Dwarf Gourami: Nuts?

[Fastblur]

A couple of days ago I purchased a dwarf gourami, at first he seemed to be settling in quite well, nibbling at plants and generally looking relaxed. Today however he's not touched food (plant or pellet) and seems to be swimming in circles around the tank at high speed.
The other fish (five tetras) are still quite happy, just shoaling and floating, but something seems to have the gourami agitated. Any ideas? I've checked the water quality and everything checks out, the water hardness was a little high, but there's more than enough room for him (35L) and yet he seems to want out.

This isn't an emergency as such, it's just very odd especially considering that on the first 48 hours of his time in the tank he seemed quite merry. Any thoughts?

 

[WILDER]

Sounds like a parasite, can you see any salt like grains of salt on the fish, also does it look like he's chasing his tail.

 

[Fastblur]

Sounds like a parasite, can you see any salt like grains of salt on the fish, also does it look like he's chasing his tail.

He doesn't seem discoloured or to be showing any signs of infection (as far as my five minutes with an aquarium book can tell me) just incredibly agitated. It's more like he'd doing laps of the tank with occasional breaks to fight a plant or his reflection.

 

[WILDER]

What was the ph of the store to your tank, plus how long did you climatise him for.
I would watch out for a parasite as well.

 

[Fastblur]

What was the ph of the store to your tank, plus how long did you climatise him for.
I would watch out for a parasite as well.

The Ph of the store tank I don't know, he was acclimatised for half an hour in the bag, half an hour with some tank water in the bag and then released. It just seems odd for this to have appeared now, a little time after being put into the tank.

 

[WILDER]

I would ring the store to find the ph out, as they can act like that with ph shock, not saying it is definately ph shock just want to rule it out.

 

[Fastblur]

I would ring the store to find the ph out, as they can act like that with ph shock, not saying it is definately ph shock just want to rule it out.

Right oh, is there anything I can do for Ph shock?

 

[pokagon55]

Have you tried turning off the lights and see how he reactes? see if he calms down with the light off
It is poss. that the tetra's are picking on him a bit.

 

[Fastblur]

Have you tried turning off the lights and see how he reactes? see if he calms down with the light off
It is poss. that the tetra's are picking on him a bit.

I've kept an eye on him with the tank lights off for a bit tonight and he's still doing laps, but more slowly now, he seems to be 'coming up for air' from time to time, sort of nipping at the surface (despite there being nothing there).

Edit: I just turned on the aquarium light, and have given the fish their breakfast, that Gourami was voracious, during the night he seems to have just about eaten half of a small aquarium plant but is now much more relaxed. Odd though.

 

[pokagon55]

Why he was swimming aroung like that really is odd because Gourami's tend to be shy and hide alot when first put into the tank. But sounds like he is doing better so that is great. I have had Danio's that did that also but could never find a reason why. Very odd. I was going to agree with the PH differnet but he would have been flashing and jumping out of the water. This still could have been the reason but don't really know for sure with out a reading. But glad to hear he is better!

 

[Greg13]

hehe i got two for my tank at first, one swam around for a while, the other like you said hid, the one that sawam round even attacked my thermometer, but they seem to have calmmed down now, i think it may have been ph shock that one had but not he other, pain in the #$% these dwafrs, but i luv em . o the one that didnt have any ph shock (if thats what it was) ripped through the plastic bag i was acclimatizing him in, (i cut little holes in the bottom of the bag to allow water flow) he ripped right through the bag, and seemed alot better than the one that went through my whole climatization processes! ah who has a clue about fish really??
Greg

 

[redtailblackshark]

That sounds like a problem with your tank. I have a dwarf gourami and he is quite calm and relaxed like you said. After your gourami was calm and relaxed it seems like something drastically changed in your tank. Did you add anything new, change the temperature or water, or anything like that? And turning off the lights shouldn't matter, I have my lights on 24/7 and he is normal.

 

[Fastblur]

That sounds like a problem with your tank. I have a dwarf gourami and he is quite calm and relaxed like you said. After your gourami was calm and relaxed it seems like something drastically changed in your tank. Did you add anything new, change the temperature or water, or anything like that? And turning off the lights shouldn't matter, I have my lights on 24/7 and he is normal.

Nothing changed as far as I can tell, but he seems to be just having periods of high activity circling of the tank (usually whenever he get's too close to the thermometer) and then goes back to sort of lower-mid level and returns to standard activity. I can't seem to find anything wrong in the tank (everything is normal/ optimal) so I guess he's just a bit odd.

 

[WILDER]

I've seen that behaviour with ph shock, swimming fast in circles, it can take them up to two weeks for them to die, something is not right.

 

[Fastblur]

I've seen that behaviour with ph shock, swimming fast in circles, it can take them up to two weeks for them to die, something is not right.

Oh Crap. The Ph reads as 7.2 and the aquarium were at 6.8 or so. I wouldn't have thought that'd be it. However your probably right. Anything I can do? All the other fish (well the Tetras) seem fine.