Normal Blue Dwarf Grourami behavior

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dreamweaver219

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May 23, 2006
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Im not too familiar with blue dwarf gourami behavior,so i was just wondering....
My blue dwarf gourami spends most of the day swimming rather quickly from one end of his tank to the other.I have him in a 10g with 4 neon tetras.I also have a 20g that features one blue dwarf gourami in it as well...but the one in the 20g does not display this behavior,that is why i ask.Is this constant swimming normal? or could something be wrong.I cannot seem to find anything online about this.
 
Give him places to hide. When I got mine he used to do that, but as I got more plants he calmed down more. He still does it, but I think he does it for attention.
 
darli said:
Maybe he just feels cramped in such a small space ?
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I have one in a ten gallon and there are no problems....

I would go with the hideout theory...... fish need privacy just as much as we do!!!
 
humm, i dunno if i can put much more in there.I have a huge(not really big just big for the tank) fake tree stump with an opening to swim threw in there.3 foe lilly pads that i attached to a foe spikey plant(floating doesnt seem to work) to make that skinny spikey thing look "fuller".And about 4 other foe plants.Also 3 suction cup plants that are twards the top of the tank in the back.There is sort of a pond or forest theme going in there.It all sounds crowed,but its really not.I put all of that in there because i noticed him bulling the neons.lol well he stopped picking on them and has begun a dizzying back and forth swim.But,maybe its not the amount of plants, but the position.I'll try re-arranging them and see if that helps.If not, I'll maby get a couple more suction plants,he seems to like those.Its a small tank so i was affraid of making it too small in there with too many plants.
A ten gallon can't be too small for a 2 inch blue dwarf gourami fish with only 4 tiny neons as tank mates....can it? i dont think it is...and im pretty sure he has gotten as big as he is going to get.But, i guess i could be wrong.

Anyways, thank you all bunches for yout help.
 
Personally, I have a 10gal and a 20 gal right now set up side by side. My dwarf blue gourami is in the 20gal. I can't imagine him in the 10 at all.

Think of it this way--the 10 gal is probably affectively 18" long right?
Make it 14" when you consider the fish needs turnaround room at each end.
That makes the equivalent of 7 "steps" one way across the tank.

Try pacing your living room 7 steps back and forth for a couple hours and see how you feel.

Now add a bunch of random furniture placed so there's only one path you can take. You'll be bonkers inside of an hour.

A 10gal doesn't offer much up/down or back/front room either. Re-arrange the plants so there are alternating thickets to hide in and open spaces to swim in. Make sure the open spaces aren't all just along the front. And
make sure you've got at least a little section of floating plants he can nestle up under to feel more secure. If you can, make sure some of the plants are placed to leave a narrow space between them and the glass, it'll work as a hiding place the gourami can move easily thru but still feel hidden.
 
I agree with Wishful.

IME when fish pace back and forth like that or go up and down the tank walls, they are telling you there is not enough space for them. He needs a bigger tank.

Roan
 
lol,I CAN imagine that.....I live in 900 square foot apartment with 5 kids.Can you imgaine the little dance we have to do just to fix a plate then make it to the dinner table?
I was forced to put that gourami and his 4 neon compaions in the 10g tank because the dominate gourami in the 20g was kicking butt...along with the fiesty tetras in there.i was told on this site that putting 2 gouramis in a 10g would be ok.i ened up only putting 1.The 1 in the 20g is tank boss and keeps the tetras a bit calm so i left him there.
I myself did not purchase either gourami.I needed to purchase a larger tank when a friend was gonna flush her 4 fish (2 tiger tetras and 2 dwarf gouramis) She asked if i wanted them so i took the case and fell in LOVE with those dwarf gouramis.
Anywho, i have no more room for a larger tank.I really didnt have room to set up the 10g again,but had to for his sake.He is going to have to sufer with the 10g for now.I've moved the plants arround...we'll see how that unfolds.If he continues to be unhappy, i may have to find him a new home.But to be honest...I REALLY like this fish.I would rather find a home for all of the fish in the 20g then give up either gourami..lol.But i guess sometimes when you love something,ya just gotta let it go.lol
Again, thanks for the advice all.You guys are really helpful.
 
hey dreamweaver, where in texas are you? If you are in houston, and decide you need to rehome your gourami, let me know!!! :o good luck with him though, hope the rearranging works out.
 
yes, i'm in baytown,But i seriously doubt i wil l give him up.There is sooo much space in that tank, i honestly dont believe he is crowed.The fish in the 20g have less room to swim than him and the gourami in there is perfectly fine.Never does this back and forth thing.
BUT, you can have some of my tetras...lmao.I dont really like them.careing for them is easy thats why I decided to try tetras first.its been awhile sence i've kept fish, so i wanted to start easy.but i cant put much in the tank with them.Their not suposed to be agressive..yet they are...what gives with these fellows? sheesh.lol
But, if i have to decide to give up a gourami...i know who to call upon, ty ty ty.
 
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