Bossy Gourami

[Zharin]

Hey all. First time poster here! I recently started a new job and decided to reward myself by purchasing a new tank since I had one during my childhood. I've had it for a few weeks now, all the water has continuously tested perfect. I started the tank off with a 5 Zebra danios and then added 5 more neon tetras later. Everything is peachy so I decided to add more fish...a lot more fish...at once. In one plop, I added 3 swordtails, 2 dwarf gouramis, 1 oapline gaurami, 3 clown loach and my black red tail shark.

Oblivious to my mistake, nothing at first really happened. Everything seemed to be okay but I started to notice some weird behavioral issues that I didnt take anything too seriously until now. Sone of the fish were hiding in corners and others were hiding behind the heater. I thought it was a temperature issue at first so I was slowly trying to adjust the temp when I came home from work and one of my tetras was dead.

No big deal, I remembered that some neons can just croak. I stopped changing the temp but the behavior stayed the same. The next day 1 of my Zebras was a goner. A few days later I notice some more of the tetras and Zebras aren't in a school like usual but I didn't notice them missing until today. I got home today and 1 of my female swordtails and 1 dwarf gaurmi were dead (untouched) along with another zebra chewed up and dead and one that had escaped with no tail and another neon tetra causality.

Took my water to the LFS (even though I was testing it myself) to doublecheck and get a second opinion. They said the Opaline Gourami is the culprit as they are known to boss around tetras and smaller danios.

I immediately put 2 more plants in my tank for hiding but I am not sure what more I can do. Any advice?

29 gl. freshwater tank, AquaClear200
2 Red Wag Swordtail
1 Opaline Gourami
1 Red Dwarf Gourami
3 Zebra Danios
3 Neon Tetras
1 Red-Tailed Black Sharp
3 Clown loach


On a side note, I haven't seen very much of my Clowns at all. They had been in hiding ever since I put them in the tank.

 

[phanmc]

1. Adding a lot of fish at once can lead to a mini-cycle, and it doesn't sound like you cycled the tank to begin with so when you say water parameters are perfect, do you mean that your ammonia and nitrite levels are zero and your nitrate levels are under 40ppm?

2. Male gouramis are territorial against other anabantids (gouramis, bettas, paradise fish), and a 29g tank may be too small to house more than 1.

3. clown loaches can grow to over a ft long, a 29g tank is not suitable for them.

 

[Flying_Diamond]

Those clown loaches will get WAY too big for that tank, if possible, you should take them back to the LFS. Since your tank is uncycled, and you now don't have enough danios or tetras, you should also take those back, since they need schooling groups, but you shouldn't put more fish in without cycling the tank. I don't know what red-tailed shark you're talking about so maybe someone else can help you there... do 25-50% water changes once a week and keep testing, it will eventually cycle.

 

[Zharin]

the LFS sold me 3 of the clowns knowing what type of tank I have, interesting. I will call the LFS tomorrow to see what I can do for them.

Diamond, heres a pic of that shark I was referring to. Black red tailed shark I think its called.
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/img/Epalzeorhynchos_bicolor_4.jpg

Phanmc: All the levels are normal. I even had a LFS collaborate a water test and they said everything was perfect. I woke with this morning and all the fish were 'okay'...got home from work 8 hours later and we had the casualities. 30 Min later I went to the LFS and the water tests all come back fine. I am not sure if a "mini-cycle" happened but would it of come and gone that quickly?

 

[Flying_Diamond]

No, it wouldn't have come and gone without you doing a water change or adding some chemical to the water. Either gourami could be the killer of your fish, or depending on the size of your shark right now, he could be too.

Unfortunately, all the lfs wants to do is sell you stuff. They will often lie or not tell you the whole truth just to make you buy stuff, or even worse, buy fish they know will die just so you'll come back and buy more. They informed you incorrectly and those loaches will need a very large tank very soon.

If you get rid of the loaches, resolved your gourami problem, and waited until your tank was cycled, you could add 3-4 more tetras and 3-4 more danios and you'd be just about fully stocked, but I don't know if the shark would give them problems, or if he already is, I don't know how the behave with small fish. The dwarf gourami would probably be fine with them, but the opaline will probably kill more fish.