My blue gourami is stressed

Question
I have a small blue or three-spot gourami. I got him from Meijer (not the best place to buy fish, I know)a little over a month ago and he seemed well acclimated to his little tank he shared with a few guppies. About a week ago I noticed his pupils were really small and he was darting about. I put him in his own bowl and since his spots have faded so much the color is almost lighter than the rest of him. I was wondering if the cause of this was harmful and if so what to do about it? I treated him for ick over 3 weeks ago and he recovered and has been fine until now.

Answer
Hi Kristin;

Make a water change and see if he feels better. That kind of behavior often indicates waste toxins in the water. How often do you usually change his water?

What size is the tank he shares with the guppies? Blue and three spot gouramis get to be almost 5 inches long so he may need more room. He should be in a 30 gallon or larger as he grows bigger.

It's also possible he has an internal infection of some kind. Does he look swollen anywhere?

If his water has been cool it will cause fading and it even gets ich started. He is a tropical fish that needs 73f to 82f all the time. Like all fish the temperature should not fluctuate more than 3 degrees though. Find a range within the 73 to 82 and keep it in there. An aquarium heater will provide that. Most are thermostatically controlled. Here is a profile page about your fish;

http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/555.htm

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins