New here. Need help with my gourami.

[Bearchumjs]

For the 3rd attempt at posting.... I have a 5 gal fluval tank. Water heater, 2 plants, jug decoration with holes in the sides. I just got a red dwarf gourami on Tuesday. He just lays on the bottom or in the jug. Hasn't eaten in almost 5 days. Had the water tested, it was fine. Added stress Zyme on Thursday. I don't want him to die. Only fish in the tank. Please help! (profile photo is my fish tank)

 

[BHead707]

a couple questions/statements

have you cycled the tank or read about the nitrogen cycle?
that tank is too small for a gourami in my opinion

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi and welcome!
The very first thing you need to do is a large water change of 50-75% with temperature matched, dechlorinated water. It sounds like your tank is cycling and the ammonia is high.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html
Please read this.
You will need to purchase your own LIQUID test kit to keep an eye on your water conditions.

 

[Bearchumjs]

Hi and welcome!
The very first thing you need to do is a large water change of 50-75% with temperature matched, dechlorinated water. It sounds like your tank is cycling and the ammonia is high.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html
Please read this.
You will need to purchase your own LIQUID test kit to keep an eye on your water conditions.

I will have to do a water change and see if that helps. Unfortunately I didn't cycle the tank. I had never heard of doing that and it's obvious I did not research starting a new tank. I'm going to go to the pet store tomorrow and get a liquid water testing kit. Thank you for your advice!

On a good note, Skeeter (my daughter named him) came flying out of his hiding spot a few moments ago and is swimming around the tank! He swims around for a few minutes and then goes to the bottom to rest.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Most of us did not know of cycling when we started out. So your not alone! You will need to test your water daily and change 50% when you see any ammonia or nitrite.
I like to recommend the API master test kit.

 

[Retired_AF]

Most of us did not know of cycling when we started out. So your not alone! You will need to test your water daily and change 50% when you see any ammonia or nitrite.
I like to recommend the API master test kit.

Hopefully your fish will do better.

On the bright side, you have learned something you can pass on to your daughter.

 

[Bearchumjs]

Water change

Hi and welcome!
The very first thing you need to do is a large water change of 50-75% with temperature matched, dechlorinated water. It sounds like your tank is cycling and the ammonia is high.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html
Please read this.
You will need to purchase your own LIQUID test kit to keep an eye on your water conditions.

I did a 50% water change today and added some more stress-Zyme. The bottle said to add it for 2 weeks after the first time you add it in a new tank. Unfortunately my local store didn't have any water testing kits in stock when I called. I will take another sample to the store to get it tested tomorrow afternoon.

I'll be so much more knowledgeable for when I decide to get a large fish tank (29 gallons I hope!) later on. Thank you for your help!

 

[Bearchumjs]

a couple questions/statements

have you cycled the tank or read about the nitrogen cycle?
that tank is too small for a gourami in my opinion

What size tank would you suggest? He's only supposed to get 2.5 inches and is the only fish in the tank.

 

[RFGymnast]

I think they recommend a minimum of 10gallons. Dwarf gouramis don't get very big so there is enough water to keep the water stable, but they are fish that are pretty active so require more room for swimming. That is not to say that you can't keep him in a 5.5gallon, but you might want to look into getting a bigger tank sometime soon and think about moving him at some point. There are lots of gorgeous fish that are perfect for a 5.5gallon though if you move the gourami out.

 

[jameswoodall]

My two dwarfs swim around alot and chase my tigers around

 

[Bearchumjs]

I understand now.

I think they recommend a minimum of 10gallons. Dwarf gouramis don't get very big so there is enough water to keep the water stable, but they are fish that are pretty active so require more room for swimming. That is not to say that you can't keep him in a 5.5gallon, but you might want to look into getting a bigger tank sometime soon and think about moving him at some point. There are lots of gorgeous fish that are perfect for a 5.5gallon though if you move the gourami out.

Ok. So he will survive in the 5gallon tank but he won't be really happy until he has more room to swim around. I will have to move him at some point when I get a larger set up. Thank you for explaining that to me!

 

[Hholly]

Keep an eye on Craigslist. You can find some awesome deals on there for tanks and full setups.

 

[RFGymnast]

Definitely Craigslist can be super awesome.

 

[Bearchumjs]

Just an update about my gourami: he's still hiding but he does come out and swim around. So he's hanging in there!

there is still work to be done to make him a happy camper.

 

[Hholly]

Yay! Keep up the good work.

 

[jameswoodall]

That's great to hear hope he is happy or gets that way soon

 

[Bearchumjs]

Nooooo!!! I don't know what has happened but he was just out swimming and stopped at the side of his tank and he has a huge gash or something on the side of his head! No idea where it came from. I feel like I am fighting a losing battle and have doomed this poor fish to die. . Hopefully you can see what I mean in this photo. It's vertical and just behind his eye.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Oh no poor thing! Does he happen to sleep near the heater? It looks like a burn to me. I have read reports of gouramis liking to sleep against them. My dwarf had something similar. We suspected HITH or a burn from the heater.

 

[Bearchumjs]

Oh no poor thing! Does he happen to sleep near the heater? It looks like a burn to me. I have read reports of gouramis liking to sleep against them. My dwarf had something similar. We suspected HITH or a burn from the heater.

He seems to stay inside a jug decoration I have in there. He was in the back by the heater the other day though. I'll move the heater higher in the tank. Will he die from it?! What is HITH?

I added some gravel and the plant from the guppies vase into the gourami tank and filter area. So hopefully that will help. I don't think the guppies can fit in his mouth. How long should I wait until I add the guppies into the 5gal tank? I also added a little of the 5gal water to the guppy vase water.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

He seems to stay inside a jug decoration I have in there. He was in the back by the heater the other day though. I'll move the heater higher in the tank. Will he die from it?! What is HITH?

I added some gravel and the plant from the guppies vase into the gourami tank and filter area. So hopefully that will help. I don't think the guppies can fit in his mouth. How long should I wait until I add the guppies into the 5gal tank? I also added a little of the 5gal water to the guppy vase water.

Does it have any sharp edges? Check that. HITH (hole in the head) is exactly what it sounds like. Holes in the head. I don't think you have to worry about that
He shouldn't die from it. Clean water and a little aquarium salt will help him heal.
Look up how to acclimate fish on YouTube.