RIP little oto or mean dwarf gourami

[Sharoane]

I started out with four otos. After a month, one disappeared. Then, one died. I did water changes after I discovered we had a nitrite spike. The other two seemed fine but then ANOTHER one died. Then, all seemed fine.

Fast forward to me adding red-eyed tetras. All went well so I added more. Still fine. I added a dwarf flame gourami.

Two days later my pleco was dead and looking suspiciously gnawed. My final oto was missing.

I pulled the tank out from the wall to re-paint the back and found the oto wedged in an ornament. He had gotten stuck (presumably to hide from the evil dwarf gourami) and had died.

I do want some kind of bottom fish but my gourami seems to regard them as lunch. Is there a type of fish he won't bug or should I give up on bottom feeders/algae eaters?

Help?

 

[Pointy_kitty]

would that be in your 30 gallon?

first of all a flame gourami could not bring down a pleco
i actually laughed when i read that
oh... well not at you, at the idea (sorry )
plecostomas have armour plating
common pleco's can be kept in large tanks with even agressive cichlids due to their large size, coloring, swimming patterns (they do not swim through the middle of the tank like most fish) and armour plating
it could be left over nitrite killing the fish (have you checked your perimiters)
thats what i would put my money on

the otto wedged in the plant was not due to hiding,
when a fish dies you will often find them wedged in something
the current from the tank with cram them just about anywhere (even a slight current, almost non existant)

as for the chewed corpse,
all fish become canables at the sight of death
waste not want not
they are simply recycling
and bottom feeders have been known to pick a dead fish down to its little bones
so it could have very well been them

if you are worried about your gourami being a bully
the most he will do is chase others,
this is ususlly just for dominance in the tank
watch him closely
if he keeps harassing the others then trade him in or give him back
if you want another flame gourami, sit in front of the tank (at the store) for about 5 minutes and really get a good glance at who is docile and who is full of beans and on a rampage
obviously go for the calm ones

 

[Sharoane]

My pleco was FINE before flamey came to live here. Plec was just a little guy, two inches at most.

Water parameters are perfect, so it wasn't that.

And poor lil oto was indeed WEDGED into a crevice of an ornament...not a plant. It appears that he forced his way in and got stuck.

And yes, it is the 30 gallon since it's the only tank I have.

 

[Pointy_kitty]

why are you yelling at me?
i was just helping you out
the flame gourami could not and would not make lunch of a live pleco
and you are repeating yourself about the otto

i said:

the otto wedged in the plant was not due to hiding,
when a fish dies you will often find them wedged in something
the current from the tank with cram them just about anywhere (even a slight current, almost non existant)

i was reasuring you, it is very, very common for the dead fish to get wedged in or under just about anything in the tank

and to avoid repeating myself:

as for the chewed corpse,
all fish become canables at the sight of death
waste not want not
they are simply recycling
and bottom feeders have been known to pick a dead fish down to its little bones
so it could have very well been them

you said:

Water parameters are perfect, so it wasn't that.

just to humour me could you post your perimeters for me?

you also stated:

And yes, it is the 30 gallon since it's the only tank I have.

there was no need to respond like that
you'd be surprised how long it takes some people to update their sigs when they get a new tank
i was only asking

 

[kevin007]

why are you yelling at me?
i was just helping you out
the flame gourami could not and would not make lunch of a live pleco
and you are repeating yourself about the otto

i said:

the otto wedged in the plant was not due to hiding,
when a fish dies you will often find them wedged in something
the current from the tank with cram them just about anywhere (even a slight current, almost non existant)

i was reasuring you, it is very, very common for the dead fish to get wedged in or under just about anything in the tank

and to avoid repeating myself:

as for the chewed corpse,
all fish become canables at the sight of death
waste not want not 
they are simply recycling
and bottom feeders have been known to pick a dead fish down to its little bones
so it could have very well been them

you said:

Water parameters are perfect, so it wasn't that.

just to humour me could you post your perimeters for me?

you also stated:

And yes, it is the 30 gallon since it's the only tank I have.

there was no need to respond like that
you'd be surprised how long it takes some people to update their sigs when they get a new tank
i was only asking

ahem..that would be me.......

 

[Wyld-Fyre]

I have two Dwarf Gourami's, who mainly co-habit the medium levels of the tank. They rarely venture towards the bottom of it, who's mainly the domain of my Kribs and Yo-Yo loaches.

As for fish fatalities. Perhaps it would be good to eliminate any other possible contaminants in the water, if the normal water tests are okay? Are there any blemishes on any of your fishes which may point to the cause of death?

If the cause of these fatalities aren't known, and you want to play it safe, I recommend having a good clear out of everything. Would it be possible to get a spare/hospital tank for things like this?

 

[Sharoane]

I'm sorry. I just felt...condescended to. I may be a bit dumb when it comes to cycling but I've had tanks before that out of sheer luck cycled with happy fish and I've seen communities of fish in action.

Ammonia--0
Nitrites--0
Nitrates--unknown this week, need a new test kit but have been fine

20% water changes every day recently to keep green water away.

I'm curious...if the pleco has armor then how did he get chewed, dead or alive? At the least, couldn't the gourami have chased him and stressed him to death and then nibbled on him?

And the reason the oto comment bugged me is that he wasn't just stuck in a crevice by water currents. He had to work himself in there. I had to work him out. The ornament--one of those cheesy broken pirate ships--was down at the bottom where there is less current. Certainly not enough to push a dead fish that tightly into such a small space.

Flamey does seem to chase my other fish but they are all danios or tetras and can easily dart away. He does seem a lot more aggressive than his description of "peaceful community fish" led me to expect. I've had bettas who were quite a bit more peaceful.

 

[Pointy_kitty]

I'm sorry. I just felt...condescended to. I may be a bit dumb when it comes to cycling but I've had tanks before that out of sheer luck cycled with happy fish and I've seen communities of fish in action.

Ammonia--0
Nitrites--0
Nitrates--unknown this week, need a new test kit but have been fine

20% water changes every day recently to keep green water away.

I'm curious...if the pleco has armor then how did he get chewed, dead or alive? At the least, couldn't the gourami have chased him and stressed him to death and then nibbled on him?

And the reason the oto comment bugged me is that he wasn't just stuck in a crevice by water currents. He had to work himself in there. I had to work him out. The ornament--one of those cheesy broken pirate ships--was down at the bottom where there is less current. Certainly not enough to push a dead fish that tightly into such a small space.

Flamey does seem to chase my other fish but they are all danios or tetras and can easily dart away. He does seem a lot more aggressive than his description of "peaceful community fish" led me to expect. I've had bettas who were quite a bit more peaceful.

well if he died of other causes then began to decay the bottom feeders would eat away at the soft decaying tissues
i really don't know other then that
but they are armour plated

gourami's are large community with semigressive potential
i would never tell anyone that they are community
they are alot like betta splendids
very unpredictable
you can get completely docile peaceful gourami's or you can get nasty little bullies
if he is being a bully i would return or exchange them
the "bullies" require a large planted tank with larger, stronger tankmates

yes gourami's and other fish can chase tankmated till they become stressed and ill, sometimes leading to fatal results
but most pleacostomus (at least common plecos) are very solitary
they swim along different sufaces but VERY rarely swim through the center of the tank
their colours tend to blend them in and they are not very active (especially when matured)
thats what kind of leads me to suspect that it may be nitrates
even if your flame gourami is a bully
the first defence of a pleco is to be a rock
second defence is to bolt and when they do, thost suckers are fast and sharp
have you ever felt a pleco?
they should rarely be netted unless there is no other choice or else they will get entangled in the net
they spiney fins go throu the mesh and in wort case scenario have to be cut out of the net, or have a fin broke