Grommie laying down

Question
Our Blue Grommie has taken to laying on the aquarium floor for long periods of time, or wedging himself behind the heater.  Today he was floating upside down behind the heater and I thought he'd gone to join the choir invisible.  But an hour later he was chasing another fish around.  Is this behavior normal?  30 gal. 7 fish. 1 very attentive cat.

Answer
Hi Kay,
Its possible he may have swim bladder issues, you might want to read this great article devoted to the many causes and treatments for this condition that is common with several popular fish species-

http://flippersandfins.net/SwimbladderDisease.htm

I think this is definitely the likely problem here. Otherwise he may have some internal issue that very little can be done about. Swim bladder is more a condition developed from a diet or water quality problem rather than an illness in itself. It usually never requires medication but more an overview of the fish's diet. Too much food at one time or feeding dry foods can cause digestion problems that put pressure and interfere with the swim bladder's normal function. Sometimes fish will also swallow too much air when gobbling food from the surface.

The best thing to do is review all that you are feeding the gourami. Try pre-soaking pellets and immersing flakes below the surface when you feed. Try offering smaller more frequent meals rather than just one or two big meals. And incorporate some frozen brine shrimp and some other frozen foods for healthy digestion.

Some individual fish are more susceptible to swim bladder than others. But with the right steps taken it shouldn't be re-occurring too terribly often.

I hope this helps!
Karen~