process but I'll tell you what I do. I have a net Breeder and I put the bag in the net breeder in the tank to acclimate to the temperature and I also open up the bag that the fish is in. After about 15 to 20 minutes maybe half an hour when I feel like the temperature is the same, I begin pouring between a quarter cup to a half a cup of tank water in the bag very slowly every 20 minutes until the bag is full. Then I pour half of the water from the bag down the drain & begin the process again, repeat, etc. Usually my acclamation process takes around an hour to an hour and a half. When I first started keeping fish a couple of years ago I didn't know anything about drip acclimation & I lost a lot of fish from putting the fish right into my tank after only acclimating it to temp. Also pouring the water from the bag into my tank has caused diseases.

Or maybe the store just has a bad batch of fish.
Sorry for your loss. I always hate loosing fish [emoji20]


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[trennamw]

If the fish had just arrived in the store then you took it home, it may be osmotic stress.

As the above helper suggested, there is more to changing environment than temperature. There may be differences in pH, and in total dissolved solids (the amount of stuff in the water, from medicines to minerals). Recent research suggests that big changes in osmotic pressure can kill fish more than pH.

When I buy fish from a big box store I make sure they've been there for a week, and then I drip acclimate. But I actually drip, I find it more gentle and low maintenance than Pouring in some every few minutes. Our LFS suggests the pouring method for all fish and the dripping for sensitive fish.

I just prop the bag in a pitcher or whatever will hold it upright, run a piece of airline tubing from the tank to the bag, start it siphoning, then tie a knot so it drips slowly. When the bag is full I check for a temp difference (there usually isn't one), turn off the tank lights, and transfer the fish.


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