Shy Gouramis

[fishies101]

what should i do if my gourami pair (not a breeding pair) are staying in the back i think its the lack of plant but not sure... i will not tell you the size of the tank because it will be calling for disaster if i do. i have only two plants planing to get more someday but i have two small australian rainbow fish but they are not as active as my tetras who just hate new tetras (they are black neons by the way) and i have a very shy bumblebee cat who hides all day (which is normal). so my question is what should i do to make the gourami pair feel at home...? any suggestions will be welcome but only on the gourami problem nothing more.

 

[colleen0309]

I realize you do not want to tell us the size of the tank, but that may be the problem...too many fish in a small space is making the gourami feel uncomfortable

 

[fishies101]

ok fine ill admit its a 20 gal. long not to small right?

 

[faildeadly]

any suggestions will be welcome but only on the gourami problem nothing more.

If you aren't prepared to take constructive advice on your set-up (even if the advice reduce the stock) then why post in the first place?

As for the problem, sounds like a possible case of overstocking and underplanting. But then, you knew that...

 

[fishies101]

ok guys i really think i need to fix my tank but i just can't because i have never had such a big tank and it is hard to not overstock and i would really like someones opinion on what i should do i want to restock i am just afraid to yah know its just... i used to have a ten gallon and that was cool but it cracked when i was cleaning it after an algae bloom and then my whole fish keeping thing changed so i made a bunch of mistakes that i want to take back and fix i am reallly sorry about my lack of knowledge...

and just give me some time and someday i will repost and fix my tank and let people give me the right quantity of fish thanks for changing me!

 

[faildeadly]

The best thing you can do buddy is return the fish to where you got them, or to someone who can handle them, take 5 (minutes, not fish!) and start again. Research research research, plough these boards for advice, make your choices wisely, then begin again. Take your time to bulld an awesome set-up rather than rush it all and screw it up.

But in the meantime, some words of comfort: "The man who has made no mistakes, has made nothing."

Good luck!

 

[fluttermoth]

The more hiding places you have for your fish, the less shy they'll be. They feel more secure knowing they have plenty of hiding places, should they need them. You and I know there's no predators in your tank, but your fish don't!

While you're sorting out your stocking, do plenty of big water changes; as big and as often as you can, and that'll keep the worst of the effects of overstocking (stunted fish, high nitrate) at bay.

The gouramis really will have to go, I'm afraid, they just get too big for a 20g. Nevermind, it could be worse; at least you don't have bichirs, or oscars or something!

 

[fishies101]

yea thanks guys for changing me i am going to fix my problem and completely restart and i would like to know if i should restart the whole cycling process or what but i would also like to know if i could just keep a betta in that tank or if i should go for some goldfish.... any suggestions? all ideas are now accepted.

 

[fluttermoth]

You shouldn't have to do a new cycle on your tank, if it's cycled now. You'll just need to put your new fish in within a few days of your current fish going so the bacteria don't go hungry for too long!

A 20g isn't a bad size, just not really big enough for opaline gouramis. Not big enough for goldfish either, I'm afraid.

Can you list all the fish currently in the tank, and it's dimensions, please? Is your water hard or soft?

 

[fishies101]

it is a 24Lx17Hx12W and i have a bumblebee cat with two mickey-mouse platys a pineapple swordtail and two small austrailian rainbows and a bolivian ram who just loves me and a chinese algae eater with the two opaline gouramis and four mean black neons.

and what fish could i add..?

(with no fish in it)

 

[fluttermoth]

You really want to get rid of them all? The Bolivian, black neons, platies and, possibly, the rainbows and bumblebee could stay if you wanted to keep those.

If you want to completely start afresh, you have lots of options. Is your water hard or soft? Are there any fish you'd particularly like to have?

 

[fishies101]

well i would love to keep the ram and that would be it but the betta or maybe even angels which should i go for that would do fine with the ram? and i dont know how to tell if it is soft...or hard...

ok ok i just want suggestions now... i can't just go and buy randomly. i just want to go fresh i think the ram is shy yet agressive in some cases but the cat ate one of my platys... so........ argggg i just cant decide what to do...

 

[fluttermoth]

Your tank's too small for angels, I'm afraid.

If I was you, I'd probably keep the ram and the black neons; if you rehome some of the other fish, you could have a few more of the tetras, and they'd keep the aggression amongst themselves, rather than bothering your other fish.

You'd probably know if your water was hard, because you'd get a lot of limescale in your kettle and on your showerhead, so it's probably soft-ish!

 

[fishies101]

ok thanks i am calm now so i will keep my neons get about 4 more neons. no ram for me though. that will be my first and last cichlid and would a betta be good for that tank with a big school of neons?

 

[fluttermoth]

Hmm, I'm afraid the black neons might be too nippy to keep with a betta. They'd be better (see what I did there ) with the ram, tbh.