My fish is going loco...

[clownfish]

I'm currently in the middle of an ick treatment (today willl be dose 4 of 5) as my pink gourami showed a few white spots. He's usually a docile guy, just lazily coasting around the aquarium making sure all is in check. However, he's been acting oddly lately. Firstly, he's developed some sort of personal vendetta against my new plants which now spend most of their time floating on the top of the aquarium. Also, he usually kisses the glass when I look at him. Now he mouths off and off for minutes against the glass. If a fish could be yelling hysterically, it would look like this. He's also become a lot more active, he swims a lot more with several burts of speed.

I added some new fish about 2 weeks ago and he doesn't seem to like the new additions (he's been the king of the tank for a while now). They pinch his food before he gets at it and are constantly exploring.

Here is my somewhat ridiculous question... could this new behaviour be caused by the medication for ick (I'm using Maracide)? Could it be from the ick even though it appears to be cleared up? Should I worry that there may be another ailment upsetting him although he looks very healthy? Is it possible that he's grumpy about the new fish additions (I mean, can fish feel stuff like that?)

I'm at a bit of a loss. He's my number one guy and I want him to be happy...

[Matt W]

It sounds like it could be stress related. The stress could be from the ich, the medicine, the new fish, or the water conditions.

What are your reading for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates? What's your pH level? How often do you do water changes?

My recommendation would be to finish the ich treatment and make sure the water conditions are in check. If all that is good, you can probably contribute his behaviour to the new fish. What kind are they? Adding some additional decorations to break line of sight between him and other fish could help....