Skittish Three Spot

[tekknocolor]

So, I mentioned previously in another thread that my three spot has suddenly started acting crazy. He keeps freaking out and jumps out of the water and hits his head on the hood of the tank. Well, recently he's stopped doing this and is now being extremely reclusive. This is extremely odd since he use to love just swimming about in the open and wouldn't jump or anything. He used to chase all the other fish in the tank as well, but now, they scare him and he swims and hides all the time. I haven't noticed anything physically unusual with him except that his spots have faded immensely, but his blue hue is well defined. All water parameters check out fine since it's a well established tank with weekly water changes. Any ideas why he is becoming such a social pariah? I know that none of the other fish attack him since he's the largest and the others are scared of him. Now all they have to do is swim near him and he's darting to the other side of the tank and hiding near the bottom of the tank behind some plants and ornaments.

Any suggestions?

Edited to include: He hardly eats anymore now... just takes a few nips and then hides...

 

[sylvia]

Could you give a list of all the other tank inhabitants and whether you added any new fish recently?

You mentioned he is hiding near the bottom behind some ornaments. If you don't already have floating plants, add some... if you do, add some more.

If the tank is large enough, you may want to consider getting a pair of females. This would deffinately bring him out more. Most gouramies enjoy company though they are territorial and can be aggressive so don't get another male or any more if there isn't enough space. Getting some dwarf gouramies could also bring him out but they may also reveal his aggressive side.

The faded colors worry me. This is usualy a sign of deteriorating health or a change in hierarchy (do you have other three-spots or even some other gourami?). It could also be old age as you described how he used to act so I suppose you've had him for quite a while.

If it's any of this it need not be a problem. However, if it is his health, you should try to identify what is wrong and treat it.

The skittish behaviour is quite common in gouramies but the fact that he suddenly changed may point towards a problem. Either that, or you recently changed his environment in some way and he is still adjusting. Did you change the arrangement of anything in the tank, change current, temperature, add new/remove old fish, change food etc?

As long as he is eating something - he should be ok.

Do test your water just in case. This is probably not the problem though.

Edit: Something I forgot to mention - gouramies are very variable in character and often have mood swings or suddenly change their mind about something. Don't be too surprised if this is simply the case. However, do try to rule out any other possibilities first as they may save your gouramies life in the event that something is seriously wrong.

 

[tekknocolor]

Could you give a list of all the other tank inhabitants and whether you added any new fish recently?

1 Bala shark
1 swordtail
1 otocinclus
2 female bettas
2 tiger barbs
1 snail
No new fish.

You mentioned he is hiding near the bottom behind some ornaments. If you don't already have floating plants, add some... if you do, add some more.

Plenty of plants - low and tall (not a problem since the tank hasn't been changed since his problem)

If the tank is large enough, you may want to consider getting a pair of females. This would deffinately bring him out more. Most gouramies enjoy company though they are territorial and can be aggressive so don't get another male or any more if there isn't enough space. Getting some dwarf gouramies could also bring him out but they may also reveal his aggressive side.

Tried this at one point, but he's too aggressive and tried to kill other gouramis.

The faded colors worry me. This is usualy a sign of deteriorating health or a change in hierarchy (do you have other three-spots or even some other gourami?). It could also be old age as you described how he used to act so I suppose you've had him for quite a while.

I've only had him for about a year - if even that. But don't know how old he was before purchase - lfs don't usually know themselves.

The skittish behaviour is quite common in gouramies but the fact that he suddenly changed may point towards a problem. Either that, or you recently changed his environment in some way and he is still adjusting. Did you change the arrangement of anything in the tank, change current, temperature, add new/remove old fish, change food etc?

Only change was that at one point I had a rainbow shark and he just passed away - he had a fateful accident. He got stuck under a plastic plant and then when my fiance thought he was dead, he removed him, but the guy was still hanging in there and did a head dive onto the floor. He recovered, but then shortly died there after. No other changes to decor, temp, or food. As I mentioned, all water parameters are fine.

His drastic change in character is alarming, but I don't know if it's a disease. I'm not treating him with anything and don't plan on it as long as the other fish are fine. If it gets to the point that others are acting ill as well or his conditions worsen drastically, I will consider meds.

I'm pretty experienced with all the fish I've mentioned above since I've had them for quite some time and have researched them all. You'll also note that I have odd numbers of fish, but there were more in the beginning, but the setup works fine. They've all established a pecking order and have been that way since I've gotten them. I just don't know about this fella though... I hope he pulls through or gets out of his rut soon.

 

[sylvia]

Are you shure those tiger barbs aren't bothering him? Swordtails and female bettas can also be quite aggressive.

You may want to try adding some more barbs (6 or more). Not necessarily to ease aggression, but to add more activity to the open water and convince the gourami it's safe. It would also limit any aggression those barbs do show towards the gourami...

I may also point out that you need a very large tank for a bala shark. You said you researched your fish so I would suppose you already know this and are going to upgrade soon.

 

[tekknocolor]

I am aware of the bala shark needing more room, but at the moment everything is fine. I am upgrading tanks when the time arises or giving him away to someone that can give him a larger home.

I am positive that the barbs are not bothering the gourami, I've had them for quite some time and study their habits daily. (They're actually terrified of the gourami)

My bettas have no beef with the gourami nor does the swordtail. I've had these fish in the same tank for quite some time and not once did they ever attack or nip the gourami (at least not while I was home, but then I would see signs on his fins if that were the case, but guarantee it's not the problem). Actually, they're all afraid of his "feelers", I think it makes them feel violated

I am thinking about putting him in a hospital tank, but don't want to stress him out worse than he already appears to be.

 

[sylvia]

He doesn't realy sound sick... other than the faded color. His unusual behaviour, as we've already discussed, could be attributed to many other things.

Still, putting him in a hospital tank may give him a chance to calm down and regain confidence. If he isn't sick, he shouldn't be too stressed by being moved. Make sure there are floating plants in the hospital tank though and don't move him into an uncycled tank or he WILL end up very stressed or sick.

 

[tekknocolor]

Thanks for all your input sylvia... I'll keep you updated!

 

[tekknocolor]

Update:

I've rearranged the tank setup to a more natural scene. Guido the gourami appears to be behaving the same, but a little less skittish. His spots come and go, but there doesn't appear to be any difference in him physically. He's still hanging out around the bottom of the tank, even though there's enough places to hide - high and low. He's eating, but not as much as previously.

 

[sylvia]

Well if he's still ok after so much time it could just be his character Out of curiosity... what is your pH?

 

[tekknocolor]

I'm sorry for responding so late... I forgot I had this thread. The ph is 7.0 in my tank. I thought at first that he may have been suffering Acidosis/Akalosis which includes the following:

Symptoms:
- Fish shows an excess of mucous
- Skin becomes inflamed and the gills may bleed and deteriorate
- Fish may also display darting movement and may jump in an attempt to leave the water
- Fish also shows signs of increased respiration and can be seen gasping for air at the water surface

Cause:
- Fluctuating pH values causes this problem. Most fish can tolerate a pH between 6.0 and 8.0. If the pH drops below 6.0 skin problems - acidosis - may develop. A pH above 8.0 on the other hand can cause the erosion of skin and gills.

But when I checked the ph, everything was quite normal. IDK what is wrong with him, which there may not even be a problem. I'm just concerned since he's not acting the same as he previously was.

 

[sylvia]

I don't think he's sick if all he's doing is changing his activity levels Your pH is fine and he's been ok for so long without other symptoms so just keep an eye on him and I think he's alright.

 

[tekknocolor]

I would have to agree with you... just wish he was his old self.. ya know? Sylvia... also, thanks for you concern! I really appreciate it!

 

[sylvia]

No problem... I love fish - it doesn't matter who owns them I always want them to be as happy as possible and I like hearing about other people's fish.

 

[leafs]

I was just going to add a post about my skittish Gold Gouramis. I just purchased a male and female a few days ago for my 30 gal and they were very nervous. They would dart around like crazy and tried jumping out. Even when I would walk by the tank, they would freak out. For the most part they hide behind the plants, but they seem to be exploring the whole tank now. I hope they will eventually feel comfortable.

 

[tekknocolor]

I'm sure they'll be fine leafs. I've had my gourami for about a year now and then all of a sudden about a month ago (maybe a little more) he started acting all crazy and skittish and hiding. He has started eating like a little piggy again though! YAY!

Oh yeah, side note: My bala shark has been adopted and moved to his new home (200 gal) and is doing well. The cool thing: a co-worker adopted so I can see him/her anytime! Isn't that great!?