it would probably be better to acclimate for longer. the stress probably did her in, not the O2 content. gouramis often will breathe from the surface, regardless of the O2 level in the water, because of their labyrinth organs.
Help!!! Is my pearl gourami drowning????
- Thread starter mazeman22
- Start date
Well, its not so much the one fish on its own that is the source of stress in this instance. Its the move from the shop to your home and the change in water conditions - hence the need for nice slow acclimitisation. Tank lights and room lights should also be off and kept off til the next day in my opinion.
Your gourami may or may not have also been stressed by the barbs.
If you try them again try a male and two females, in case the male gets over amorous towards a solitary female.
To acclimitise what I do is :
1. tank & room lights off
2. Open bag, pin to side of tank with peg and add a very small bit of tank water
3. Add every 10 mins for 30 mins.
4. Siphon out some bag water (its usually quite full now)
5. Add tank water every 10 for 30 mins again
6. Allow fish to swim out of bag. I often put some food in when I do this to distract the others from the new arrival and let him/her sneak quietly into the background.
