gourami loosing color

Question
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Followup To
Question -
I have a 10 gal. tank that houses 4 gourami. 2 of them are blue gourami's. Just recently I Have noticed that one is loosing its color and both of them are 'fatter' looking than the other two that I have in with them. I have had them for quite a while and seemed to be doing fine. I have noticed them getting fatter, but didnt think much about it until this one started loosing its color. The other two gourami's are not fat or loosing color, they look like all the others that I have in a seperate tank and ones that I have had in the past. What could be causing this problem?
Answer -
Hi Kristy;

Do the fat ones seem to be eating okay? Are they hiding more that the others?
How long have you had them?
What do you usually feed them? How often? How much?
Are these dwarf gouramis or regular blues?
Do they seem to chase each other around at all?
What is the water temperature?

Let me know as soon as you can....

Chris Robbins



they seem to be eating just as much as the other ones do.  I feed them Wardley tropical premium flakes, twice a day once when I get up and turn their light on and then once when I go to sleep and turn the light off.  Not a whole lot of food since it is only 4 fish in the tank.  I thought they were dwarf, but right now they are larger in length than the other two.  They look to be about 3-3 1/2 inches long.  No, none of them chase each other around.  They just stay in the back of the tank and lay around all day.  It is 78 degrees in the tank.

Answer
Hi Kristy;

It could be that they are female. Females get fatter and aren't as colorful as the males. However, they might just be having digestive trouble too. If you ever see your fish having a bowel movement and it is a loooooong string hanging behind them, they are constipated. It can cause bloating which can be very dangerous, leading to obstruction and death. Give them tiny chunks of green peas for a couple of days and see if they look better. I use frozen ones because they are easier and aren't as processed as canned. Just thaw one out and pop it out of it's little round skin and feed bits at a time to the fish. Even if you don't think they have digestive trouble it is a healthy food to give them twice a week and gives them variety which most aquarium fish are lacking. Imagine eating the same dried flakes every day.....blechhh!

Water quality is a factor in fish color too. If the tank is new (6 weeks or less) or it has been more than a couple of weeks since the last partial water change, make a 25% change right away and do them weekly from now on. You will notice a big difference in their color, vitality and appetite.

Here is a page with a list of links on gouramis to know more about the types and what they should look like;

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/gourami/

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins