Gourami Repetitive Behavior

[aklaum]

Hello all,

I have a new 20g high tank that my son and I set up for Christmas. After a successful fishless cycle we were able to stock the tank two weeks ago with the following:

2 - Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami
3 - Mickey Mouse Platy
5 - Neon Tetras
1 - Spotted Julii Cory Cat
2 - Ghost Shrimp
1 - Mystery Snail

Tank parameters/readings have been excellent so far. They read:

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 40ppm
pH - 7.2
Alkalinity - 3.6 meq/L
Hardness - 75
Temp - 77

That was yesterday before I did a scheduled weekly water change of 15%. So nitrates would be lower now.

Last night on the advice of others I went and picked up a friend for the Cory. So now we have 2 Spotted Julii Corys.

Last night I noticed some strange behavior of one of the Gouramis. He seems to be obsessed with the right side of the tank and is just swimming in loops up..back..down around..up etc. I thought it was strange at the time. Today I have passed by the tank several times and he is ALWAYS doing this now.

This is the same Gourami that gets a bit aggressive during feeding time and is in general more high strung than the other.

I thought I read that repetitive behavior can sometimes be a bad sign. Should I be worried? None of the other fish are behaving any differently since the water change and the addition of the new Cory.

 

[bman]

After I got my one gourami, all he did was swim up and down on the left side of the tank. He did get picked on by my molly, and after about three days of swimming up and down on the left, he developed a sore below his mouth. After treating the tank with antibiotics, and melafix he is now slowly making a recovery. After I started the antibiotic treatment, he decided that he could swim around the rest of the tank. Since then he has been everywhere and I will never see him do that strange behavior anymore.

To answer your question though, I would be slightly worried and keep a close eye on him, just in case he develops some sort of rubbing sore, or any type of parasite. I have read that some parasites might make the fish rub against things, due to it iching them.

I would imagine that he will stop that behavior after a period of time.

Has he been doing this for two weeks? Since adding him?

 

[aklaum]

Thanks for the info I'll keep an eye on him. From what I can tell he just started doing this yesterday. We just fed them an hour ago and he is not doing it now, he is all over the tank.

I didn't really see him rubbing, just swimming the same pattern over and over again. Again, I'll keep a close eye on him.

 

[Tiffi]

My gourami did that too sometimes. And my German Blue Ram as well. They never got a sore or anything and the behavior comes and goes (with the gourami). I guess they are bored or maybe it's because of their agressiveness level.

When fish have to itch because of a parasite they don't swim up and down the glass. They might scratch themselves quickly on a stone/wood/plant/gravel, but I've never seen a fish constantly scratch themselves on the glass!

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Maybe have an eye on it in case he really gets sore from that, but I doubt it.

 

[aklaum]

Just an update. I came down the next day an BOTH Goruamis were doing it on the same side of the tank.

However a few days later both have ceased the behavior and neither has any marks or sores. Seems like you hit the nail on the head Tiffi.