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| FAQs on
the True Pearl Gouramis, Trichogaster leeri
Related Articles: Anabantoids/Gouramis & Relatives,
Genera Ctenopoma & Microctenopoma,
Betta splendens/Siamese Fighting Fish,
Related FAQs: Gouramis 1,
Gourami Identification,
Gourami Behavior,
Gourami Compatibility,
Gourami Selection,
Gourami Systems,
Gourami Feeding,
Gourami Disease,
Gourami Reproduction,
Betta splendens/Siamese Fighting Fish, |

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Trichogaster; cotton-like growth on mouth 9/7/09
HI, I have a 23 gallon community tank and one of my male pearl gouramis
has a cotton like growth on his mouth. It seems to making him act very
differently and not eat properly.
<Cotton-like growths can be one of two things, Mouth Fungus (actually a
bacterial infection known as Columnaris) or true a true Fungal
infection.
True fungus looks like fine off-white threads. Columnaris can look like
threads, mould, or something in between. Use Google to compare images of
the two if you don't have a fish health book to hand. Some medications
such as Seachem Paraguard (in the US) and eSHa 2000 (in Europe) will
treat both, so if you can't tell them apart, then such medications would
be the way forward. Avoid tea-tree oil medications such as Melafix:
these are unreliable.>
All the water levels are fine.
<I doubt this. Both Columnaris and Fungal infections are caused, more
often than not, by water quality issues. So even if you *think* the tank
is fine, review stocking density, filtration rate, water changes, etc.
Physical damage can be another trigger, so check your fish haven't been
fighting.>
Please help!
Thanks,
Sonny
<Cheers, Neale.>
Gouramis and angel fish
8/22/09
Hi, I have a question, please. I currently have 5 medium sized angel
fish and 6 panda cories in a 75 gallon tank. I was thinking of adding
some gouramis with them (partial to the pearl). Would this be OK or will
one or the other pick on the other's finnage?
<Yes, Gouramis should mix with these fish... though dependent on the
species. Make Three-spot Gouramis (Trichogaster trichopterus) can be
aggressive at times, though in a 75 gallon tank I doubt that'd be much
of an issue. Still, if you can do without these fish, sometimes sold as
blue, golden, or Opaline gouramis, so much the better. The prime species
for your consideration are Pearl Gouramis and Moonlight Gouramis, both
of which are consistently reliable. You might also think about Banded
and Thick-lipped Gouramis (Colisa fasciatus and Colisa labiosa). Both of
these are hardy and generally peaceful. Their normal colour is similar
to the Dwarf Gourami, but an all-over orangey-red form is available. The
Dwarf Gourami (Colisa lalia) is of course an option, *provided* you can
get hold of good quality stock, which is easier said than done. Finally,
consider Climbing Perch, the African equivalents and close relatives of
the Asian gouramis.
Ctenopoma acutirostre is a stunning fish and very easy to keep. Although
it has no interest in dried foods, it readily takes wet-frozen and live
foods such as bloodworms, and in terms of temperament, is shy and not in
the least aggressive. I've kept pairs in tanks as small as 30 gallons
without issues. Sometimes known as the Leopard Bushfish, it's a good
addition to community tanks where the other fish are not so small (e.g.,
Neons) they could be swallowed whole.>
If I can use gouramis is the pearl a good choice and how many females
should I get with one male?
<In the case of Pearls and Moonlights, pairs are fine provided the tank
has lots of space and ideally floating plants. For Trichogaster
trichopterus, you would want to keep just one male if at all possible.
They're tricky to sex, but males have longer dorsal fins than females.>
Thank you for all your help. God bless.
James
<Hope this helps, Neale.>
Re: Gouramis and angel fish – 08/23/09
Thanks, so in the case of the pearl I can get just one mail and one
female, or more than both also?
<One male, one female will work. If you want, add additional females.
Cheers, Neale.>
Update - Re: Are Galaxy Rasboras really being captive bred?
Pearl Gs 3/31/09
Hello Neale,
<Hello Sandy,>
How is Miss Olivia Jane? Beautiful, and a genius already, I'm sure.
<Apparently not so much. Seems to be exhausting her parents now the
novelty has worn off.>
Thanks for your thoughtful response and that link. I will press on with
trying to ascertain the origin of these Galaxy Rasboras.
<Okey dokey.>
In the meantime, I had to return the Diamond Tetras that I had gotten
for my 37 gallon tank with the Blue Gourami and Swordtail. They were
like fish on crack all over the tank and just wouldn't let her get near
any food,
despite the size of the Gourami in comparison to the Diamonds, and she
would come out even less than she did before.
<Diamonds are certainly feisty fish. I have a lone survivor in a busy
tank alongside such thugs as Glassfish and South American Puffers, and
he's definitely the dominant fish.>
I added 3 beautiful Pearl Gouramis - what I thought were 1 male and 2
females - I now suspect they might be 2 males and 1 female, or quite
possibly - eek - 3 males.
<Hmm...>
So I may have to look for some more females. One is definitely a male
and the others could be less mature males. They are all the same size -
about 2 inches and all have very similar coloring - with the orange-red
underbelly (suspiciously male?).
<Males certainly have more red, but that doesn't mean females have no
red at all. It's the combo of coloration and the longer dorsal fins that
seal the deal.>
One has the male's distinctive pointed dorsal fin and trailing anal fin.
He is also the most dominant of the three and a little territorial with
one of the other Pearls. One has much shorter fins, but with a definite
point on the dorsal fin, unlike most of the pictures I have seen with
the female's dorsal fin being definitely rounded.
<On the males, the dorsal fin can reach as far back as the tail fin, so
the length difference is considerable. The dorsal also tends to be
somewhat ragged along the trailing edge, and trait repeated somewhat on
the anal fin too.>
The other could be rounded, or could be pointed, and is just immature.
<Quite.>
I'll have to wait and see which it turns out to be.....unless you can
tell by my description....
<Not really, no.>
In retrospect, I think this LFS had primarily males as their colors were
all spectacular. The other store was not a LFS, but a high pressure pet
store with only females, and poor lighting, which made them look even
more drab. Quite a number of their tanks had Ich, and the Pearls just
didn't look well, so I was hesitant to buy any livestock there. I waited
until I found these at a dedicated LFS.
<I see.>
The Gourami and Sword are both out and about much more now than they
have ever been and don't even scurry away when the kids run by anymore.
The Pearls are very peaceful and that seems to suit them much better.
<Generally, Pearl Gouramis aren't bullies, and you may be fine with even
three males.>
I think the Galaxy Rasboras may do better in this tank since it is
cooler than the Betta tank at 76 degrees - and has a little current from
the Eheim outflow.
<Agreed.>
But I wonder if they might send Miss Gourami back into hiding....
<No; too small to bother her. There's a fine balance between small
schooling fish that act as dither fish (making benthic fish feel safe)
and boisterous, bigger schooling fish (that simply terrorize them). In
general, you want the smallest, least offensive dither fish you can get,
but not so small they're "live food".>
You had suggested Celebes Rainbowfish, but I can't find them locally and
they are quite pricey for special orders.
<Shame. On the plus side, they're quite long lived, once settled in
(much like other Atherines).>
So I'm back to thinking about another schooling group of small fish for
this tank, or else I will leave as is for now, since I'll probably be
adding one or two more Pearl Gouramis.
<OK.>
If I can set up a small tank for our Betta, I would put 5-7 Galaxies in
the 10 gallon tank by themselves. I could lower the temp and hope for
some happy spawning.
<Certainly.>
Best to you,
Sandy
<By the way, I forwarded your messages to the proud parents, who I'm
sure appreciated them. Cheers, Neale.>
Pearl Gouramis Re: Update - 4/1/09
> Hello Neale,
> <Hello Sandy,>
> How is Miss Olivia Jane? Beautiful, and a genius already, I'm sure.
> <Apparently not so much. Seems to be exhausting her parents now the
novelty has worn off.>
I am laughing at this - tell them welcome to the world of parenthood -
read: NO SLEEP..... Tell her to take the baby into the bed with her - it
will change her life - for the better - it's how all the animals do it,
why shouldn't we?
> Thanks for your thoughtful response and that link. I will press on
with trying to ascertain the origin of these Galaxy Rasboras.
> <Okey dokey.>
> In the meantime, I had to return the Diamond Tetras that I had gotten
for my 37 gallon tank with the Blue Gourami and Swordtail. They were
like fish on crack all over the tank and just wouldn't let her get near
any food,
> despite the size of the Gourami in comparison to the Diamonds, and she
would come out even less than she did before.
> <Diamonds are certainly feisty fish. I have a lone survivor in a
busy tank alongside such thugs as Glassfish and South American Puffers,
and he's definitely the dominant fish.>
They were lovely, but I don't miss them.
> I added 3 beautiful Pearl Gouramis - what I thought were 1 male and 2
females - I now suspect they might be 2 males and 1 female, or quite
possibly - eek - 3 males.
> <Hmm...>
> So I may have to look for some more females. One is definitely a
male and the others could be less mature males. They are all the same
size - about 2 inches and all have very similar coloring - with
the orange-red underbelly (suspiciously male?).
> <Males certainly have more red, but that doesn't mean females have no
red at all. It's the combo of colouration and the longer dorsal fins
that seal the deal.>
> One has the male's distinctive pointed dorsal fin and trailing anal
fin.
> He is also the most dominant of the three and a little territorial
with one of the other Pearls. One has much shorter fins, but with a
definite point on the dorsal fin, unlike most of the pictures I
have seen with the female's dorsal fin being definitely rounded.
> <On the males, the dorsal fin can reach as far back as the tail fin,
so the length difference is considerable. The dorsal also tends to be
somewhat ragged along the trailing edge, and trait repeated somewhat on
the anal fin too.>
His is definitely ragged on the trailing edge. The other two are not at
all.
> The other could be rounded, or could be pointed, and is just immature.
> <Quite.>
> I'll have to wait and see which it turns out to be.....unless you
can tell by my description....
> <Not really, no.>
Oh well, we'll have to wait and see then. Will I have too many in this
37 gallon tank if I add 2 more (confirmed) females?
> In retrospect, I think this LFS had primarily males as their colors
were all spectacular. The other store was not a LFS, but a high pressure
pet store with only females, and poor lighting, which made them look
even more drab. Quite a number of their tanks had Ich, and the Pearls
just didn't look well, so I was hesitant to buy any livestock
there. I waited until I found these at a dedicated LFS.
> <I see.>
> The Gourami and Sword are both out and about much more now than they
> have ever been and don't even scurry away when the kids run by
anymore.
> The Pearls are very peaceful and that seems to suit them much better.
> <Generally, Pearl Gouramis aren't bullies, and you may be fine with
even three males.>
I'm trying to be a bit more patient these days - will only add more
female Pearls if I can confirm the others are indeed male.
> I think the Galaxy Rasboras may do better in this tank since it is
cooler than the Betta tank at 76 degrees - and has a little current from
the Eheim outflow.
> <Agreed.>
> But I wonder if they might send Miss Gourami back into hiding.....
<No; too small to bother her. There's a fine balance between small
schooling fish that act as dither fish (making benthic fish feel
safe) and boisterous, bigger schooling fish (that simply terrorise
them). In general,
> you want the smallest, least offensive dither fish you can get, but
not so small they're "live food".>
> You had suggested Celebes Rainbowfish, but I can't find them locally
and they are quite pricey for special orders.
> <Shame. On the plus side, they're quite long lived, once settled in
(much like other Atherines).>
> So I'm back to thinking about another schooling group of small fish
for this tank, or else I will leave as is for now, since I'll probably
be adding one or two more Pearl Gouramis.
> <OK.>
> If I can set up a small tank for our Betta, I would put 5-7 Galaxies
in the 10 gallon tank by themselves. I could lower the temp and hope for
some happy spawning.
> <Certainly.>
> Best to you,
> Sandy
> <By the way, I forwarded your messages to the proud parents, who I'm
sure appreciated them. Cheers, Neale.>
> I'll send them something else in another email.
Thanks again.
Re: Pearl Gouramis Re: Update - 4/1/09
His is definitely ragged on the trailing edge. The other two are not at
all. Oh well, we'll have to wait and see then. Will I have too many in
this 37 gallon tank if I add 2 more (confirmed) females?
<Could be a bit busy, but you might be okay. Wait and see, really. Pearl
Gouramis are really fairly mild fish.>
I'm trying to be a bit more patient these days - will only add more
female Pearls if I can confirm the others are indeed male.
Thanks again.
<Good luck, Neale.>
Is my Pearl Gourami wasting away?
– 04/07/09
Neale,
<Sandy,>
Recap:
37 gallon tank
1 female Blue Gourami
3 Pearl Gouramis - 1 male, 2 females
1 male Swordtail
1 Rainbow Shark
3 Otos
Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate are all "0". pH is 8.
Of the 3 Pearl Gouramis I got a week ago, the smaller of the 2 females
seems to be wasting away from I don't know what. I noticed 2 days ago
that she was always hiding - way in the back corner under the plants -
even at feeding times. Yesterday, still hiding.
<Could be social, bullying. Unusual in this species, but not
impossible.>
The other 2 seem just fine - chasing each other, eating well - on a
weekly variety of good quality flake, algae/Spirulina wafers and live
brine shrimp from the LFS. Today, I noticed the small female on the
bottom of the tank having a hard time orienting herself.
<Ah, not a good sign.>
She had mouth down and tail up, with body curled up as if spawning, but
quite alone. She was trying to pick up food or something off the
substrate in an unplanted area of the tank beside the bogwood.
<Odd.>
If she came out into the open, the other two pearls seemed to chase her
back to her "spot" which is very near where the Blue Gourami lives. The
Blue would then "nudge" her as if to move her out of the way.
<The nudge will certainly be a territorial behaviour.>
The other two pearls are very aggressive with her and she seems too weak
to swim well enough to get away from them quickly. They come at her hard
with their mouths directly on her sides, and sometimes from both sides.
<Have seen similar; not nice.>
There also seems to be a small, but not obvious injury to one side of
her gill cover. I had to really look for it - maybe 1mm and slightly
red. She is also very thin compared to the other two - this is
noticeable from both
the head on and profile view. While they are pretty flat to begin with,
she is obviously thinner than she was when I brought her home a week
ago.
I can see that her belly is slightly sunken. A week ago, she was eating
fine - not today. Her color is pale and she is very stressed - was
laying on the bottom under some plants almost fully on her side for
minutes at a
time before she would struggle to right herself. She seemed to have to
prop herself on the plants to keep herself more upright.
<Likely a systemic bacterial or perhaps viral infection. Not really much
you can do in the latter case; in the former, treating with Maracyn
might help, but a lot of these "wasting diseases" (Mycobacteriosis) are
very
difficult to treat.>
I finally separated her and put her in a breeder net in the same tank
with some floating plants and turned the lights out. I don't have
another tank in which to isolate her, or else I would. I fed her a few
brine shrimp so
see if she would eat and no luck at all - she noticed them, but didn't
seem to have the energy to even try to catch any. I put in 2 small
flakes of food and she wouldn't eat that either. The other fish sucked
the flakes
through the bottom of the net, which is very fine to begin with. Hours
later now, she seems to be faring slightly better - upright and swimming
a little more, but not much.
Tank temp was 76, which I have raised to 78 to see if this will make her
feel more like eating, but it might take a few hours for the tank temp
to come up fully. What can this be and what can I do for her?
<To be honest, doubt you can do much at all; could well have been very
sick prior to purchase... farmed gouramis reared intensively, perhaps
with much use of antibiotics. Maracyn catches a fair number of bacteria,
but if it doesn't, Maracyn 2 should catch a lot of the others.>
If this is just stress, I will have to find a new home for her and keep
just the other 2, who seem to be doing fine. The male is even trying to
blow a bubble nest - unsuccessfully though - too much surface movement.
No problems amongst the other fish whatsoever.
Thanks again,
Sandy
<Honestly don't expect this fish to live for long, not because I know
what the problem is, but because the syndrome is one I've seen few
recoveries from. Do see my article on WW re: euthanasia, and act
accordingly. Sorry can't offer anything more promising. Cheers, Neale.>
Need to do anything for the others? Re: Is my Pearl Gourami
wasting away? 4/7/09
Still no interest in food at all and still no improvements on her
activity or swimming ability. She is extremely thin. I am very worried
that if she has a bacterial infection that it may soon affect the other
fish. What is the likelihood?
<Not much you can do now, since they've been exposed, but in practise
the risk is probably small. Would certainly remove, euthanise this fish
if you don't have a hospital tank.>
Or do you think that they would have exhibited some symptoms by now if
they were going to succumb as well?
<Impossible to say.>
I am getting a little (half gallon) hospital tank from a friend tomorrow
and will isolate her there for another day or two at most and then will
have to let her go if no improvement.
<Of marginal value; a fish this size won't likely get better even in
ideal conditions, and the inevitably poor conditions in a half-gallon
tank (!) will simply speed up its demise. Tanks below 10 gallons aren't
worth spending money, time or electricity on.>
We're all so sad to watch her languishing. If and when we have to
euthanize her (thank you for the link you sent), I have access to clove
oil. I have been told by a LFS that they don't recommend clove oil
because they don't know how much to recommend for fish size.
<Just use lots! 30 drops in a litre should do the trick.>
They suggest Baking Soda, which I always have around the house.
<Don't do this; it's old school, and not recommended by vets.>
Any thoughts? I know crushing or decapitation would be instantaneous and
most humane.
<Effective and humane if done correctly, but I agree, not pleasant to
do.>
I just can't bring myself to do it. No problem with the Red Snappers
from the fish market, even hooking live mullets for bait, .....but not
our little pets.....maybe I just have to get over it.
<Quite normal reaction; good old human inconsistency. We happily eat
pigs here in the West, while looking down on Asians who eat dogs,
despite the fact every scientific experiment ever done clearly shows
pigs are (much) cleverer than dogs.>
I plan to watch them very closely for the next few weeks before taking
any precautionary measures and medicating by trial and error....I assume
I will have to be vigilant about water changes and water testing until
I'm sure we are past this.
<Good water quality is important, regardless of the context.>
If there are precautionary measures you feel would be wise to ensure the
health of the rest of the tank, please let me know.
Thanks again,
Sandy
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Need to do anything for the others? Re: Is my Pearl
Gourami wasting away? 4/8/09
You are correct, as usual - she is looking worse today - Have scrubbed
plan to put in .5 gallon prison - I am on my way to pick up the clove
oil and will do the deed today - have been preparing the kids - they
have their ceremony all planned with song and all.....
<Sorry how things have turned out; but it's a good lesson to share with
children than part of the responsibility of looking after animals is
easing their passing.>
We have Chamber of Commerce weather today here in sunny Orlando, so it
should be nice.
<Never heard of "Chamber of Commerce weather"!>
Thanks ever so much,
Sandy
<Cheers, Neale.>
Bloated and listless female pearl
Gourami 1/29/09 I have a
bloated and listless female pearl Gourami. Rests upright on the bottom, goes to
the surface regularly for air, settles back down. Has not taken assorted food
for 3 weeks. My 110 gal., drip filter, community tank has a healthy large male
pearl and a female. I've had the three for about a year and a half. Water
quality is good, changed 15% overnight dechlorinated, and treated with Kordon
Amquel, every two weeks, I vacuum the bottom have pea size gravel barely
covering the bottom. I rinse three filters frequently, use a turkey baster to
remove sediment from the bottom of the filter sump. I keep the PH close to the
tap water 6.3 - 6-8 with a small nylon bag of crushed lime under the bio balls
in the filter. I treated the male successfully for internal parasites 6 mos. ago
with metronidazole in quarantine, tried it with this female with no improvement.
I have now treated her with "Jungle" Lifeguard all-in-one
(1-chloro-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-4-imidaxolidinone) for 5 days with no change, as
recommended by the local fish store. This fish is in a 2.5 gal barren hospital
tank, 80 degree, small filter with no media to maintain oxygen. I started a 25%
water change today in the 2.5 gal tank and am extending the "Lifeguard"
treatment cycle. A friend who formerly owned a fish store told me the three
Hatchetfish I recently lost (after 6-8 mo.s, one every couple weeks), typically
can arrive infected with gill flukes. I have three other hatchets with no
apparent prob.s, from a different store. All other fish are healthy and behaving
normally. 4 Lg Congo Tetras, 1 Lg. Angel, 6 neon, 1 blue ram, 1 dwarf Gourami, 3
hatchet, 4 threadfin rainbow, 2 med. Pleco, 1 Lg spotted African catfish. Would
appreciate your advice. Thank you for maintaining your web site, I refer to it
frequently, have it "bookmarked" at home and at work. Jeff <Hello Jeff.
The first thing to decide is whether the fish has Dropsy or not. Look from above
and see if the scales on the body stick outwards, so that it has a bristly, pine
cone-like appearance. If it does, then the chances are the fish has severe organ
failure and there's really not much hope of recovery. While bigger fish (like
Koi) sometimes recover when treated with erythromycin or Minocycline, I've yet
to hear stories of small ornamental fish species recovering when so treated. So
painless destruction is usually required.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/euthanasia.htm If the fish doesn't have Dropsy,
then we can think about other things. Egg-binding is possible with fish,
though rare. Since there's a male in the tank, I think we can rule this one out.
Another possibility is constipation, which in severe cases causes bloating. This
is quite common, and the usual solution is to switch to high-fibre food while
adding 1-3 teaspoons of Epsom salt per 5 gallons of water. Tinned peas and
spinach are good foods, but failing that, brine shrimp and daphnia work as well.
Don't feed any dried foods during this time as they'll have the opposite effect!
By all means let your other fish go hungry while treating this Gourami; it
will do them no harm. Do avoid randomly adding medications, as you seem to have
done here. Unless you can diagnose a problem, you can't treat it, and most
medications are poisons at some level, so careless use can cause problems. As
you've discovered, scattergun approaches rarely lead to cures. Cheers,
Neale.>
Will Pearl Gourami's broken ventral
fin grow back? 1/2/08 HI, You have a wonderful site
and I'd like to ask a question about my Pearl Gourami. <Fire away!> This
Gourami joined my fish family about four weeks ago and seems very happy and
seems to be thriving--except one thing. This week, one of his beautiful ventral
fins (1 of 2 labyrinth fins that goes length of body), is broken off about
midway--now it's roughly half as long as it used to be. I'm fairly certain
another fish didn't nip it off because all the fish seem so nice to each other
in the tank; except for the Cory cat and neon tetras, the larger fish frequently
join each other’s ‘school’ and swim together. <Hmm... likely nipping; fins
don't "fall off" by themselves.> None of the tank-mates ever show aggression.
<Often don't while you're by the tank: since you're a source of food, the fish
are more interested in watching you. But the rest of the time, if they get bored
or hungry, nipping can occur.> I think the ventral fin may have gotten
"caught" in the filter intake and he yanked it out and maybe it broke at that
time--that's what I think, but who knows? <Unlikely.> Here's my question.
Will that ventral fin grow back to its normal length or is my Pearl Gourami
injured for life? <Will grow back.> If the latter is true, will this
injury affect him negatively; affect his ability to sense things, to take in
oxygen, etc? So far he seems OK. <No long term harm. Do look out for signs of
Finrot or Fungus, and if necessary treat, but otherwise not a major problem.>
It looks to me like he uses the uninjured ventral fin for feeling/tasting things
(normal use), and seems to use the broken fin for balance. He still seems happy
and remains social but I really hope the fin will grow back. Please let me know
the odds on that happening. Tank information. 50 gallon tank: 19" high, 48"
long, 12" wide; Ph=almost 7 on the acidic side; Lots of hiding
places-huts/caves/arranged stones; Lots of fake plants of differing texture,
height and density; No live plants; Filtration=two Aqua Clear filters, each for
40-70 gallon tank; Tank is cycled/mature with ammonia-nitrite-nitrates under
control; Temp: 79 degrees; Food: Daily, Aqueon tropical flakes and Hikari
tropical micro pellets; weekly, frozen brine shrimp; most days, spinach, romaine
lettuce or other nutritious greens hung on a 'green/leaf clip'. Fish in
tank. 1 Pearl Gourami 3 Silver Dollars <Generally well behaved.>
8 Neon Tetras <Likewise.> 3 Buenos Aires <Well known "fin nippers">
1 Albino Cory Catfish 3 Rainbow Tetras <Are these Nematobrycon lacortei?
They're not normally reported to be nippy. But if these are artificially
coloured Gymnocorymbus ternetzi, then definitely on the table as possible fin
nippers.> Thank you for helping us. Nina <Happy to help. Do bear in mind
some of your fish need to be in bigger groups, certainly the tetras and catfish
should be in groups of 6+ specimens. Besides being happier, these fish will
interact with one another and be less prone to nipping tankmates. Cheers,
Neale.>
Re: Will Pearl Gourami's broken
ventral fin grow back? 1/3/09 Hi
Neale, Thanks for all the great information! You are really wonderful to take
the time to assist novice aquaria-ists like myself. <We're happy to help.>
Thanks for setting me straight about the foul play in my tank. I really was
going to chalk up the broken fin to a filter intake injury. <Ah.> I think
you might be right about the 3 Buenos Aires fish probably being the fin nipping
culprits. I've always thought the Buenos Aires fish were a "little" active.
Unlike the other fish, they zoom around the tank at top speed. This habit seemed
somewhat reckless and my nickname for them was ..."the gang". <A "gang" is a
good description of how these -- and many other medium to large characins --
behave. This species, Hemigrammus anisitsi, is an excellent starter species,
doing well in subtropical and tropical tanks across a range of water chemistry
values. But in small groups it does tend to be nippy. Oddly enough, in bigger
groups the fish tend to chase one another and ignore their tankmates. This isn't
always the case with nippy fish, but certainly with this one and a few others.>
Well, my priority is to have a peaceful tank so the gang will have to go.
<You might try keeping a school of 6+ first to see how things go. But if you
prefer, trade them in for something else. Among the larger tetras, things like
Congo Tetras, Lemon Tetras, X-ray Tetras and Rummy-nose Tetras are reliable
community fish.> My "fish-guy" at the LFS is going to be surprised when I
return them. The bright side is that their return will give me the opportunity
to take you up on another of your suggestions, that I increase the group size of
some of the other fishies. <OK.> You asked the following of my 3 Rainbow
Tetras. My rainbow tetras are Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish , Neon Rainbowfish,
Praecox. <An excellent species.> Two of the three look like this stock web
photo; red fins and full-body iridescent coloring . The third looks a little
different-fins are clear; I'm thinking this third fish is a female or maybe an
accidental mix-bred. The rainbows are no angels themselves. The two with the
red fins are always chasing the clear finned rainbow fish. Also, tonight I
noticed that the two red-finned rainbows do a type of dance with each other.
Red-finned Fish #1 one will position himself side-by-side with his head to the
Red-finned Fish #2's tail, then Fish #2 will reposition itself so it is
eye-to-eye with Fish #1 , then one of them will flip so that they are
side-by-side eye-to-tail again. They go back and forth with this play for
several minutes. What's going on with this flipping play--is this aggression
over the [presumed] female? <Yes; Melanotaenia species across the board are
best kept in large, mixed sex groups. The males are feisty (though rarely nippy
or aggressive towards other fish). Keeping fish from both sexes tends to get the
best behaviour and the best colours, the males colouring up nicely to impress
the girls. I'd always recommend keeping at least 3 of each sex. Do remember,
Melanotaenia rarely get their best colours when young. These are fish to invest
in for the long run -- they colour up nicely as they mature, and tend to live a
long time too.> Oh, I forgot to mention that I also have 3 emperor tetras.
They're peaceful, not fin nippers, right? <Usually very gentle towards other
species, though feisty amongst themselves. They do tend to require soft or at
least not rock hard water, and a shady tank with lots of plants is definitely a
help. A challenging species, but very worthwhile, with colours to match anything
else in the hobby. Since you have a big tank, I'd keep a decent sized group, at
least 6, and ideally more. Cheers, Neale.>
Today I woke up and my pearl Gourami
looked faded and his spots were slowing turning gray. – 07/21/08
My other Gourami has been looking a little gray also. Oh I almost forgot,
their eyes are looking gray and bigger than usual. How can I prevent this
from spreading to my other gouramis?
<Almost certainly the problem here is water quality. When multiple fish get
sick from seemingly random symptoms (as these are) then the issue is
environment, not a mystery disease that snuck in through the night. So whip
out your nitrite test kit and establish whether there is any nitrite in the
water (it should be zero). Also reflect on maintenance and the size of the
tank. These fish need an at-least 20 gallon system, with a decent filter and
water changes of 25% per week. Overfeeding is obviously a bad thing and
makes a poorly maintained aquarium even worse, so stop feeding until you've
established the nature of the problem. Send us some details of the aquarium,
filter, water chemistry and water quality test kit results and we can try
and help you further. In the meantime, your fish sound very sick and you
will need to treat with some antibacterial or antibiotic such as eSHa 2000
or Maracyn (but not Melafix, tonic salt, etc.). Cheers, Neale.>
Pearl Gourami 3/30/07
Ok I have a question
I have a pearl Gourami and for over a week now it has been laying on it's side.
<Bad behavior... some Gouramis do "lay about" quite a bit, but not this genus,
species>
I believe she is pregnant as she has gotten very big. She's not acting any
other way except to be laying on her side. It's almost as though she has no
ability to stay upright. If any of the other fish in the aquarium try to pick
at her the male comes and protects her. My question is what would make her lay
on her side and why would the male be trying so hard to protect her, could it be
because she possibly might be pregnant?
also do they have live births or eggs?
<Lay eggs... are bubble-nest builders... akin and kin to the more popular Betta
(splendens)...>
Any information would be helpful.
Thank you
<Mmm, please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/anabantoids.htm
and the linked files above... Something is amiss here... I suspect your Gourami
is not "filled with eggs" but suffering from "bloat"... Read on. Bob Fenner>
Another (different) Gourami question
Hi all,
<Hello! Sabrina here, today>
My wife has a 3 inch sub adult male pearl Gourami. He is currently in her 10
gal. community tank. He is very nippy and aggressive to his tank companions.
<Wow. That's a touch unusual for this, the most peaceful of the large-ish
Gourami.>
She is planning on moving him into a planted 20 gal long tank with Cory cats.
She would like to know what other fish would make good tank mates? She has read
of the pearl being kept with paradise fish or angel fish, would one or both be
ok?
<In a 20gL, angels will really be pushing it; not a good choice for a small tank
at all. But paradise fish would be an excellent choice! If you end up getting
a male paradise fish, do keep an eye out for any aggression between him and the
pearl. Another neat option would be to get a couple of female pearls, instead;
that could be a lot of fun. Enjoy! -Sabrina>
thanks, Dave & Kathy
Pearl Gourami
Hi my name is Sandy and I have recently acquired a 55 gallon freshwater
aquarium. I was over feeding my fish per the local fish store. Blood worms
shrimp brine and flake food. I have two pearls fairly large 3.5 to 4 inches
long. I purchased test strips a canister filter came home tested my water did a
1/3 water change hooked up the canister along with the aqua Clearwater filter
and the nitrate nitrite levels in control. The nitrite was up the first night
and I got it so the strip doesn't turn any color now and the nitrate still turns
pink but below 40.
< Ideally you would like to keep it at 25 ppm or below. 50 ppm would be somewhat
high to where I would start to think about doing a water change soon.>
My water is hard and the alkalinity is off a bit but Ph is fine. However I have
lost one blue neon dwarf Gourami he actually started bulging on one side I put
him in the freezer and helped him out of his slow death. I then lost a pink
kissing Gourami how seemed to stay at the top of the tank for a long time like a
week same spot would try and move around a bit would eat very little but seemed
to lose color and get very thin. Then she/he just went and lay down on a rock
behind a plant and died after a day or so. I now have one of my large beautiful
peaceful pearls doing the same thing saying in one spot staring off looking
small and thin.
She's running her mate off obviously upset I don't know what to do. So far I
have only lost Gourami' is there an illness that I can treat for them is this
something I need to treat the whole tank. I have a lot of fish and I am really
worried. Please help. I don't wan to sit and watch another hoping it will just
get better. Thanks if you can reply or help in any way. Tanks about 78 degrees
did a water change partial 9 days ago test strips look ok?
Sandy Kores
< If your tank is new then I would continually test for ammonia to make sure
that it does not read at all on the test kits (Zero Reading). Ammonia is the
biggest killer of fish. If the ammonia is under control then the next item to
check is nitrites( Also a zero reading). These are not as deadly as ammonia but
they do stress out fish to where they die from diseases that you are describing.
The third is the nitrates(25ppm, 50ppm max, in some fish 15ppm is too high!).
These are the least toxic of the three and still need to be kept in check. To
keep these levels in check I would service the filter every other week no matter
what it looks like. On the weeks that you do not service the filter I would
vacuum the gravel while doing your water change. When you do this you would be
amazed at all the junk in the gravel. Don't do this all at one time or you will
remove all the good bacteria that convert the wastes to nitrates. Watch the
feeding too. You should only give them enough food that they can eat it all in a
couple of minutes. You are feeding a very rich diet that can be too much of a
good thing. Make sure that the filter is moving at least 150 gallons an hour.
More is better. If after all these things are in check for a couple of weeks and
you are still losing fish, then we can talk about treating for diseases.-Chuck.
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