I have a Neon Dwarf Gourami that has been acting a little crazy lately. For the last couple of days he has been in the top corner swimming up and down over and over. When I feed him, he will stop, eat normally, swim around the tank for a while, then later go back to the erratic swimming. I'm checked him out, there are no irregularities on his skin, and all of the water tests come out perfect. To be sure I did a water change (about 30%) yesterday and will do another tomorrow if necessary. Does anyone know what could be wrong here?
Crazed Gourami?
- Thread starter dcbluemeanie
- Start date
Sounds like he's seeing his reflection and showing off to it. Nothing wrong, perfectly normal behavior with gourami males, and even females. Trying taping some black paper to the sides and see if he stops. If not just wait he will eventually figure out this male in the glass means no harm to him. *thumbsupsmiley*
I used to have two male dwarf gourami in a 10 gallon, but they fight so often I had to take one out and put him in a uncycled tank. Later, he got sick then died :'(
From my experience, even 10 gallon is too small from 2 male gourami. However there are people who got gouramis that don't fight each other; it very much depends on the fish.
My only dwarf gourami left in the 10 gallon shares it with some neon tetras, and they get along just fine. Currently, he is also getting restless, swimming all over the tank. He is also building a bubble nest and his colors gotten deeper (real deep orange). So this just means that he is looking for a mate.
From my experience, even 10 gallon is too small from 2 male gourami. However there are people who got gouramis that don't fight each other; it very much depends on the fish.
My only dwarf gourami left in the 10 gallon shares it with some neon tetras, and they get along just fine. Currently, he is also getting restless, swimming all over the tank. He is also building a bubble nest and his colors gotten deeper (real deep orange). So this just means that he is looking for a mate.
I recently had a pictus catfish doing the same thing. I wasnt offered much explanation, just told it was normal. I dont think that the fish can see their reflections though. I used to think they could......but the reflection we see is an illusion caused by looking at the glass through the water at an angle. (notice how if you look strait into tank,the back glass has no reflection. only the side glass...Now look into the tank from the side..it will appear as the front and back tank glass have reflections and you can see through strait ahead.) My husband once suggested that i put my head in the tank to find out for sure!!LOL he was just kidding. Anyways maybe fish do that swimming up and down out of bordem. My catfish sometimes also does loops over and under a plant that hangs over. He only seems to do these strange things in the evening.
My channel cats glass pace an awful lot, and they seem to enjoy doing so right over the 12" of airstone, letting the bubbles tickle their bellies. I know they aren't seeing their reflections in the glass because I don't see their reflections in it. It probably is a captive nerosis due from a lack of environmental stimulus, the same way a lion might pace his cage in the zoo.
Some schooling fish do pace glass because they see their reflections, they think it is more of their own kind to school with. My betta sometimes flares at the side of his tank, I may think it is at nothing, but when I look at the glass from his angle I see his reflection. My cories used to pace constantly, back and forth, up and down, it would drive me neurotic, but as soon as I added more of them, they settled down and stopped.
When you notice your fish glass pacing, go in and re-arrange all your deco. Re-arranging the decorations provides fish with environmental stimulation by confronting them with new surroundings (yes, fish are that stupid<G&gt
. It forces them to reintergrate their mental maps, define new territories, gives them "new" areas to explore. I find that if I re-arrange my tank at each water change, the fish do seem suddenly more alert and active.
Hmm.....that would really be an interesting master's thesis...Is Re-arranging of tank decor sutible habitat enrichment for fish showing captive nerosis? Do fish even get captivity nerosis? Is glass-pacing associated with captivity nerosis in fish?...
~~Colesea
Some schooling fish do pace glass because they see their reflections, they think it is more of their own kind to school with. My betta sometimes flares at the side of his tank, I may think it is at nothing, but when I look at the glass from his angle I see his reflection. My cories used to pace constantly, back and forth, up and down, it would drive me neurotic, but as soon as I added more of them, they settled down and stopped.
When you notice your fish glass pacing, go in and re-arrange all your deco. Re-arranging the decorations provides fish with environmental stimulation by confronting them with new surroundings (yes, fish are that stupid<G&gt
. It forces them to reintergrate their mental maps, define new territories, gives them "new" areas to explore. I find that if I re-arrange my tank at each water change, the fish do seem suddenly more alert and active.Hmm.....that would really be an interesting master's thesis...Is Re-arranging of tank decor sutible habitat enrichment for fish showing captive nerosis? Do fish even get captivity nerosis? Is glass-pacing associated with captivity nerosis in fish?...
~~Colesea
i dont mean to critisize coleseas suggestion about redecorating tank but it would not be a good idea. Some fish are very territorial and in an established tank everyone knows who belongs where. Redecorating would mess up these boundaries and cause a lot of fighting ,with everyone having to mark out thier territorys all over again. T