very upsetting ...

[nlifs]

As I was walking by the tank a few hours ago, I noticed one of the honey gouramis seemed to be struggling behind the filter (where the HOB filter pump is located). Seemed to be wedged there fairly tightly but eventually managed to get itself free ...

about 30 minutes later, we found the same fish with its head in the gravel and tail facing up ... it eventually swam to the surface, took a gulp of air and then headed all the way down again. It remained lying on the surface for about 45 minutes and just now swam back up, took a breath, and floated down.

May not be so clear from the picture, but it looked as though one of its ventral fins/"feelers" was damaged/broken ... they are pointing in different directions and one stayed pointing along the body of the fish even when it was swimming. The other is pointing out at an angle at all times (even while the fish is lying sideways now on top of a plant).

I'm assuming this fish will not survive the night but I'm very concerned about the cause of death. Did I do something wrong? Did it die because of an injury or some other cause?

Perhaps more importantly, any ramifications for the other honey gourami? It has been floating in place underneath the filter output (which is baffled, so that location may actually be the most calm in the aquarium) for awhile now ... It's also very pale (almost white). Not sure if that's because it might be a female?

For those who have been following my other posts, I've had a fairly rough introduction to this hobby ... too many fish deaths to count.

For what it's worth, here is some further information about the current status of the aquarium:

2 honey gouramis (one in very bad shape)
6 forktail rainbowfish, who are very energetic and generally seem healthy
1 cardinal tetra (the others had their fins chewed off and died)
1 nerite snail

Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = around 5-10

This is all quite upsetting. Any advice/suggestions/encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

 

[nlifs]

Also, in case it's relevant, I've had quite a significant growth in diatoms (the brown algae) in the last week or so ... mostly visible on some of the tank decor.

 

[Andy Sager]

Unfortunately, since your Rainbows went after your Cardinals, it's also possible they were going after the more peaceful gourami. It's also possible that the other gourami hassled it causing it stress. It's also possible that it's just the Gourami. I believe we tried to talk you out of Gouramis in general due to the fact that many carry a non curable disease. I can't say from your picture that it was the Iridovirus but stress is one of the major causes that "activate" ( for a lack of a better word) the virus.

I'm not really sure where you are getting your other stocking advice from but so far, you have been having issues after you purchase your fish and ask us why. You would be better off if you got better advice BEFORE you purchase the fish so that you don't get questionable fish. Unless you are getting really rare fish, if you see a fish you like in a store, there's a good chance they will get them again so you can jot down names of fish you like then research your self or ask us if they would do okay with your tank and other fish. If you go back to the store and they are not there, ask when they should get them back in. It shouldn't be long.
As I've said before, the key to a successful tank is patience.

 

[nlifs]

Hi Andy, you're right of course. I was relying too much on the folks at the store ...

It is about a 30 minute drive away, so getting names of fish, coming back to ask about them, and heading back to the store would be a bit tricky (I have mobility issues as well). That's my 'excuse' for what it's worth ...

So, where to go from here? Assuming this fish indeed passes, what are my options going forward? Should I get rid of the rainbow fish? If so, how? I don't think the LFS would take them back and, even if they would, I have no idea how to transport them ... Alternatively, are there other fish that could co-exist with these guys?

I was hoping to get some corys next but the LFS didn't have the ones I wanted (salt and pepper). Would any other corys be suitable replacements?

Anything I need to do to the tank to better prepare for the next arrivals?

We are looking to eventually have a nice, active, moderately planted and peaceful community tank. At this point, I'm amenable to trying livebearers again if that's the way to go.

Once it's stable, I can get the kids to help with feeding, water changes, etc. but I can't do that if fish are dying on me every day.

Ultimately, the reason I started this project is to have a peaceful, relaxing hobby that I could use to teach the kids some responsibility ... unfortunately, the journey so far has been anything but relaxing.

Apologies for the rant. Any further suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[nlifs]

Reading up on these symptoms ... do you think it could be a swim bladder issue? If so, should I try to take this fish out and do an Epsom salt dip or something? About an hour ago, it swam to the top to breathe, then did a series of loops/figure 8s before ending up upside down on the gravel ...

 

[Andy Sager]

Reading up on these symptoms ... do you think it could be a swim bladder issue? If so, should I try to take this fish out and do an Epsom salt dip or something? About an hour ago, it swam to the top to breathe, then did a series of loops/figure 8s before ending up upside down on the gravel ...

My guess is that it's too late for any meaningful recovery. Figure 8s and loops are a sign of impending doom. If you can euthanize, I'd do it. If you can't, I'd expect to find a dead fish tomorrow or the next day.

As for your "excuse", all I can say is " How's that working for you? " ( Not trying to be mean, just realistic. ) I had a pair of guys who drove a 100 mile circle every Sat or Sun to go to the top 5 stores in S. Florida ( ours being #1 of course :^D ) to see what fish were available and or to buy. My " local" shop is 45 minutes away. You do what you gotta do.

Here's the main issue so far: You added fish ( the Cardinals) that like a more relaxed surrounding. You added a fish ( the rainbows) that like high activity. That had to be stressful for the cardinals and in the end, they got picked on and died. You also have the Gouramis now that also like a slow paced tank in a tank with high activity fish so they too can not be really happy. They also may have a genetic weakness due to their breeding. Stress is NOT their friend. So you need to first decide if you want a high activity tank or a slow paced tank. Which ever one you want, you only add the right fish for that choice. Not all fish go together. Just because you like them does not mean they will fit. You can always look up the fish you have and ask Google or Bing or whatever what are the best tankmates for that fish. I just did that for your Rainbows but you really needed to understand the answers. They were very broad and so very easy to get the wrong fish. For example, a suggested tankmate was Tetras. Here's the problem, there are over 100 species of Tetras. Some will work and some won't. ) So the research on the Rainbows would yield the answer " Tetras that are of a similar size and disposition." That rules out Cardinals for sure. Bloodfins or Silvertips would be okay as long as they were the same size of your rainbows or larger and you wanted to have an active tank. Here's another trick: When you are at the store, stand back from the tank of fish you are interested in and see how they are acting. Is they are stationary, they will probably not do well in an active tank. If they are swimming around actively, they will not be a good fish for a tranquil tank.

As for the 30 minute drive to get fish, what I was saying was that if you go to the store and see something(s) you like, you do/get the research on them and go back to the store another day to get them. You can always call the store before heading back to make sure they still have them in stock before you head out. I understand your mobility issue can cause problems but there is always a work around.

As for the cories, the answer depends on what kind of tank you want. The tank will be fine without them until you CAN get them ( if they fit. )

There's nothing you need to do to prepare the tank going forward past deciding what kind of tank you want and picking the right fish for it. That and regular maintenance.

As for having a " peaceful and relaxing hobby", there are some who find the weekly care and upkeep of the tank to be very therapeutic. At one point, I was caring for 400 tanks and never thought of it more than something I needed to do to do what I was doing. For 6 days a week, I got to watch the fishies. The 7th day I had to maintain the tanks so I could spend 6 days watching the fishies. If you want 7 days of no work, you'd need to hire a service to maintain your tank.

I think I covered everything. :^)

 

[nlifs]

Thanks as always!

Unfortunately I did indeed wake up to an upside down and no-longer-breathing gourami today. Also, looking at my camera feed from last night, the other gourami was exhibiting some symptoms as well ... at some point, it started swimming in 'jerky' motions and ended up sideways on the gravel for several minutes. Since then, it seems to be more or less "normal" (hiding near the top/bottom of the tank but swimming seems fine). This morning, I also noticed string poop from that fish, but not sure if it's a parasite or the fact that it may not have been eating much.

Should I try an epsom salt bath for the remaining gourami, or perhaps some peas? I don't have any medication to provide (nor do I have a quarantine tank) and I wasn't sure about using regular aquarium salt as I have the other fish and a snail.