Behavior of my dwarf Gourami

[bumblebee]

I have a cobalt blue dwarf gourami that I have had for about three weeks. He doesn't have any external symptoms, other than perhaps breathing little more rapid than usual. But the thing that worries me is that he is constantly swimming up and down the glass on one side of the tank. He eats like a horse, so he definitely isn't starving. Do you think perhaps he has an internal parasite that is stressing him? Or do all gouramis swim like that? His tank mates are 4 white cloud mountain minnows, 3 cherry barbs, 2 cory cats, one Pl*co, and a Thai wood shrimp. My ph is exactly 7, ammonia and nitrite are 0, nitrates around 10. Any suggestions?

 

[orangecrushv]

sounds normal to me... i always have new fish that seem to be getting to know their new territory by going up and down, up and down along the side of the tank...

-rich

 

[Dakota]

I have two of these guys and it seems normal to me. That all mine do.......for the most part. I just think they like looking at there reflection in the glass. I'd say they're fine.

 

[bumblebee]

Cool, thanks for the replies. One more thing, I know that they are sensitive to water conditions, when should I worry about nitrate levels being to high? Mine usually range from about 7-20 depending on how close it is to the water change. I usually do a water change somewhere in between one and two weeks, depending on my schedule.

 

[Dakota]

They seem to be pretty tough, I've never had a problem with them & water changes. But can I ask why your nitrates are so high?

 

[bumblebee]

That is a good question! I have the dwarf gourami, 3 white clouds, 3 cherry barbs, a common pleco, and a cory cat in the tank. I do weekly (sometimes bi-weekly) water changes, but my nitrates never go below about 7. My ammonia and nitrite are always zero though... Any suggestions?

 

[geoff]

Keep doing your water changes to keep it low. I don't think you need to worry about your nitrate levels unless they are much higher like around 40-50. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Dakota]

Yeah, if they get any higher than 40, then I'd worry. Maybe the problem is over feeding? That will always do it. Any case, I know that they are prone to internal parasites, I feed mine a product called Pepso food by Jungle Labratories once every week or two.It cleans all the nasties out of them. They seem to be doing fine. Also, the up & down the glass thing, seems to be a nervous thing, I've had mine awhile now and they seem to have calmed down with it. they aren't doing it as much.

 

[bumblebee]

Did your gourami's settle down by themselves, or after you gave them the pepso food? How can I tell if he has internal parasites (other than emancipation, which he isn't). Is there anything else I can do to minimize his stress?

 

[bumblebee]

Dakota, do you know if that food is safe to use in a tank that has an invert? It contains copper sulfate, but will the food release it if it isn't eaten? Just curious, any help would be apprieciated (I have a Thai Wood Shrimp in my tank with the dwarf gourami).

 

[Dakota]

They settled down on their own. Like I say, I think it just that they are nervous in the "new" tank. They don't seem to be the smartest fish around, so it takes awhile for them to clue in that everything is alright. Or it might just be the way they display domanance," hey...you...this is my side of the tank- that's yours thing. Because with mine, one stay on one side and the other stays to his side. They are both males.

As far as the Pepso food, I would imagine that it would be safe for all. I don't think the shrimp would eat it anyway, but don't hold me to it. I don't know how you tell if they have parasites other than emancipation. I just always read that Gouramis are prone to internal parasites, so I just treat all mine as if they do when I first get them. Sort of the way you worm puppies. Just a precautionary, can't hurt.

 

[bumblebee]

Thanks Dakota, I went and got the pepso food, and fed it to my gourami for the three days like the instructions said. I'm still waiting for him to settle down though... The cherry barbs that chase each other (but not him) probably don't help matters anyway. Thanks for the info (oh yeah, my shrimp is fine with the food, no ill effects from the gourami eating it, and the shrimp didn't try either).

 

[Dakota]

Your welcome.

 

[circuitdragon]

I don't know about dwarf gouramis, but my 3 blues have never done the "up and down" routine. and as far as them being sensitive to water...I kind of doubt that. My original plan, which failed from the beginning...oops...was the one blue gourami, 3 bala sharks, a RTBS, and pleco. Well, as my tank was not properly cycled (even with using the fishless method), the RTBS and balas were suffering bad...took them back to the store. The pleco and gourami have been in since day one, and not once has the big blue MEAN fish shown any sign of disliking the water. pleco was a different story, kept going to the surface for air, least thats what it seemed like to me. But thats how its been for me. All of my bettas and even my new RTBS do hug the glass and go up and down though. So I guess maybe its just a thing, like a phase for fish...or maybe just a way of staying entertained...heh

 

[Leopardess]

um, yeah, i got three neon blue dwarf gouramis and was all excited over how much they would swim at the front of the tank, up and down, back and forth...turns out that was the early stage of their Ich attack, they were pacing/scratching! Just keep an eye out.