My Poor Fish! Please Help!

[kris-b-]

I have two of the following fish which I have been told are dwarf gourami:

One seems perfectly normal, swimming around happy, but the other fish is either just staying in one place at the top of the tank or at the bottom and not moving around. Does anyone know why this might be? I don't know if they are male or female as I don't know how to tell the difference between the two!

(this is the only category I can post in at the mo, so sorry if its in the wrong one!)

Thanks

 

[houndour]

very blurry picture, but it does look like a dwarf gourami.

You may be better off posting here: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showforum=49 (gourami section).

Do both your gouramis look like the one above? If so they are prob both male. Females are very pale, white-ish but you can sometimes see very feint lines on their bodies.

 

[dthoffsett]

To get an idea of what my be wrong we first need to know the stats of your tank.

Size
tank mates
ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels

Also, unless I'm mistaken, gourami's are sensitive to high PH and hard water, so that might be useful to know as well.

How long have you had your tank?

 

[WILDER]

Usually a sign of a dying fish at the top then going to the bottom, any sign of desease like being bloated, can he maintain his balance in the water, any scales sticking out.

 

[kris-b-]

Usually a sign of a dying fish at the top then going to the bottom, any sign of desease like being bloated, can he maintain his balance in the water, any scales sticking out.

Sorry about the blurry pic I took it on my mobile! Also, I can't post in any other sections it says I'm not allowed.

The other fish does look like the one above and it does also look bloated

 

[WILDER]

Sounds like a bacteria infection try some shelled peas and daphnia, what do you feed your fish.

 

[kris-b-]

Sounds like a bacteria infection try some shelled peas and daphnia, what do you feed your fish.

mainly flakes & blood worms occassionally

 

[WILDER]

Need a more varied diet of frozen foods like brimestrimp,daphnia which is very good at digesting the fish food, plus veg in peas,broc most tthing green, as to many dried foods lead to constipation and swim bladder problems, i would cook some shelled peas for a few minutes, let cool down pop out of shell, mush between fingers and add to the tank, good luck.

 

[kris-b-]

Need a more varied diet of frozen foods like brimestrimp,daphnia which is very good at digesting the fish food, plus veg in peas,broc most tthing green, as to many dried foods lead to constipation and swim bladder problems, i would cook some shelled peas for a few minutes, let cool down pop out of shell, mush between fingers and add to the tank, good luck.

thanks alot for this I'll try the peas now

 

[SkiFletch]

I've noticed similar behaviour out of some of the Dwarf Gourami's at my LFS... Some of them just chill on the bottom or hide behind the heater, I'm not sure why but they've been there for close to a month now and almoast every time I look at their tank there are always a few that just hang out like that. Maybe they're shy? )

 

[kat and james]

a friend of ours has two of these, and one is a really vibrant colour (from what has been said here, a male) and the other is very pale (again from wahts said here, a female) the male is always swimming around, whiel the female hides under some rocks.. maybe she is being chased by the male.. should advise to get another one of the females.. but thanks for saying that, coz i was really worried about the pale one!!