Fish turning dark ? Help 🙏🏼

[Mordecai13]

Hello,

 

I am a beginner tank keeper with a 10 gallon planted tank. I have 1 honey gourami and 3 panda Cory, who all seem to be doing well. However, I’ve noticed that the gourami and 2 of the Cory have darkened in color since I’ve gotten them. They all seem to be acting / eating normal for the most part, sometimes the 2 Cory that are darkened also frantically swim at the back of the tank. I think they are both babies, they are quite small 

 

Attatched pictures are my Gourami and one of my panda Cory that has gotten “darkened” and the other one that is normal color. Idk if the pictures can really capture their darkness. But for the gourami specifically, I feel like it’s looking quite dull / not as vibrant as it should be

All my tank parameters are in check according to my api test strips (I’ve heard they are not that accurate tho), but I have consistently getting 0 ammonia, nitrate, nitrite weeks before these fish were added and still now.— One thing is that the KH is at 0, is this supposed to be higher?

 

also, one of my panda Cory (one of the 2 that are “darkened” ) also sometimes swims quite erratically, sometimes jerking over on its back or sideways. Is this a sign of stress and if so what can I do?

does anybody know if I should be concerned / have dealt with this darkening of their fish before? Any tips and help would be greatly appreciated 🙏🏼 thank you very much!

 

Also plz feel free to leave any constructive criticism / suggestions on my setup / planting 😁

Edited June 19 by Mordecai13

[Lennie]

Pretty tank

 

KH is needed to keep ph in check. But you use aquasoil. Aquasoil itself usually have a buffering capacity. So aquasoil itself should manage the ph I believe. Do you check ph?

Have you tested your tap parameters? Can it be the aquasoil absorbing your kh?

 

Your gourami is not a honey, but a domestic color of thick lips. These guys tend to lose colors from what I see from time to time. Idk if it is a result of selectively bred coloring or maybe stress/disease related issue.

 

If you read no ammonia/nitrite and only nitrates with your stocking and aquasoil at this point, and if there is no disease related issues, I would increase the number of cories and add a middle column swimmer schooling fish. Having calmer swimming crowded schooling fish around would make your honey gourami feel more comfy

[Lennie]

I would also probably not use air stone there. That creates a disturbance on that side of the tank. Also on the right side there is a HOB and it has a pushing effect too. A gourami would love a calmer surface with low current. I would remove the airstone and jsut keep the HOB filter. IF possible attached to the right or left side of the tank in the middle for a better turnover

[Mordecai13]

@Lennie Hi thank you for the response Lennie. And thanks for the compliment 😁Some counter questions :

 

1. yes, I have been testing PH, it is consistently at 6.0-6.5

2. If my gourami is a thick-lipped and not a honey, is 10 gallons too small??

3. If I turn off the airstone, will this affect the health of my plants?

4. What would u consider / how would I know if something is a disease related issue with my fish?

 

thank you so much!!

 

 

Edited June 19 by Mordecai13

[Lennie]

On 6/19/2024 at 10:29 PM, Mordecai13 said:

If I turn off the airstone, will this affect the health of my plants?

airstone just aerates the water. Has no negative effect on plants if turned off. 

On 6/19/2024 at 10:29 PM, Mordecai13 said:

What would u consider / how would I know if something is a disease related issue with my fish?

On 6/19/2024 at 10:29 PM, Mordecai13 said:

If my gourami is a thick-lipped and not a honey, is 10 gallons too small??

I did some reading and saw some people say it is normal.

 

@Cinnebuns is more experienced with thicklips. I have never had one before so I don't want to comment and mislead you without any experience. But pretty sure that's a domestic colored thicklip and not a honey gourami

[Mordecai13]

Thanks again @Lennie

 

just to be sure, is this enough surface agitation for my tank / plants / fish solely from the HOB filter? And I can ditch the air stone for good?

[mynameisnobody]

My guess is the darker substrate pulls the darker colors out of the fish. Place them on regular sand and you’ll get a lighter fish. This is crucial with rainbow fish keepers and various others. 

[Cinnebuns]

In regards to the gourami, yes it is a thick-lipped and not a honey gourami. Stores often label them "red honey gourami" but they are a unique species to a honey. Thick-lipped gourami have a slightly bright orange color when they are young. As they age, this color darkens. This is normal. That fish looks a little too young to sex, but males will turn even darker than this when they are "in the mood" to find a mate. 

The panda cories look normal to me. I have bred panda cories for about 4 years now and I don't see anything unusual about them. When they are lacking nutrients they do tend to go pale. It's possible they were pale when you got them and darkened up to their healthy coloring. 

I will caution you that a 10 gallon is a little tight for a fully sized thick-lipped gourami. It's a great size for a real honey but thick-lipped get bigger.