Fishy Business

Question
thanks for the advice. I'll try to prepare a larger tank in case my goldfishes out grow the current one. Yap, i know about cycling, there's a big pack of mirco-beads (specifically for cycling) in my filter which i keep mostly untouched. Didn't know must perform twice water change per week. I usually perform 75% water change once a week. And in the case of severe water pollution after a month, then i would do a 100% water change. Anyway, from now onwards, i'll try to take your advice and perform more water changes.

The gold gourami is an adult size one, very big about 2 to 3 inch. After discussion with my family, I think it may be too aggressive to put it back into the main tank, i'll leave him out for the moment. The current tank with those mini-gouramis (about an inch) seems fine. None of the fishes are really harassing one another, except for the two ram cichlids who tend to chase/bite each other maybe once/twice per day, and sometimes smaller fishes which gets near. They never tried to bite to death, though one of them may be stressed and change color during the chase. They usually rest by themselves for most part of the day :P

The goldfishes are black moors if i'm not wrong. But the bigger one changed color from black to full gold. Wonder if it's normal. They are happily living in the tank now. I love them all. Thanks again.

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Followup To
Question -
Hi, I have a 20 Gallon tank. With Pump-filteration, a bit simple hill decor with holes for fishes. Some times i buy plants to put it and remove when they die (perhaps not enough strong lighting, only a simple flouresent light). Currently i have two Goldfish, one about 5 inch, the other 2.5 inch. 8 corys, 2 ram cichlids, 2 mini-red gourami (suspect to be dwarf, (1) any way to find out?), i'm considering to add an adult golden gourami to the tank. He was previously removed together with his friend after they bite each other, both same breed. (2) do you think it is advisable to put him back now? His friend died a few days ago. (3) is my tank considered big enough for them? I do weekly water changes. Also, it seems after 3 weeks of partial water change, the water becomes so dirty that i need to do full water change or they tend to fall sick or develop ick. (4) Is it because of the goldfishes? (5) What should i do to keep tank happy for my little cutie pies? Thanks for any speedy reply :)
Answer -
Dear Mr. Fishy, (what a coincidence!!! ;-) :-) he,he,he!

How long as you had your aquarium setup? If it is only a few days old, or only a couple of weeks old your water could be polluted with dangerous ammonia which is the by-product of fish waste. Now I'm not going to drill you about it like some--but remember that ammonia is toxic and the way to know if you have it present in your aquarium is by testing your water with an aquarium test kit which you can easily get at your local petstore. An uncycled aquarium means there is not yet enough special beneficial bacteria colonized in the aquarium and they are the ones whom convert ammonia into less harmful compounds.
((If you need more info on this about cycling--just let me know))

Now for your actual questions-
I suspect your little red gourami to be a color morph of the common and beautiful Dwarf Gourami (since scientific names help) "Colisa Lalia". These little beauties can easily be told by other gourami species simply by their stockiness and color. The only other gourami that I know of that looks like a Dwarf is the dainty little Honey gourami, "Colisa Chuna". But these critters are more rare.
~Male gouramis can be apt to bite and fight each-other. It was unfortunate though the other died. But I worry it may have been water quality issues... If you do have a test kit for ammonia at least please test the water. Always try to keep the notion, 'when in doubt, go ahead and do a water change". Which also brings me to your other question about the dirty water. No aquarium should ever become dirty enough to have to do a full water change--full water changes can be risky if not done properly and aren't neccesary. They stress fish more and can sometimes do some serious harm to their health.
*Now please don't get in your head that water changes are bad. They certainly are not. Water changes are the best thing you can do for your fish. Far too many people are drawn to the notion that changing too much water too frequently is unnatural. But the real truth is- fish in lakes, streams, ponds, and oceans are never subject to living with their own waste. The enormous capacity and dilution of the lakes, streams and other water places they live in prevents that, as does a continous supply and cycle of fresh water flowing in from underground streams or rivers, unless the pollution is manmade. So changing water a lot and done properly means making aquarium life that much more natural to your fish.

We can never truly duplicate nature, but at least we can do our very best for our beloved pet fishes.

Your aquarium is unfortunately quite well-stocked with aquatic life very likely causing the pollution level to sky-rocket in just a couple of days. Goldfish put a high bioload on any aquarium and because of their cool water need, different diet, and some of fancy varieties' long fins being a target to some playful fish...I feel and know they do best in their own aquarium. Truth be told--two goldfish is plenty enough if not too much alone for your 20gal.
I don't mean to drill you--but if they are to live their full lifespan of 10 years or more and grow to their fullest, they should be in their own aquarium with plenty of extra space, excellent filtration, and many water changes. If your goldfish are not the fancy variety but are either Comets, commons, or shubunkins (all of which I love! ;-) they can be alright for a while. But non-fancy varieties of goldfish are considered even worse for tropical community tank setups. Comets or Shubunkins grow quite large and if cared for well can even outgrow your 20gallon. Once they get to this large size (up to a foot sometimes!) they must be moved to a larger aquarium of at least 55 gallons-- or better--an outdoor garden pond.
*This is something very important to think about with your little goldfish.

About adding an  golden gourami...Is this perhaps not a dwarf but the color variety of the three-spot or blue gourami? Gold gouramis are some of the most beautiful fish in petstores. But I would wait on this addition until you can get your water quality issues straightened out.

It would really be great if you could give your goldfish an aquarium of their own..A 20 gallon would do for now. And would make me feel much better about things.

But besides that, what is most important for you to do for the continued health and well-being of your fish is to increase your water changes. You didn't mention how much you'd take out at each water change but I would recommend 50% or larger about twice a week. Don't do 100% however. Always insure the replacment water is equal in temperature to that of your aquarium's and is properly dechlorinated with a water conditioner. You probably already know this but it is well worth mentioning.~

And please try to test your water if you can. Preferably it would be great to have ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH readings but ammonia can suit at the very least.

Your best bet now is to increase your water changes until you can further get things straightened out and hopefully have your goldfish moved to an aquarium they can call their own.

Well, I really hope this helps! If you have anymore concerns or questions, feel free to email me...

Let me know how everybody is doing if you don't mind....

Best wishes and happy fishkeeping!
Karen~
ps: for lots more info on fishkeeping with reliable info--
visit- "www.fishtanksandponds.net" fish info, articles, movies, profiles of fish and much more. (note--this isn't my website in case you were wondering) BEST wishes,  

Answer
Hi Mr. Fishy! (in trouble!) ;-)
Oh, I didn't realize you were doing 75% once a week. That's very good...But if the aquarium seems overly dirty before your next weekly water change then you'll have to increase it. Make sure you aren't overfeeding either. This has a very bad effect on the water quality and even worse for the fish. I wouldn't wait longer than a week for another water change. I'm glad you will do more....

Hmm..Black moors aren't suppose to change color. They normally remain a velvety black color. I know Telescope eye goldfish can change their color as they get older. Maybe that's what your are. Telescopes greatly resemble black moors but usually aren't totally black.
It's very common for young goldfish to change from dark to a golden color. It's just part of their growing process and you often have a totally different looking fish!

I'm very sorry to hear about your gourami troubles. Sometimes they can be nippy to the other fish. They do much better with other fish in larger aquariums with plenty of space especially the larger species.

Well, best of luck with your aquarium! Feel free to write on anymore questions you may have...

Best wishes and take care, and your very welcome!
Karen~