FinnedFriendBeginner Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 I introduced a Pearl Gourami into a 1 month old tank last Saturday (04/13). The fish has been lying at the bottom of the tank for the most time. The fish is very skittish and zooms off if I try to take a closer look. While he was interested in Krill flakes yesterday, he didn't eat anything today. Is this behavior normal for newly introduced Pearl Gourami while acclimating or is he somehow sick? Tank has 0 Ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate, ph 6.8, 78 temperature, 40kh and 150gh. It has 4 snails, 3 petricola catfish and 8 cardinal tetras which seem to be doing fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicSunfish Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Normally, gouramis are middle-to-upper layers fish that swim in the open. However, they may hide if they’re scared or sick. Looks like you have some other fish that are doing well (dithering), but your pearl might still be scared. Hard to tell from the photo, but do you have plenty of shelter in the form of plants (real or fake)? If not, that might make him shy. Also, having other pearl gouramis to hang out with might make him more confident. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Its more than likely stressed if your lights are to bright do you have plenty of plant cover if you don't have floating plants I would add some that will make it feel more comfortable when I kept a pair of pearl gourami's years ago they were very out going I had lots of cover for them and they even spawned a couple of times 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikkiRae Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 How old is he? and how long have you had him. This is not normal behavior. It could be stress from being introduced to a new tank. Or the fish is sick. Did you quarantine? Did the fish look healthy when you got him? My pearl gourami has hid lower in the tank when I added new tank mates and he was stressed, but has never actually laid on the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 I cant see anything from the pics. But in my experience gouramis do sleep on the floor level from time to time. If there is not aggression issues, it eats and swims well, it is just sleeping? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Pearl gourami are very shy. It could be getting used to the new tank. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOLANANO Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 could also be a flow issue. Pearl Gouramis don't love a ton of flow so if the water is whipping around in the tank, she may be chilling in the lowest flow spot. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnedFriendBeginner Posted April 21 Author Share Posted April 21 Thank you all for the valuable suggestions. Given I had newly introduced the fish to the tank I did the following: - Reduce the air bubbles in the tank - Switched off light for around 3 days Looks like the fish was just getting used to the tank. He's pretty active now and surfs around the tank including the bottom from time to time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicSunfish Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 On 4/21/2024 at 6:46 PM, FinnedFriendBeginner said: Thank you all for the valuable suggestions. Given I had newly introduced the fish to the tank I did the following: - Reduce the air bubbles in the tank - Switched off light for around 3 days Looks like the fish was just getting used to the tank. He's pretty active now and surfs around the tank including the bottom from time to time. Yep, gotta give em time to adjust when they’re new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now