dwarf guarmi question

[eeeeevon]

Hi all-
We just got our first tank up and running about 3 weeks ago. It's a 6 gallon, (fresh water)--
we've got 2 small guppies (male and a female),
3 mollies (2 female one male), and
1 swordtail (male)
2 Platy (female/male)
and
one blue male Dwarf Gourami

The blue Gourami was very docile at first and got along with all the other fish-- but just this week he's started chasing the others away-- sort of nipping at them-- Is he just getting territorial? Is this something to worry about- or will the fish drama just play itself out?
We thought about getting a female Gourami to keep him company- but have been getting mixed information on whether or not that is a good idea.

any advice??

 

[grimlock3000]

That is typical for a Gourami to get all moody after being fine for a while. First, you would probably want to try getting a larger tank if possible. It is all too easy to overstock a small tank (like I did). If that is not an option, add some plants, Gouramis love plants and mine calmed down when I added some huge plastic plants to the tank.

 

[eeeeevon]

thanks!

Thanks for the advice!! We'll try the plants first and then see how it goes.

 

[madasafish]

Actually... I think you should probably go with Grimlock's other suggestion. Plants will not solve your overstocking problem.

You have really overstocked the tank... by about a factor of 2. Unless you have a fluval 304 on the tank, you will have problems filtering the waste out of the tank, and you will have greater problems with aggression. Fish don't like being cooped up, I'm afraid.

The illustrations on boxes at the petstore lead you to believe you can put 20 fish into a 6 gallon tank. Not so, unfortunately...

The gourami will continue to be a problem. Most books/sites rate them as peaceful fish, but this only applies to when they're in a large tank with non-conspecifics (other species). When they're in small tanks, they will turn their aggression on other species. My recommendation is to wither return the gourami and 2-3 other fish (to lighten the bioload in your aquarium), or to start cycling a 20-gallon or larger tank to put half of the fish in. Either way, you should start soon, as smaller, less aggressive fish will not survive constant battering by the gourami. After a fish has been knocked around enough, and when he's (she's) weak from the struggle, all of the fish will start to nip at him, perceiving him as food.

Sorry to say it, but you need to take more decisive action... I'd really recommend a larger tank.

BTW, did you get an Eclipse 6,? If so, shame on them for misleading you with the picture on the box--really unrealistic. Also, shame on the petstore employees for allowing you to overstock a tank.

 

[eeeeevon]

madasafish suggestion...

HMMMMMM... Thanks for your input.. We DID get the Eclipse 6...and yes we thought it would handle 9 fish just fine... FUnny that you mention it cause-- we had that EXACT conversation when looking at the box!

Is there a fish/per gallon ratio that we can use as a guide in the future..
you are saying 7 per 5 gallons (small fish -- mollies, guppies etc)?

I'm so loving our new fish, really getting into them- so we want to give them a nice home!

thanks again for the input

 

[blue_neon]

in a fw you will want a a max 1 inch of fish per gal... so like one guppy would need about one gal and a Dwarf Gourami would need about two ... but if you did not cycle the tank before you put the fish in i would suggest that you get a 20 gal and put ur fish in there and wait for it to cycle and then you can even add fish or get at least a 10 gal to put 6 of the fish in(you could leave your guppies and your Gourami in the 6 and move the rest.

 

[madasafish]

Urg. My worst fears confirmed, eeeeevon (I'm telepathic, no?). You're going to have a rocky road ahead of you cycling a small tank which is overstocked. Get ready to do a lot of water changes (not a huge deal in a tank that size), and to monitor the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the water.

Do you have a test kit? I'm REALLY glad to see that you're getting into the fish (always nice to add an enthusiast to our ranks!), but I would seriously advise you to either get the larger tank or return some fish. My guess is that even with extra effort, you may lose a lot of fish.

Here's what to do regardless of your decision:

A tank will experience what is called an "ammonia spike" when the fish waste first begins to build up (ammonia is a natural product present in bodily waste). Regardless of your filter, the level of ammonia (poisonous to fish if it is present in water in more than .5 parts per million) will rise past 8 parts per million (the limit tested in most kits). If you leave the tank be, you will almost certainly start to see your fish dying off. Probably one per day or so after a few days, for a week and a half.

The tank needs to develop the bacteria which convert ammonia to nitrite, nitrite to nitrate and nitrate to NO2, which off-gasses from the tank, and rids your tank of excess nitrogen. (all a bit confusing, but simply think of the four chemicals, and the fact that ammonia and nitrite are poisonous to fish). This is called "Biological filtration." Read up on it if you've never heard of it--it's extremely important. (I'm glad to see you have an Eclipse, though, as that has a Bio-Wheel that helps biological filtration a lot by housing bacteria.)

What helps you out? Well, Bio-Spira (hard to get, but ask around on the site) will instantly cycle your aquarium (p.s. Allivymar knows a LOT about this), and an ammonia-reducing pack in your filter (made by Aquaclear and other companies) will neutralize the ammonia (converting it to a less poisonous form). I recommend trying to get the Bio-Spira, and if you can't find it using the ammonia-reducing pack and "cycle" by Hagen, or another similar, (much less good than Bio-Spira) product to help establish the "nitrifying bacteria."

Phew. A lot to write. Anyone else want to add to this?

 

[Madame_X]

Agreed. Your tank is overstocked.

I have an Eclipse 12 with 2 neon blue dwarf gouramis, 3 platies and two upside down catfish. Even THAT is probably pushing the stocking limit (the catfish will have to move to the larger tank once they get bigger).

Depending on the type of plecos you have, they may get huge. I don't think any pleco is suitable for that small of a tank. The smaller varieties still get 4-5 inches. They're also big waste producers (i.e. they poop a lot!) as many folks here can tell you.

If it were me, I'd take a few of those fish back. You can always buy a larger tank later once you've been through the cycling process.