Hi

I have just purchased 2 Banded Gourami's, i have read up on them, but there isnt that much info really Also at the LFS they had them listed as Indian Gourami....

But there is a clear profile on here for the Banded Gourami, and its definately them !

Does anyone have this kind?

C x

This post has been edited by Clairel: Oct 28 2005, 12:20 PM

Colisa fasciata is also known as the 'striped' gourami and, more commonly, the 'giant' gourami. These fish get to about 4" max so are the largest of their genus (hence the name), with males turning out slightly larger, though slimmer, than females. Males are also considerably more brightly colored and have longer fins and a more pointed dorsal and anal fin. Behaviour-wise they are much like any other gourami in the genus colisa. They are relatively peaceful but, males can become aggressive if crowded as they are still territorial fish. They do best kept in a ratio of 2 females per male but 2 males or females or a male/female pair will also co-exist quite happily as long as the tank is a suitable size to make up for any male-female chasing or territorial aggression. Females like to have company, males do fine alone. They appreciate floating plants for cover and, like related gouramies, will choose a territory in the upper layers if given that option. They do need to breathe air so care should be taken to make shure they do have access to it and can get to it without being harassed or bullied. In many ways they are extremely similar in character to the common dwarf gourami (colisa lalia) but banded gouramies are a lot hardier and much more resistant to disease. They are also, IME, more active and out-going though they can be rather shy when not yet settled in. Feeding should not be an issue - neither should pH or hardness - but do try to provide a little vegetable matter in the diet and live/frozen daphnia, brine shrimp, bloodworms etc will all help bring out color and encourage breeding behaviour. Like any other fish, good water quality is vital and, like many other gouramies, fluctuations won't be appreciated. They do like higher temperatures of around 79 deg F and should get along with most peaceful to semi-boisterous but non-nippy fish. If you have a male/female pair and ever wish to breed them, just follow the same steps as you would take with a dwarf or honey gourami as they are pretty much the same as far as breeding patterns/behaviour is concerned. If you can't find info for this fish under its common name(s), try the scientific name. As I've said, most info on dwarf or honey gouramies (which is plentiful on the net) is also relevant as long as you take into acount the size difference.

Thank you so much !!

The thing i like about this breed, is that 2 males can get along just fine, whereas the dwarf gourami wouldnt tolerate this....

They have settled in really quickly actually, and are swimming around, and mingling with the other fish.

Its a community tank i have, i only have peaceful fish in there, although i do have 2 angels which are considered peaceful-semi aggresive, but my Angels have never been aggressive towards any fish that i have.....

C x

Ive just noticed, one of the Gouramis i bought yesterday, has 2 little lumps on his body..... He doesnt look in pain, but i was wondering what these are, i dont want whatever it is, to contaminate my tank Any ideas?

C x

Where are they? Sounds very odd. Can't say I have any idea without seeing them first hand and even then.....
Hope someone has an idea. The only things I can think of that look like lumps are tumours. What colour are they? And what size?
Hugs,
P.

After another close inspection, he has 3 one on each side of his belly and another one near his fin at the top.... I have checked the other one, and he doesnt have any of these.... so im at a loss to what they are they look like there under the skin, and not on top, and are only very tiny, but you can see them, probably the size of a pin head, but they are perfectly round..... I will keep my eye on him

C x

Odd! Poor thing. Hope he's ok. One of my s.gouramies earnt the name raggedy andy because his tail fin never grew back after being attacked by Penny, our other s.gouramie. He has what looks like fungal bits in places but they're not. His tail and top fin just grew back....wrong. He is perfectly happy and healthy tho.
Can only hope it's nothing to worry about in the long term.
Hugs,
P.

Well ive only had them both 1 day, and there both eating well, and swimming around, and mingling with the other fish, and even playing....so he looks fine, but i was a little concerned about these tiny lumps.... i hope hes ok, and i know this sounds awful what im about to say, but i hope whatever it is, isnt contageous, as my tank has never had any disease in it at all, and i dont want my other fishes to suffer...

I have tried looking on the net for what it could be, but with no luck

I will try and get a pic on here, so you can see...

C x

Ok here are the pictures.....

As you can see a clear lump, and it has 3 of these, the last picture, the fish in question is in the foreground.

Claire x

I have to admit to being at a loss. I can see the lump there. I have found some info here that may come in useful. Keep watch for any further symptoms or the lumps getting bigger. Hard to say since the fish is so new. Chances are it's come home with it and that does mean he may be carrying bacteria into your community. Can you not isolate him?
Hugs,
P.

The most common cause of this kind of things in gouramies is bacterial. By the looks of it, it isn't at a very serious stage yet. the best thing to do would be to isolate the infected fish and try treating with a relatively strong antibiotic. If you can order maracyn 1 + 2 off the net (I don't think they are available in England - someone please let me know if they are!), a combination of the two works a treat in most circumstances. Even if you don't have meds that you can use right now, get a hospital tank ready with a small filter or something and isolate him so the other fish doesn't get it. This would actualy be the first time I've seen this kind of infection on a banded gourami - but it is very common on dwarfs.

I dont have anywhere else to put him do you think i should take him back to the Lfs, i have a 7 day guarantee..... ??? I dont want him to contaminate my tank, but if i do take him back, i hope that they sort him out, and dont just leave him......

Claire x

UPDATE !!

I have taken the Banded Gourami back to the LFS, Mr Lumpy my 2 boys named him lol Anyway, i have explained to the lfs what he has, and they have put him into in isolation tank on his own, and will medicate him I would have done this myself, but unfortunately i dont have a spare tank

C x

You did the right thing Even if he can't be saved (though it would be a while before what he has gets out of hand so they may manage to treat him still), you saved your own fish by moving him out - so well done.

congrats to you and your LFS!!! i don't know of many LFS that would have done that.

Ditto to the other replies. Is probably for the best. Last thing you need is an outbreak of anything in your tank.
I will say it would be worth having a small tank you can use to quarrantine fish either new or ill. I run an extra filter (Just a small internal) in one of the tanks so there's always a mature filter that can be popped into it. And a small heater is generally pretty cheap.
Hugs,
P.

Looks like a bacterial ulcer to me. Difficult to treat without antibiotics, and even with the treatment hardly a sure-fire cure. As I understand it, the bacteria is ubiquitous among South East Asian gouramis. Some are more sensitive to it than others. The dwarf gourami, for example, seems to be very prone to it and has become rather a dicey, short-lived fish in my opinion. Blue gouramis, on the other hand, can carry the bacteria (and pass it onto other fish) but don't themselves seem particularly susceptible.

The X factor is probably water chemistry: dwarf, chocolate, and honey gouramis are nitrate sensitive and need soft, acid water to do well, and hence in many aquaria are already under physiological stress. Add the bacteria, and you push them into sickness. Blue gouramis, by contrast, are hard water tolerant and indifferent to nitrate, and so their immune systems are probably well able to deal with the pathogenic bacteria.

Cheers,

Neale