Tank mates.

March 22, 2008 @ 10:19 pm · Filed under AquaticLife

Ok, my blue/three spot gourami is full grown and maybe even old. He is in a tank with a long finned black skirt tetra. I read online that these bigger gouramis cannot be in tanks with fish smaller than themselves. Yet, the black skirt tetra is smaller than him, and they have been together for at least a few years. They don’t fight.
I want to get some male guppies. I have a small tank I can keep some in, but it is kind of urgent that this person get rid of the guppies they have and I only have a 5 gallon tank available that is empty.
I read online 10 gallons for 15-20 guppies is just fine. Does that mean 5 gallons for 10 guppies is ok too? It has filtration, gravel, fake plants, and I think I might even have a heater for it (though I also read they want 65-75 degree water, and it is warm enough in the house to keep tham at least at 75). I don’t have a bubbler for the 5 gallon, though.
I want to know if it would be ok to put some guppies in with the big (about 6 inches long) blue/three spot gourami and black skirt tetra…or will they get eatn by the gourami? I would only put adult guppies in with them, so they are as big as popssible to prevent them from being eaten.
Anyway, I guess that is what I want to know…oh, wait…one more thing…
My powder blue dwarf gourami in my other tank was being picked on by my juvenile dalmation mollies. They looked like they were pecking at him…and he may be missing a few scales. They pick at him until he is laying on his side trying to swim away from him. So I took the mollies out and put them in another tank. Now, the powder blue dwarf gourami is hanging out a lot at the bottom of the tank. He used to hide in the floating plant all the time.
Is he ok?
The tank temp was cranked up to fight Ich…and I have turned it back down…could he have been too hot? It was like 83 in there…
He also spends a lot of time with his mouth pointed toward the top…like he is standing on his tail…but in the middle of the water, or on the bottom, or at the top. Like all the time.
What is going on?
Recently checked levels in all tanks and tests report most is well (would say all but I have varying pH in tanks that get their water from the same source - unless the bathroom water is different than the kitchen water - and the ammonia was a little high in a couple of them, but not outrageously high).
Any and all info/advice appreciated
thanks
anndrea