DWARF GOURAMIS acting odd

[CAP7AIN]

Hi guys

New to this fish keeping lark, bit unsure about one of my four dwarf gouramis all he seems to do is stay at the bottom front corner of the tank, looking rather top heavy, like it falling side to side

The other three mainly stay at the top of the tank swimming around freely.

Tank set up three weeks ago.
Fish went in 8 days ago.
Changed water 15% four days ago.
Ph 8.5
Nitrite 1.6
Amminia 0.6
Tank size 35 gallons

Am i worring for no reason???

 

[appleblossom]

aargh! why is your nitrite at 1.6?
If you are still cycling, why are you cycling with gouramis??? aaarhgh!

Balance probblems usually indicate swim bladder problems which are notoriously hard to treat.

Do you have a quarantine tank you can put your gourami in to treat him?

Can you get hold of some established filter media from your lfs or a friend with an established tank to speed things up a bit?

 

[Fawke]

I hate to say this but i have read that dwarf gouramis are better introduced into a more mature tank..... not ideal for cycling....

Quote from book -

"Do not be tempted to add them to a new tank; wait a few months until things have settled down and stabilised before buying them....."
From Tankmaster Essential guide to choosing your tropicl freshwater fish

I really dont mean to preach, but I would almost deffo say it is the water levels (ammonia, nitrite etc...).

Having said that i got 3 opaline gouramis through the cycle (by mistake of course, i knew too little when i first started, and nearly paid the price of cycling with 5 fish that were not all that suitable....)
My gouramis are now suffering though (flukes, being treated - see my post), after 2mths of stable water. It seems that it may have weakened their immune system, but it cud be something else....

I got them thru the cycle with daily 20-30% water changes and using aqua+, Cycle, and a great deal of patience...

I wouldnt recommend it though....

Sorry

HTH

 

[appleblossom]

OK, sorry for that slight overreaction...

From your post, and the fact that you know to test your water parameters, I assume you know about cycling a tank.

If not, have a look at this pinned topic to help you understand what processes a tank needs to go through beforr it is safe for fish to inhabit.

As you seem to still be cycling from your positive nitrite readings, your next step is to try and keep your gouramis alive through this stressful process. I have to tell you now, that some or all may die so prepare yourself for some disappointmnt.

Regular water changes will dilute the concentration of toxins in the tank and are your gourami's best chance of survival.

As I said in my earlier post, established filter media from your lfs or a friend will help you a lot. This can be filter media, plants or gravel, as the bacteria you need will grow on almost everything in an established tank.

Also add a product such as cycle or bacterlife to help boost your bacteria and process some of that fish waste.

Make sure all water used in water changes has had a product added to remove chlorines and chloramines, as both of these will kill your beneficial bacteria, taking you right back to the start of the cycling process again.

Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[CAP7AIN]

Thank guys for your replays,

(Netmeg)
Answer to your question the reason for Dwarf Gouramis in my tank is down to the good old problem of .... trust no one, but listern to every one.

After buying my tank (lfs) i was told, that i would be able to put in fish after a week.( not told about the cycle)

Week later, went back to the shop to buy fish. ( Put in which they said would be good for a beginners)..........

After buying the fish, I bought a book ( The Tropical Freshwater Aquarium) read a little bit, then found this web site by accident. Read a bit more and realised the mistake that i had made.

Dwarf Gouramis quote " Your tank should be running for six months or more before introduce these fish."]

I have now set up a quarantine tank with some mature water fom a friend.

All i think i can do now is pray.......

Good Luck Fishes

P.S. To any other newbies dont be leave what you LFS tells you ,DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH.