Dissapearing Honey Gouramis

[AnnT]

Our tank is 260l, well planted but not dense, fish appear happy - eating well, swimming around fins open, no signs of any disease and amonia is 0, nitrites and nitrates 0, temp 75 and ph 6.8 - 7. We initially had 4 honey gouramis that were doing really well and then about 2 weeks later, overnight 3 disappeared and we found nothing, no bodies. We replaced them with another 3 and all did well and again. Then about a week later 2 dissapeared and we didnt replace them but then 60 hours later they reappeared. Over a month they all appeared well, eating, no signs of disease, not harrased by any other fish, not shy, coming to feed if we hold the food and very inquisitive (we had 4 pearl, 2 sunset and 2 dwarf gouramis as well as a small shoal of rummy nose, rosey and cardinal tetras, 2 plecs and 2 corydoras). One pearl then disappeared following no signs of disease and couldnt find that body either, relaced that pearl and 4 remaining were fine. Two days ago, 3 dissapeared over night - we even started looking around the tank in case they had jumped out! this left one on its own and he/she has been ok since we first put them in as he/she has a barb missing so we know who it is. This fish began to look stressed and so yesterday we got 4 honeys as we wanted to give our remaining one some company - only wanted to get 3 but only 4 left in shop so didnt want to leave one on its own and yesterday and this morning all were swimming around, looking healthy with no problems - our old honey gourami started swimming around full finned, feeding better and socialising more. 4 hours later one has completely dissapeared again - one of the new ones. I know fish can eat dying or dead fish but this is a lot of bodies to get through in a short period of time. The tank is a jewel one with masticked backdrop and internal filter so they cant get in behind. All the other fish are doing really well, growing, feeding well and socialising. We have added fish to the tank during this time and all are doing well (small shoal of gold barbs, fork tailed rainbows, harlequins, glowlights and a pair of rams and a pair of another type of chichlids (cant recall their names but community dwellers). I had posted something about normal behaviour of gouramis as the sunsets do stay near the bottom at times but was told this was fine as they feed well and do swim around. Help! any ideas?

 

[STINKYFEET]

That sounds like something from the x-files, i do not have a clue, any chance of a wee pic to get a look??

 

[AnnT]

That sounds like something from the x-files, i do not have a clue, any chance of a wee pic to get a look??

Sorry, what would you like a pic of - the remaining honey gouramis or the tank set up - new to this game

thanks

 

[confusion]

Is it possible that you have a fish that isn't what you think it is? the chiclids or the barbs, possibly?

I would look around the tank for spines. If the fish were eaten, and that seems to be the most likely situation, you'll usually find a very thin spine that didn't get eaten amongst the plants.

 

[AnnT]

Is it possible that you have a fish that isn't what you think it is? the chiclids or the barbs, possibly?

I would look around the tank for spines. If the fish were eaten, and that seems to be the most likely situation, you'll usually find a very thin spine that didn't get eaten amongst the plants.

The barbs, chichlids were not in residence until recently and could not account for the dissapearance, the only constant between the disappearing gouramis and the others is 4 pearl gouramis are realively young - about 3inches long (the biggest one), 6 rosey tetras, 8 rummy nose, 8 cardinal tetras and 2 small plecs - about 2 inches long. It was in a tank with these that the first 4 gouramis were introduced. Cant find any spines at all. When we initially got going we did loose a rosey tetra and a couple of rummy nose but their either floated to the top or were found sucked against the filter. Good job it isnt the 1st april or you guys may think i'm pulling your leg. Seriously, we are very upset as the honeys are so funny, they nibble your hand when you are cleaning off algae etc so are real characters. Could the pearls be secret fish eaters?

 

[sylvia]

The pearls are not responsible. I'd bet on that. Even if they killed the fish (which they are capeable of if crowded), they could not polish the bodies off - bones and all - overnight.

I would check around the tank again but don't restrict your search to behind the tank or wherever - look further away as well. Because gouramies can breathe air, their can survive right until they dry up outside water and this means they have a good chance to move around and get quite far away from the tank. Make sure your tank is as completely covered as possible.

I'd like some pics of the unknown fish. It's important you know what these are - even if they are nothing to do with the gourami x-file scenarios

 

[AnnT]

The pearls are not responsible. I'd bet on that. Even if they killed the fish (which they are capeable of if crowded), they could not polish the bodies off - bones and all - overnight.

I would check around the tank again but don't restrict your search to behind the tank or wherever - look further away as well. Because gouramies can breathe air, their can survive right until they dry up outside water and this means they have a good chance to move around and get quite far away from the tank. Make sure your tank is as completely covered as possible.

I'd like some pics of the unknown fish. It's important you know what these are - even if they are nothing to do with the gourami x-file scenarios

The lid is always on the tank when we are not around and is tight fitting. We know the chichlid we have but couldnt remember the name - its only a one inch fish in a pair and it is community dwelling and omnivorous. I will have a look around but the other problem is we have a cat and so if they had jumped out the cat would have got them. However, because the lid is always on cant see how they would. thanks for the comment about the pearls - i was thinking of taking them back and didnt want to as they are so lovely.

 

[AnnT]

We have now lost another honey gourami. An hour ago all four were swimming around and there were no signs that anything in the tank was feeding - and yet just looked in the tank and only 3 honeys left. This morning the 4 were well and feeding from my hand with no problem. Jiggled all the plants, lifted bogwood up and even dismantled internal filter and nothing. I have seen fish pecking at a dying or dead fish in fish shops and there was nothing like that going on except we couldnt see our pair of common plecs or the 2 very small corydoras. please someone help - would it be the plecs should we take them back to the shop, should we take the honeys back to the shop as we have only 3 now and have lost 4 in a week with no sign.

 

[sylvia]

What sort of plec is it? It's just that you'd still expect to find some sort of trace so I still think the likliest explanation is that they jumped out - are there no holes in the hood at all? What about where the equipment is - wires and all? The cat would explain a lot from that point on

 

[AnnT]

What sort of plec is it? It's just that you'd still expect to find some sort of trace so I still think the likliest explanation is that they jumped out - are there no holes in the hood at all? What about where the equipment is - wires and all? The cat would explain a lot from that point on

There are a pair of common plecs. There are two small holes which have got wires and tubes in at the back of either side of the tank but no signs of fish on the floor - there is only an inch gap between the back of the tank and the wall and so the cat cant get to the back where you would expect the fish to be. yesterday when the honey dissapeared, it was about 2 hours between siting and it dissapearing and the cat wasnt around. Its just so upsetting and distressing as we have perfect water quality, all other fish are doing well and even the honeys are well up until they dissapear. Thanks for your suggestions and patience in this matter

 

[sylvia]

This realy does baffle me...
Obviously, common plecs grow very large (and your tank isn't realy large enough for two) so, if they are big, they may have consumed the fish once dead. But they don't normaly kill fish.
Did any of the gouramies appear ill beforehand? Were they eating normaly?
I still think you need to work out what species of cichlid you own. Perhaps you mis-identified them?

 

[AnnT]

This realy does baffle me...
Obviously, common plecs grow very large (and your tank isn't realy large enough for two) so, if they are big, they may have consumed the fish once dead. But they don't normaly kill fish.
Did any of the gouramies appear ill beforehand? Were they eating normaly?
I still think you need to work out what species of cichlid you own. Perhaps you mis-identified them?

The plecs are only 3inches long and the tank is 260ls. The gouramies were fine, eating from our hands, swimming open finned and pecking at our hands and very sociable. It definately not the cichlid as we only got it last week and our honeys have been dissapearing for a long time before this. The fish that coincides with the dissapearance are the pearls (4 in number and about 2 inches long), 5 rosey tetras, 8 cardinal tetras, 8 rumey nose tetras, 2 plecs and the only honey to live through all this is the one with one barb. My husband posted another message today as yet another honey has dissapeared an hour existed between it being seen and disappearing. The last 3 honeys have dissapeared in the afternoon and we tried giving the tank a feed in the afternoon if it was something eating them.

 

[sylvia]

Are all your small tetras still there? It can't be that the gouramies are being killed by something and yet the small tetras are being left alone. It also seems like it cannot be the plecs - and it's not the pearls - and I'll take your word on the cichlids. I realy don't know
Do you have any ornaments into which the gouramies could squeeze into and then get stuck? Have you checked your filter?

 

[AnnT]

Are all your small tetras still there? It can't be that the gouramies are being killed by something and yet the small tetras are being left alone. It also seems like it cannot be the plecs - and it's not the pearls - and I'll take your word on the cichlids. I realy don't know
Do you have any ornaments into which the gouramies could squeeze into and then get stuck? Have you checked your filter?

yes all the tetras and the harlequins are all swimming around with no problem and all there - we just thought that honeys must be fillet steak in the fish world. We have a piece of bog wood but we have had that out and inspected, taken the filter to bits and sucked out the muck at the bottom and the rock effect fiberglass backdrop is masticked solidly to the back of the tank. I think i can safely say that no one really knows but appreciate everyones support especially you Sylvia. As novice fish keepers we dont want to loose confidence over this and as long as it isnt us, we feel slightly better if not puzzled and a bit upset because we love those honeys