Blue Gourami Died

[Suzycbee]

Hello

I am new to this forum. We have a 40 gallon triangular tank which is quite deep at 18 inches.

Two weeks ago we sold our 6 discus which we had had for 2 1/2 years and did a complete re-vamp and 100% water change of the tank, adding some plants. we then added 2 blue gourami and 5 rummy nose. They havce got along fine, but unfortunatley yesterday one of the gouramis died. I just cant think why this has happened - unless its lack of oxygen as we have noticed that the gouramis spend an awful lot of time at the top of the tank. we keep the filtration return pipe quite high to areate the water but wonder if we need to get more oxygen into the water as it is deep.

our water parameters are ammonia and nitrite both zero and nitrate is low at less thatn 12.5mg/l.

We did add one dose of kent plant food to the tank yesterday as we added some more plants.

Does anyone have any ideas on the cause of death - we are really disappointed as they are lovely fish.

thanks

 

[idlefingers]

I don't know why it died but blue gourami will stay at the top a lot. It has a labyrinth organ which allows it to take gulps and breathe oxygen from outside the water. This is probably what it was doing.

Sorry to hear about your loss

 

[Suzycbee]

I don't know why it died but blue gourami will stay at the top a lot. It has a labyrinth organ which allows it to take gulps and breathe oxygen from outside the water. This is probably what it was doing.

Sorry to hear about your loss

thanks

the remaining gourami has not left the top of the tank and seems to be doing a lot of heavy breathing - thought it was heading for fish heaven earlier but just seems to be stationary - when we first had them they were all over the tank.

 

[idlefingers]

That doesn't sound good. They should go to the top often but staying there and heavy breathing is not good.

I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than me can shed some more light on it.

 

[-Nemo-]

High temperature can lead to heavy breathing, that might be a thought
Gl

 

[sylvia]

Blue dwarf or blue three-spot? (Colisa lalia or Trichogaster trichopterus?)

Gouramies will gasp at the surface when something in the water is irritating them, when they experience pH swings or when they are generaly stressed.

Do another water change and don't add any more plant food or plants. This may have caused a fluctuation in pH - gouramies are expecialy sensitive in this respect.

While you are at it, what is your temperature at? Discus like high temps so perhaps your tank is still heated to quite a high temperature? If so, lower it gradualy. It should be around 78 deg F if you want to avoid a high incidence of bacterial infection.

Is the fish still eating?

 

[nissansabre]

Could the tank be cycling from over?

 

[Bullrock74]

Could the tank be cycling from over?

The tank should not be recycling assuming you are still using the same filter that you did with the discus and that you did not do anything to kill off the beneficial bacteria in that filter.

If it is a blue three spot gourami, does it have normal body coloration? Or does it have a very dark body coloration? In my experience, blue three spot gouramis will turn a very dark blue when stressed.

My three-spot gourami has been known to spend long periods of time at the surface of the tank, but it doesn't breathe rapidly when it does this.

Also, as asked before, does the fish still eat? If so, chances are good that the fish will be ok.