Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Health => Topic started by: Colesr92 on October 08, 2014, 06:48:14 PM

Title: Red Honey Gourami behaviour change.
Post by: Colesr92 on October 08, 2014, 06:48:14 PM

I have two Red Honey Gourami in my 40L and one has all of a sudden stopped eating and spends most of the time in the corner of the tank next to the filter. I have not changed anything in the tank since this behavioural change and the other fish are fine. I have not noticed any discolouration in the fish, white spots or anything, so cannot decide if it is a disease or if it is bloated or something. The fish does seem a bit larger but is otherwise fine, but not eating. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Title: Re: Red Honey Gourami behaviour change.
Post by: Sue on October 08, 2014, 07:03:59 PM

Are there any bubbles in the chosen corner? Is that fish chasing the other one? If a male decides he's going to build a bubble nest he will usually choose somewhere the water flow is slowest, like a corner, and spend most of his time there. But that doesn't explain the loss of appetite.

If you look down on the gourami, do its scales stick out like a pine cone?

You could try feeding peas in case it is constipated. Save some peas from your meal, or microwave a few in a container of water for 30 second. Squeeze the insides out of the skin and chop/mash them till the bits are the right size to fit in the fish's mouths. Feed just peas at that feeding.
Be warned that the fish poo will be green for the next couple of days.

Title: Re: Red Honey Gourami behaviour change.
Post by: Richard W on October 09, 2014, 07:24:48 AM

Some of the Honey gouramies I inherited with a second hand tank died after following the same pattern retreat to a quiet part of the tank and stop eating, then slowly fade away, with no obvious cause that I could find and no treatment that had any effect. Not all died and these are the only fish losses I've had in a year. Still a mystery to me.

Title: Re: Red Honey Gourami behaviour change.
Post by: Colesr92 on October 09, 2014, 12:11:53 PM

Thank Sue, I will give it a try. I don't think it is the bubble nesting cause he has started floating into the open water now, think it may be constipation cause I have had issues with fish and their swim bladders before now and they went the same way, but will keep an eye on him. I lost another red honey a while ago because of aggression, it was too shy and was bullied into not eating. The current red honey having issues is the one who was bullying, so will keep an eye on him for bullying, but it seems to be quiet in there lately.