My new dwarf gourami spends much of his time swimming up and down the back corner of the tank. Is this normal? He eats and does come out and swim around, but he also does these quick up and down "laps" quite often. Any ideas?
Gourami swimming up and down...
- Thread starter Jakmax
- Start date
I see he's a new addition to your tank. While I've never seen a happy, settled fish swim up and down like this I have seen sick, new or nervous/agitated fish do it. It doesn't sound like he's sick, so I'm wondering if he might just be a bit nervous in his new home. It's a good idea to test your water, as hcgirl80 said, just in case. If all is well with the water chemistry, he might just need some time to settle in or a few more decorations/plants in the tank to feel secure. Gouramis like the water to be fairly gently circulated and often appreciate some plants floating on the surface, so if you can provide some shade and turn the filter down a bit (if it's creating a lot of current) he might settle down.
My gouramis (2 Blue Dwarf and 2 Red Honey) did the same thing after I got them. They spent the first day either hiding in the bottom corners, or swimming up and down the glass on the edges. They settled down and now mostly either patrol around the tank or hide under the wood and plants 
The honeys still hang around the top corners a lot though.
The honeys still hang around the top corners a lot though.
my gourami did the same thing for a while. Probably about a few weeks. Now he is settled in to his new home and rarely does it anymore.
Thanks. I tested the water and all looks good. My Ph runs a bit high (7.6), so I hope that doesn't have anything to do with it. I will wait a bit and see if he settles down. It sounds like he should. Thanks, all!
my gouramis always did that when i first got em same with my corys...and my rams hes just wondering why he cant get all the way to the paper in the back
good luck!
good luck!