White Spots on Fins Pearl Gourami  3/12/10
Neale,
<Hello again,>
I am gaining much knowledge from the friendly folks on bb. I am only contacting you now because I am up against the weekend and I would like your opinion on these "bumps".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGERZ-_4O8A
<Looks like Finrot to me, perhaps Lymphocystis. Can't really tell without a proper photo. So, please send photos if you can, and keep photos to 500 KB or thereabouts.>
It doesn't look like Ick to me because it appears to be extruding from and not burrowed in as such. Mind you I never heard of Ick until a couple weeks ago. The lumps or bumps are fairly uniform. I don't see any actual tares or whatnot.
<Finrot will typically be pinkish because its associated with congestion in the blood flow. Finrot is usually caused by physical damage and/or poor water quality. Lymphocystis is typically off-white to coffee coloured, and the surrounding tissue looks perfectly healthy. Lymphocystis is viral, but the virus only causes these cysts when conditions allow, typically poor water quality or the wrong water chemistry. It takes a long time to develop, rather than overnight. Exposure to heavy metals is a cause that's been identified in the wild. There's no cure for Lymphocystis, but it does go away by itself given time.>
Last night there was less no ammonia, no nitrite and less than 5 on nitrate. Still cycling hopefully at the end but I wouldn't be surprised to see different kinds of readings today. Regardless, I will do a water change.
<Good.>
Here's the latest video that shows 4 bumps or w/e and some more aggression.
It's odd that the females don't seem to be as scared of him today as they were yesterday. The non sick/injured fish has tolerated him pretty well but the sick fish has pretty mulched stayed in the cave. The last two hours she's been swimming with the other female even though her condition seems to have gotten worse.
<I see.>
There were two bumps yesterday but last night only one. Today there are four. None on other fish. Temp is 78 as I was assuming Ick and began to raise the temp. I also have removed most decorations assuming again that Ick would have attached.
<Pointless. Ick will be throughout the system, so removing one object while leaving another will make no difference at all. Stressing fish by
rearranging their habitat and removing shelters won't help either.>
Since all pearls are now pretty much free swimming maybe they aren't as stressed as I am. If things keep improving daily, and what we're seeing is NOT injury from him, I may hold off on a trade for a couple of days and get the plants back in and probably add more and likely skip the log because he's using that as a tool.
I'd appreciate your opinion on these bumps. This is my first illness/injury.
I'll try to get some pics with pro camera if you think it helpful.
<Yes. But keep to our size limit, please. Bigger than 500 KB and you're blocking up our e-mail quota, stopping other folks from sending their stuff.>
Thx
Greg in Charlotte
<Cheers, Neale.> 

Kissing Pearl Gourami. T. leeri beh.    3/6/10
OK, I tried a search on this both on here and Google. It's a tough query because I'm not talking about Kissing Gourami but Pearl Gourami that are kissing.
<Aggression.>
I introduced 2 females as per Neale's recommendation (I asked the LFS for their opinion and they agreed before I told them what Neale said but I think they read here too LOL).
<Oh!>
So, I'm sure it's a natural behavior but I wanted to ask what they were doing. The male chased them for a while. He is quite a bit larger right now. But now all three of them are doing this kissing thing.
<Arguing. They're testing one another's strength, I suppose.>
One of the things I thought and I know this is going to sound stupid, was maybe since the females are so timid that they aren't going to the top as much yet, that the male is helping out :')
<He's probably pleased to have the company. Always nice to be a frisky male in a target rich environment...>
Must find books but this seems rare enough in Google that I'm not sure which one would mention it if any.
Thx
Greg in Charlotte
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Kissing Pearl Gourami   3/6/10
Big man found a way into little cave. Where's there's a female there's a way.
<Indeed.>
I wanted to thank you for the suggestion of the floating plants. The girls are hiding in the cave most the time but it has settled down the Harleys and Platy. There is still plenty of free space but Harleys have slowed down and the Platy are the ones that have taken advantage of the extra hiding space so far. Even though plastic it gives a rich and unique look to the tank.
<Glad your aquarium is settling down now. Cheers, Neale.>

Anything else I should know? (pearl Gourami beh)  3/11/10
NEALE! Long time no write.
<Indeed...>
Anything else I should know about fish?
<Lots! It's easy to be surprised. But there are some great books on labyrinth fish out there, so if you're suitably motivated, either "Bettas, Gouramis and Other Anabantoids" by Jörg Vierke or "Gouramis and Other Anabantoids" by Hans-Joachim Richter would keep you amused for hours.>
It's amazing what's programmed into their little heads. I guess some of what must be breeding ritual just isn't listed on many websites. I suppose more videos are in order to show others some of this. I suppose this is mostly commentary but chime in where you please.
<OK.>
So last night I noticed sand on top of the cave and some floating about. I figured I had some sort of filter failure. Made me mad because I want to make more videos. All the cups of the fake flowers were full also.
Then I saw it. Or I should say HIM.
Ends up my male Pearl is building a landing zone in case. . . well I assume as some kind of net for the nest that doesn't exist yet. With the floating fake plants he's pretty much sticking to one zone for his territory but the platys aren't smart enough to stay out of there when there's so much room elsewhere.
<Platys are dumb.>
Anyway, he's going to the bottom of the tank and scooping up sand then swimming the 18" to the top and spitting it out so it rains down on top of the cave. Since that's his zone (well the whole tank is his kingdom but he's moderately slowed down and other fish can hide in the plastic vegetation) I assume that the nest is going to be built. Above the cave. I do not understand how that little brain can figure out that if eggs fall on the cave they might get hurt so he's padding it. Once the top is covered then it will be as soft as the substrate. I bet if I moved the cave he'd stop moving the sand around.
<Interesting. Generally, Gouramis don't build nests on the bottom of the tank, so why your specimen is doing this I cannot explain.>
Feel free to shoot this theory down. I really can't find any notes about this accept for one line on one site.
<There are some odd occasional observations that are for real, even though not often seen. A famous example is how some gouramis spit water at flies, just like Archerfish, but you hardly ever hear it talked about.>
I'd like a good book on this fish
<See above. I have the Vierke one.>
(and the Cory's too)
<Many, many good Catfish book, and some serious Corydoras books in particular. Hit Amazon, and almost anything by a German author is bound to be good value, e.g., "Corydoras - The Most Popular Armored Catfishes of South America".>
but would prefer something more than an atlas that just gives a pic and tells you where each species comes from.
<The Ian Fuller book is pretty well this, and while his book is very well regarded by collectors, it's not perhaps the best book for someone interested in what they do in the wild and in captivity. I have an old book called "Keeping aquarium fishes: Corydoras Catfish" by David D. Sands that is surprisingly good for its 98 pages and well worth tracking down second hand. It's a cheap and easy to read book, but covers just about everything you'd actually want to know.>
If you are aware of one that actually mentions this sand phenomenon please let me know as it would seem technical enough for what I'm looking for.
<No idea about it.>
It is hard to search on (pearl Gourami) and "sand" here on the WWM because of Sandy being part of the Crew. I tried but failed to get through all the search results.
<Oh.>
After adding two smaller females there was a lot of chasing. At first I thought it was all because Mr. Territorial was showing who's boss. That of course was part of it. But now I think the females are to blame. Oh and he turned orange right away. No hiding intentions. Good for him. He is quite striking at the moment.
<They do have lovely colours.>
But they are testing him or something. The females will swim up underneath and feel around him and sometimes head butt him in the side. Just now I saw one push him up against the glass where the braver of the little girls was pushing against his lower fins several times. He tolerated it. He only gave chase once she stopped and ran away first. Surely they aren't playing hard to get but the females seem to be the ones that start it.
<Yes, there's a certain element of testing potential mates. In the wild females choose males, rather than the other way around, so yes, the females will instigate various tests to decide whether the male is adequate.>
Finally what almost seems brilliant (I know it's instinct) is that she will swim into the log to get away from him but he won't follow her in even though he will fit. Instead he swims to the other end of the log to catch her coming out.
<Neat!>
I can imagine after several days of NOT seeing him move the sand around what it would look like and how much troubleshooting one could do to figure out what is wrong with their tank. Never in a million years would I have guessed a fish was doing that.
<Indeed not.>
I hope this post has some value for future readers. I'm interested to learn more about the behavior like I said without one page per variation that's mostly in a picture book. Maybe a future searcher will get a hit on this and find it helpful when they see the same strangeness.
Pictures and videos soon.
<Cool. Do introduce yourself to the WWM forum folks while you're around these parts, if you're after a bit more feedback than just me. Lynn and Andrew run the place and they're nice people, and I'm sure you'd feel at home. Cheers, Neale.>

Aggressive Pearl Gourami, Corydoras sel.  3/4/10
Neale!
<Salve!>
Since we talked before I wanted to share a short video on my pearl being aggressive. I know as a new hobbyist I neglect to consider all is not peaceful in the animal kingdom but my poor catfish just can't seem to catch a break.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyA0AAmoJk8
<One problem is you don't have enough catfish. Keep a group of 5 or 6, and then the Gourami won't be able to chase any one of them too much.>
Have you seen aggression at this level before?
<With Gouramis? Sure. They're territorial. This is what they do. Once you have a school of Corydoras instead of one, the problem will essentially fix itself.>
Note the platy fish will actually swim backwards to keep an eye on the pearl while getting out of his way. So far he hasn't picked on the Harleys too much but they are very fast and small still. I did see him go after one today though.
<Really, this is what happens. It's a new tank, everyone is figuring out who's friend and who's foe. Gouramis like to be top dog, and they will throw their weight around a bit. But after a few weeks this should all settle down.>
Now, I remind you that this tank is cycling which I know is terrible. I was trusting other people to test the water and am now using my own kit along with what I've learned here. We've also discussed that this might not be the best mix of fish, but that advise came from LFS after getting away from the big chains and the evil you know what's. I'm starting to feel like a catfish.
<In the sense of wanting more catfish? Sure. Add a group of Corydoras as soon as you feel water quality warrants it. These catfish are so much more fun as a group.>
They do not show signs of injury but I'm still worried about them being stressed.
<Wouldn't worry too much.>
My theory is he goes after the catfish more because he's figured out that where there's a catfish happy at the bottom of the tank there is probably food underneath.
<Perhaps. But I think it's more about territory. Wild Gouramis will stake a claim around a patch about 30 cm/12 inches square. That's a good size chunk of your aquarium. They rightly view catfish as potential egg eaters, and react accordingly.>
But that doesn't explain the platy chases but that is rarer and seems purely to be when they are "in his way" versus the catfish that seems more opportunistic.
<The Gourami will rank its aggression according to which fish it perceives as more of a threat. Who knows how the mind of a Gourami works! In this case, it seems the catfish is seen as a potential threat.>
The tank is finally showing nitrites. I made a bad assumption when switching filter brands which I will run by you later.
<Have read, replied.>
What I'd like to know foremost is if there's a chance that his behavior will improve as the water does.
<Not related at all.>
Right now it's at about .5 ppm ammonia and .25 nitrites (may be on the wrong scale there, it's the first one after "0" on the color chart) and I am doing 25% to 50% daily water changes.
<Good.>
The catfish are mostly being nocturnal that buys them some peace but not much. That's when they do most of their paired swimming etc.
<These catfish really do need to be in schools, not pairs or singletons.
Get six. Trust me on this. Six Peppered Corydoras will be fun to watch, live a long time, and best of all, breed really easily. Until you've
watched them spawn, you haven't kept fish! It's really very neat.>
My thought is to hang on until the cycle is done and see if he gets worse or better but of course I value your feedback.
<Hang in there.>
Thanks
<My pleasure. Cheers, Neale.>
PS: I find the unsigned note about taking over the world troubling. I hope my ammonia levels are good by the time you succeed. I don't want to be the first against the wall :')
<No idea what you're talking about here. Possibly one of Bob's subtle side-swipes at US foreign policy? He's fond of adding such codas to some of the Daily FAQs!><<Darrel's bit I believe here... re SW turtle sel. RMF>>
Re: Aggressive Pearl Gourami 3/4/10
Aha! Twas Bob then! <<Nah, not this time/incidence. See here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/turtleselfaqs.htm the second resp. down today>>
<Would seem so.>
Well I think you'll make a great justice minister when the time comes! And I do hope the humor translates over the water. Sometimes my smart remarks don't translate here either.
<Always a risk.>
I did forget to mention that there are six catfish.
<That's good.>
The stand the tank is on is designed for 46 gallons so maybe a slight upgrade at some point in the future. But the important thing is your reassurance.
<I think 46 gallons should be fine for this collection of fish. Indeed, if the Gourami is a male, adding one or two females might give him something to do. Usually, Pearl Gouramis work very well in community tanks, and it's rare for them to become a nuisance.>
He wasn't like this at first but I think I can relax for now.
<He is settling in, and it takes time for fish to become territorial.>
Or at least try. The harlequin Rasboras desperately seek the other side of the tank from where they are regardless of their current space in the tank (normal). And last night the catfish seemed happier and hyper. Between watching the two under fake moonlight I was becoming dizzy.
<Oh!>
I think we can close this chapter for now. Thanks for the hand holding!
<Always glad to help. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Aggressive Pearl Gourami
Oh darn that brings up another question. I went single because everything I read talks about having to separate them after eggs are laid and I really do not want to be in the business of taking care of fry.
<Well, let's start by sexing the one you have. Pearl Gourami males and females are quite similar, but males tend to have much longer dorsal and anal fins, usually with more raggedy edges as well. Males also tend to be more orangey around the throat, but this varies.>
If the two would be safe in the tank post bubble nest, and if the fry were likely to be eaten then fine. Otherwise I don't want to start a farm. And I imagine the catfish would be in more trouble if caught near a nest.
<You'd have thought. But the thing with Corydoras is they're incredibly dumb. They just don't learn how to avoid trouble.>
I've tried to find a FAQ that addresses this. Your thoughts or a pointer for someone that wouldn't mind having a pair but doesn't want to open a nursery would be appreciated.
<Generally, unwanted breeding of Pearl Gouramis isn't an issue in community tanks.>
Sorry, didn't intend to continue the thread. And I should have said 44 gallon with a 36 gallon currently. Not much of an upgrade but it's $200 for the swap. I'm sure the 36 would make a nice quarantine tank but geesh! I'd need another stand too!
<Likely so.>
So to avoid me bugging you on this, the second question raised would be female OK in this tank or after the upgrade which would add plenty of inches for here.
Recap:
1 Pearl G.
<I suspect adding a female would be okay in a tank this size, especially if there are plenty of floating plants so the line of sight between the male and female would be broken up. Plants at the bottom of the tank are good too, but less useful, since Gouramis are air-breathers and need to spend much time at the surface. Adding two females rather than one might be better as well, since that way you can't have any one fish being bullied all the time.>
6 Cory cats
4 Platy
6 Harleys
The Harleys are the only babies with everyone else appearing full grown.
<Cheers, Neale.>

RMF RE: Aggressive Pearl Gourami 3/4/10
I feel suitably admonished: I shalt not take the Lord's name in vain again! Cheers, Neale.>
<<Nah, not this time/incidence. See here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/turtleselfaqs.htm the second resp. down today>>
<Perhaps a lesser demigod... Cheers! BobF>

Re: Aggressive Pearl Gourami 3/4/10
Neale, I say "male" and the LFS says "male" and we know they don't make mistakes. Can you tell from the videos at
http://www.youtube.com/simplefishtank or do I need higher res pics?
<Can't really tell. Do look here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebindex/FWDailyPIX/FWDP%20Arch%201-12/fwpot
darch10.htm
The fish in the front is a male. Note the long, raggedy anal and dorsal fins.>
Recommendation for plants for the top when I add a female or two?
<Indian Fern and Amazon Frogbit are the two best value.>
Thx
PS: I prefer to call the Cory cats "unawares" versus "dumb" but I've yet to purge all the human feelings that us newbies like to place on our pets. I know they don't read the FAQs and they don't have feelings enough to be
hurt by being called dumb. Humans though are strange.
<You may well be right. Perhaps better to state that Corydoras don't understand about territories, being fish that move in huge schools across very shallow streams. In the wild, territorial cichlids wouldn't be an issue where they live. In aquaria, their lack of understanding means they rarely seem to cotton on to no-go areas in an aquarium, with the result they are often harassed by territorial or nippy fish. Cheers, Neale.>

Bubble Nests go on the Top Right?  2/18/10
I have a single male pearl gourami, some Cory catfish, platy and harlequin Rasboras in a 36 gallon tank. Everyone has been getting along great for about a month since the Rasboras replaced evil Serpae tetras.
<A good replacement.>
Starting yesterday the pearl has started doing "something" at the bottom of the tank and I haven't figured out yet. As far as I know the only change is three plastic 12" plants are more densely packed together at the back and bottom of the tank. When he's doing this behavior he goes up to get air in small gulps, returns to the bottom to the same place and kind of looks like he his rummaging for food on the substrate but he isn't.
<How odd.>
Anyway he's gotten aggressive to the catfish and is nudging them away if they come within a certain radius . I've never seen him chase anyone that didn't get in his way. He's definitely gone territorial.
<Is in their nature to do so.>
As far as I know bubble nests float at the top and not at the bottom.
<Usually, yes.>
He's a bit odd because he spends some time down there checking out the cave but that's where the catfish rest and I need to know what to do if this continues. I'm thinking spread out the plastic plants and maybe re-arrange where the cave and stuff are but things have been going so well this is kind of depressing.
<I wouldn't lose any sleep over this. He's happy. If it's not doing any harm, let him build his nest wherever he wants. It may be water current elsewhere is too strong, and this particular niche suits his tastes.
Stranger things have happened.>
Thanks
Greg
<Cheers, Neale.>  
Re: Bubble Nests go on the Top Right?  2/18/10
Thanks Neale! Is it usual for this fish to build a nest when he's the only one of his type around?
<Yes. In the wild they build then nest, and then entice the female, rather than the other way around.>
I hate to break it to him but Ms. Perfect is not going to come swimming by anytime soon.
<Quite. That's why it's not a big deal. If there were eggs, then there may be more of a problem, because the newly hatched fry will need access to the air.>
And I'm not worried about him as much as I am the catfish. So far it looks like he's just nudging them away but he like goes on patrol in his little circle to get them to move on even though they are not directly in "his space". I don't know how much harm a pearl can do.
<They'll figure it out. If all else fails, add another hollow ornament, and one or other will move in.>
If I disrupt what he's doing is he likely to forget about it for now or is he likely to become stressed?
<Oh, if it's annoying, by all means disrupt the nest. That'd happen all the time in the wild.>
Thanks again!
<Cheers, Neale.> 

Longstanding Gourami Illness  11/22/09
Hello My name is Vincent and my female pearl Gourami has a few problems.
<Oh?>
I have a well established ten gallon tank that has been housing this fish for about 3 years and her roommate, another male Gourami, for 4.
<This is rather small for Pearl Gouramis.>
I have never had any problems with water quality nor have there been any pH spikes things of that nature.
<Good.>
The water in the tank is kept at 70-74 degrees F and is carbon filtered as well as filtered by the resident Java ferns.
<Too cold. Pearl Gouramis should be at 25-30 degrees C, 77-86 degrees F.>
My female pearl is my favorite fish so I have always paid close attention to her. The weirdness started about a year ago when I noticed a white spot developing on her ventral fin.
<Often, long term exposure to environmental failings allow these sorts of small, seemingly minor issues to become established. Because the immune system is weakened, the fish's health is slowly reduced.>
I watched it but it did not seem to do anything or harm her so I chalked it up to her fin's natural growth. Then I started noticing her swimming, it became weaker, more spastic, like she had to devote more energy to swimming than a normal fish would.
<Indeed. Is "spastic" a word people still use in the US? Over here in England it's considered very inappropriate. Actually, just had a quick look on Wikipedia, and while in British English it is considered (by linguists) "one of the most taboo insults to a British ear" apparently Americans use it much more freely. Interesting. Anyway, carry on...>
Her dorsal fin and tail fin have since been drawn in and folded and she maintains her body at a strange bent angle as if she is constantly avoiding something to one side.
<Sounds very much like chronic exposure to poor conditions have now tipped the balance against her. These are fairly generic symptoms of overall poor health and weak metabolism.>
Her pectoral fins, the ones that look like feelers, are no longer straight and are kinked at odd angles to the point of not being straight or rearward oriented. The fins adjacent to her gills are torn and have small lumps on them and one of the fins looks bloodshot.
<Again, classic symptoms of a weak immune system allowing a bacterial infection.>
I have tried several different treatment regimens, first under the assumption that it was ich then fungal infection then fin rot but nothing has worked.
<Medications *won't* work if the underlying problems remain. It's a bit like going to AA meetings while you're still downing a bottle of Scotch every night...>
I have tried myricin and Trisulfa to no success, with the carbon removed.
The only thing those did was devastate the bacterial community in the tank until the ammonia levels spiked.
<Hmm...>
I have no idea what this thing is at this point.
<I have a very good idea what's wrong.>
I know that it is slow acting and does not prevent her from feeding or reduce her appetite but other than that I have no idea. Please help.
<A bigger, and certainly warmer aquarium is required. With luck, she'll recover if given good water quality, a balanced diet, and some type of antibacterial or antibiotic treatment to stem the infection. Otherwise, she's doomed. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Longstanding Gourami Illness – 11/23/09
Thanks for the assistance.
<Happy to help.>
I do have another tank that could house the fish, the only problem is that the tank is maintained by my parents at home while I am away most of the time at college.
<I see.>
As such I am hesitant to place her there as there since they are far too preoccupied to actually invest the care that this fish needs and she would likely die there as well.
<Oh. Well, she won't do well in a cold aquarium, and I'd put her in a heated tank and hope for the best.>
I going to remove the tank mate when I go home for Thanksgiving break raise the temperature and hope for the best since I cannot entrust her to the care of people who have no experience with fish.
<Perhaps not.>
At any rate thank you for identifying the problem and I appreciate the quick feedback. I only asked this because I did not see any other references to this on your site and because all of the other fish I have been fine in the tank and have suffered no problems.
<"Complex variables" as scientists say. Some tropical fish actually like fairly cool conditions, like Neons, Corydoras and Platies, and these are best kept around 23 C/74 F. But others, like Gouramis, do need things a bit warmer.>
For a bit of lighter news yes I am American and spastic is not an insult here rather a way of describing a motion that looks uncontrolled or sudden or caused by pain.
<Interesting.>
You can use it as an insult though it is far down the line in terms of offensiveness. We do not use the word to insult developmentally disabled persons nor to connotate retardation. Spaz, the colloquial term, refers to a clumsy or inept person and is not a slur.
<"Two nations separated by a common language" is what Oscar Wilde (I think) said of the Americans and the Brits.>
Yours Truly
Vincent
<Good luck with the Gourami. Cheers, Neale.>