Gourami Unhappy

[Nak]

Hi all

I have a 29 gallon tank, it's planted (not heavily), filtered heated, etc. It has been home now to 5 female mollies for about 8 months, so it's cycled. Water temp averages 26 deg celsius , and I do weekly 20% water changes.

Now my problem, I went to the lfs and came home with 2 male dwarf red gouramis. (Stupid me). I've never kept them before (another stupid move) and I think my tank may be too small for the two males to be completely happy.

The one guy is in his element, very inquisitive and cheeky. He's also a bit of a bully, and my other male is constantly hiding at the bottom of the tank or behind one of the rocks, and I'm getting worried that he's going to die. I've seen him go for food once, but then he just spat it out (cheeky is eating happily). It saddens me to think I've brought this guy home and now I'm going to kill him.

Is there anything I can do to make him feel safer?

I have got another small tank (maybe 15g), but it's been in storage so it wil take a while to cycle and set up.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I would use filter squeezings from your established tank to set up the 15 gals for your poor bullied boy. Just keep an eye on water stats, but he should be fine.

 

[Nak]

I would use filter squeezings from your established tank to set up the 15 gals for your poor bullied boy. Just keep an eye on water stats, but he should be fine.

Okay thanks for the advice, it's night time now, so i'lL have to go in the morning to get the few bits and pieces that I'm short, hopefuly he'll make it through the night.

If I start the tank off some with water from the old tank, a handful of gravel, and the "squeezing from the filter", when do you reckon I could rehome him? I'm assuming I'll need to do daily water changes too. Argh I feel so bad.

 

[TammyLiz]

If you're moving him you do it at the same time you add the old gravel and seed from the filter. I would actually add a piece of the filter floss, if you can--thats more likely to work than just a squeeze. If you wait until after thats been sitting for a while to add your fish, though, the bacteria in the floss and on the gravel will starve from lack of fish waste to process.

As a side note, mollies and gouramis are not good tankmates because mollies should have salt in their tank, and gouramis don't tolerate it well. Do you have salt in your tank? If you do, it would best to use clean dechlorinated water, instead of old tank water, when you set up the new tank. Either way, don't use 100% old water, because you might as well have the benefits of a water change. And make sure you acclimate slowly when you move him over, to avoid shock.