My Gourami Keeps Attacking The Thermometer!

[Liv15]

I have 2 male dwarf gouramis and one/both of them (not sure if its one of them or both - they look the same!) keeps hitting the thermometer in the tank which then hits against the glass making a loudish click noise. He does this now and then.

I've heard 2 other people say their gourami has done this so I want to know if it is (dwarf) gourami behaviour?

 

[ky*weremiej]

we want a video of this lol

 

[ncguppy830]

water parameters?

 

[KirkyArcher]

It can probably just see a reflection of itself in the tube, territorial fish can go ballistic if new faces are introduced even if the new faces are just reflections of themselves

 

[Liv15]

Yeah I think he can see himself because he was just staring at the thermometer for a little while!

 

[DreamertK]

Luckily my gourami only tries jumping out of the water (with the lid on) to attack his reflection.

How about growing algea on the thermometer or putting some plants around it so it's not very visible?

 

[Liv15]

we want a video of this lol

Here's a video I took of him doing it. (Sorry I shook the camera so much - it's hard recording on an ipad! But you can still see it..)

http/m.youtube.com/watch?v=mrLIaldvGU0

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

I may be completely off base here but it could be "flicking" which can be a result of external parasites like gill/body flukes. Worst case scenario I'm sure but something to be aware of. 

 

[Liv15]

I may be completely off base here but it could be "flicking" which can be a result of external parasites like gill/body flukes. Worst case scenario I'm sure but something to be aware of.

I have looked and there aren't any white spots on him and its only the thermometer he's doing it to, is it worth me treating for ich?
Ands he's not flicking on anything else.

 

[Liv15]

Also this particular gourami is a bit anti social towards the other male dwarf gourami I have, he will go up to the other one and sometimes try to hit him with his tail /

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

I didn't say ich. Odds are you wouldn't be able to see flukes. I'm just saying it's something to be aware of, you just have to observe your fish and decide if they seem distressed or not

 

[Liv15]

I didn't say ich. Odds are you wouldn't be able to see flukes. I'm just saying it's something to be aware of, you just have to observe your fish and decide if they seem distressed or not

Okay thanks for the advice, I have a problem with an aggressive shrimp atm and I hope the shrimp hasn't stressed the gourami into behaving like this?

 

[mrhidley]

I had a Dwarf Gourami that did this a couple of years ago, he did it when it was close to feeding time, so i always assumed it was his way of telling me he was hungry. He would also sometimes spit water out of the top of the tank.

 

[Ruskull]

 

we want a video of this lol

Here's a video I took of him doing it. (Sorry I shook the camera so much - it's hard recording on an ipad! But you can still see it..)

http/m.youtube.com/watch?v=mrLIaldvGU0
 

 
 
That's hilarious!  Well except that you don't want him hurting himself in the process or worse, cracking the thermometer and have the contents spill out into the water.
 
Maybe you should try a digital thermometer, with the actual readout outside the tank.  I have a nice one I bought at Petco or Petsmart that was only about $12 if I remember correctly.

Also this particular gourami is a bit anti social towards the other male dwarf gourami I have, he will go up to the other one and sometimes try to hit him with his tail /

 
 
Male Dwarf G's don't usually get along and play nice.  They are very territorial and unless your tank is very large they will generally harass each other.  It's what they do.  They're probably still young right now but eventually it'll get worse I'm afraid.

I didn't say ich. Odds are you wouldn't be able to see flukes. I'm just saying it's something to be aware of, you just have to observe your fish and decide if they seem distressed or not

 
 
Good point AA, but the TS said the Dwarf G only does this to the thermometer and the other Dwarf G, which probably means it's trying to challenge rather than "scratch the itch" of gill flukes.  Otherwise they'd probably see him rubbing himself on other stuff in the tank.

 

[Liv15]

I have a lot of plants for them to hide in and I have noticed that they have sort of 'claimed' some territory, one always sleeps by the plants on the right and the other on the left. I will monitor their behaviour towards each other but it doesn't seem a problem at the moment.