HELP

[aquaplanner]

Got a gourami for my 20 gallon and is it normal for mollies to be chasing it every once in awhile? Is this a dwarf gourami? And what sex?

 

[aquaplanner]

I also realized my panda Cory has a small red opening on the gills! What can I do?

 

[bud29]

Well, mollies can chase other fish once in a while. As long as it is not constant, I would say it's OK. Could you get a better pic of the gourami? I can't really see its coloration. Also could you get a pic of the panda cory?

 

[aquaplanner]

Sorry my panda Cory is an albino Cory, and here are the pictures.

 

[bud29]

From what I can see I would guess that it is a female dwarf gourami. That red spot on the cory is not good. Do you have a hospital tank?

 

[paytertot]

It could possibly be irritation from the rocks. Cories are normally kept in sand, but I'm also pretty sure the problem is normally their bellies, not faces. So I'm not sure.

 

[aquaplanner]

What can I do to fix it? I'm thinking about moving my dwarf gourami to a 10 gallon solitary with maybe a few more dwarfs, but how many?

 

[Cynic]

Just make sure you do frequent water changes and your cory should recover. Your substrate looks very large and smooth based upon the pics so I'm not of the opinion that's to blame.

 

[aquaplanner]

How can I improve the Cory's condition, I do water changes every week. And could I have a breeding pair of dwarf gouramis in a 10 gallon alone?

 

[bud29]

I would say that a 20 gallon would be the mimum tank size for a breeding pair.

Do you have the 10 gallon right now? Are dwarf gouramis already in it? If you have it up and running and there are no gouramis in it I would put the cory in. It might get better if you do water changes, but I would feel better if I moved it and gave it special attention. If you use medications make sure that they are OK for scale-less fish as cories have barbels and no scales. And don't use Melafix in a tank with gouramis as I believe it damages their labyrinth organ.

 

[aquaplanner]

What's a labyrinth, and what the difference? Please tell me everything you can about labyrinths and how to care of it, also, can you recommend any medicine to treat the Cory?

 

[aquaplanner]

I also heard gouramis like floating cover on the surface, would bubbles be alright, it's a 1/3 thick!

 

[Tetra1990]

What's a labyrinth, and what the difference? Please tell me everything you can about labyrinths and how to care of it, also, can you recommend any medicine to treat the Cory?

Labyrinths are like primitive lungs. Fish such as bettas and your dg sometimes breath air from the surface of the water. Sorry I'm no medication expert.

 

[aquaplanner]

So, dgs would need well oxygenated water, I have no problem with that, my whole surface is covered with bubbles and an airome!

 

[aquaplanner]

How do I sex a gourami, I know females have duller color, but at my pet store, it's hard to tell!

 

[bud29]

I believe gouramis like floating plants. I recommend something like brazilian pennywort.

If you can QT the cory, you can use Melafix. Pemafix and Maracyn would also work. I suggest using Melafix or Pemafix though because Maracyn is very strong stuff. Melafix is quite common so I bet you could you could find some where you live.

As for sexing Dwarf Gouramis, the females are usually so dull in color they are almost just plain grey, with small hints of color. Many stores just sell males because nobody wants the females unless they are breeding them

 

[aquaplanner]

Like before, they said that melafix may affect the Cory because it was scaleless or had barbs(???).

 

[bud29]

I don't think melafix hurts the cory, it hurts the gourami's labyrinth organ.

 

[aquaplanner]

What's the difference between their organs and what other medications can I use besides melafix?

 

[aquaplanner]

What can I feed gouramis other than floating flakes? Why type of food can I fee it using hikari brand? And what's the difference between labyrinths and other fish?