I am a newbie to being a tank owner and I need help!

[LVA414]

Okay, so I bought a 20 gallon high tank. I put in the water, I added conditioner, I added tetra safe start, I gave it a week, and then I tested the levels. Ammonia is 0, Nitrite is 0, Nitrate is 20, Ph is 7.6, temp is 78.6. After seeing that the levels were fine I went to the pet store and bought two dwarf blue gouramis, named chichi and chachi. Well after two days one of them died, I figured she was already sick from the pet store. I went back and they kindly gave me another one. Now the 2nd one of the first pair I bought looks pale and is just lethargic. The new one is swimming around fine for now. I just wanna know if anyone has any idea of what could be going on with them. I appreciate any help I can get, thank you in advance.

 

[justcallmecute]

Hi there. Am not too sure but it could be sick as well when you first got it. Am not 100% but aquarium salt is good for them.


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[dezcookies]

I heard dwarf gourami are for more experienced people so I've stopped myself from buying one as of yet. I hope yours survive. I too would like to know how to keep them alive as I will be getting some in the near future.


Getting addicted...

 

[Coursair]

Okay, so I bought a 20 gallon high tank. I put in the water, I added conditioner, I added tetra safe start, I gave it a week, and then I tested the levels. Ammonia is 0, Nitrite is 0, Nitrate is 20, Ph is 7.6, temp is 78.6. After seeing that the levels were fine I went to the pet store and bought two dwarf blue gouramis, named chichi and chachi. Well after two days one of them died, I figured she was already sick from the pet store. I went back and they kindly gave me another one. Now the 2nd one of the first pair I bought looks pale and is just lethargic. The new one is swimming around fine for now. I just wanna know if anyone has any idea of what could be going on with them. I appreciate any help I can get, thank you in advance.

Retest water. Stop buying fish for now. Do a partial water change. Use Prime on the new water.

A. Your tank isn't cycled yet. Sitting empty for a week doesn't do it.

Here are some topics that you should read. They are Stickied at the top of Freshwater-Getting Started.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ou-get-started-with-your-aquarium-154837.html

B. Gouramis typically do not like each other. The dominant male may be intimidating or killing off the weaker males. So don't buy more Gouramis.

You didn't have a "pair" , you had two males. Females are almost never in stores and even true pairs may fight. They are similar to Bettas. Females are plain silver, no colors.

Read up on cycling and decide if you want to do a fish IN cycle or return the one fish and start over.

DGs appreciate live plants esp some floating plants like Amazon Frogbit.






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[RussSerio]

Pink kissers are an easier breed to begin with. Gourami get sick easily. Make SURE the tank is well cycled and don't overfeed.

 

[Coursair]

Pink kissers are an easier breed to begin with. Gourami get sick easily. Make SURE the tank is well cycled and don't overfeed.

Too big for a 20g. Still territorial. The "kissing" is usually a way to fight. It's a territorial display.
They get big fast, and some become extremely nasty.

From Wiki:
Kissing gouramis are also popular with aquarists for the fish's peculiar "kissing" behavior of other fish, plants, and other objects. Kissers of both sexes will often spar by meeting mouths and pushing each other through the water.[3] Large quantities of these fish are exported to Japan, Europe, North America, Australia, and other parts of the world for just this reason.[3] Kissing gouramis need a roomy tank to thrive; they grow rapidly, and juvenile fish will quickly outgrow smaller aquaria.[5] Kissing gouramis are territorial; some are tolerant towards fish of similar size, but others will bully, chase, and torment, causing significant stress on tank mates. Male kissers will occasionally challenge each other; however, the "kissing" itself is never fatal, but the constant bullying can stress the other fish to death. They often do in fact kill other fish by sucking the mucus off of their skin as food, which opens the victim fish up to infections. These fish may be useful as algae eaters to control algae growth. To prevent digging and to present enough surface area for algae growth, the substrate should consist of large-diameter gravel and stones. The aquarium's back glass should not be cleaned during regular maintenance, as the gouramis will feed on the algae grown there. Most plants will not survive the fish's grazing, so inedible plants such as Java fern, Java moss, or plastic plants are recommended.

These fish are omnivorous and need both plant and animal matter in their diets.[5] The fish will accept vegetables such as cooked lettuce and any kind of live food. Water hardness should be between 5 and 30 dGH and pH between 6.8 and 8.5; the temperature should be between 22 and 28 °C (72 and 82 °F). When breeding kissing gouramis, soft water is preferred. As the fish do not build nests, lettuce leaves placed on the water surface serve as a spawning medium. The lettuce will eventually host bacteria and infusoria upon which the fish will feed. The maximum length for kissing gouramis in aquariums is between 20 and 30 cm (8 and 12 in).




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[RussSerio]

I had mine in a 55g. Never saw them bothering the other fish, but I'm not saying you are wrong either. They can certainly hold their own, they are strong fish. Aggression does occur more when they are hungry, also.

 

[kpea43]

I'll also add that I have two powder dwarf gourami's. I put Broccoli in the tank for my Mystery snails, and my Gourami's LOVE it.


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