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I orginally had 3 dwarf male gouramis in a 30 gallon tank, and after a few weeks the three started going to seperate corners of the tank and remaining near the surface. I added a female and guess what.. they are all still remaining at the surface and the female seems to be almost vertical in the water near the surface - has anybody seen this sort of behaviour before. My local shops has suggested that the water maybe too cold so no it is up to 77-78 for a little while.
For info there are also 6 hockystick tetras and 10 neons as well a couple of dwarf rainbowfish
Any thoughtshttp://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/images/smilies/lookaround.gif

Hi there,
well generally speaking gouramis are top water fish. However, this kind of always at the surface behaviour suggests underlying water condition issues.

How long has the tank been set up?
How often do you do water changes and what percentage?
What products/chemicals do you add when changing water?
What are the fish in the tank?

Do you test your water?
Test results for Ammonia?
NitrItes?
NitrAtes?
Ph?

You say say now the temp is up to 77-78 for a little while? Why a little while? These fish are all tropical fish and the temperature should be kept between 78-80F permanently for best health.

Also, Gouramis are very anti-social. Males particularly. I think youre very lucky they havent killed each other yet.
Usually recommended is 1 male per tank to multiple females.


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Hmm , interesting. I'd assume that the dwarf rainbows would succumb to the effects of poor water quality before the gourami's did. Makes me wonder if there isnt a behavioural or bacterial cause as well.

Any news on those water perameters?

Longhair,
in my experience, Rainbows are tough, robust hardy fish.
I even know people who have cycled tanks with them.
Dwarf gouramis are notoriously weak and poorly bred.
Ive never had one live more than 1 year and any issue with water or anything bam, they drop like flies.


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Thats where our experience differs, I was lucky enough to own a good batch of dg's last time I had them. They lasted three years, bred profusely , and made better sizes than they seem to these days. They would have beaten the pants off a dwarf rainbow for toughness, if only on the saturated oxygen advantage. Originally speaking, dg's come form a much dirtier, tougher, and seasonally changeable habitat than the rainbows do.

In most peoples opinion a gourami should be a much better beginner fish than a neon rainbow, being in theory much less susceptible to poor water quality, but I guess breeders are ruining the species. It comes to something when a labyrinth fish of a common variety from that tough habitat should be weaker than a neon rainbow!

I'm not sure I agree entirely, but I get the point.

The sins of breeders eh. Most depressing.