# I want to save him!



## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I was in a local petshop yesterday. The guy who runs it is actually pretty good, by petshop standards. When he saw a sick goldfish in the (typically) overcrowded tank, he scooped the little guy out and isolated him in the plant tank, which is twice the size and has no other fish (the other guys were attacking him). 
However, he also had a tank with coral blue dwarf gouramis, male swordtails and serpae tetras -all quite aggressive fish. The serpaes were mostly just bothering each other, the stupid little nippers (heaps of them had nipped fins), but the swords had basically declared war on the gouramis. Two were hiding behind the filter, one was fighting back and one had a wound on his side, most of his tail missing and smaller wounds around his head. I really want to go back and get him out of that tank, since he clearly can't fend for himself in there. The guy who runs the shop doesn't have any other isolation tanks.

Here's my dilemma: I don't really have anywhere to put him. I have my overcrowded sorority (moving to the 23 gallon in a few weeks where I won't be overstocked anymore), but he would fight with the girls, I presume, gouramis and bettas not being famous for getting on. I have my 3 gallon CRS tank, but that's too small and it's only 20 degrees celcius. I have my 5 gallon, but that's Odysseus's. 
I also have an empty 5 gallon hex. It is too small for him, and I don't have permission to set it up. It does have a heater and a filter (I can do an instant cycle with borrowed media) but I'm not sure I have enough powerpoints to run it. 

I suppose the logical conclusion is that I can't save him, but I hate having it within my power (I could do it if I just had permission!) and not being able to save him. 
Maybe if he's still there/alive when I get the 23 gallon I'll consider it, although I'm supposed to be shutting down my 5 gallon when that happens. 
Le sigh


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## jamiend97 (Feb 22, 2012)

I've always heard not to mix gouramis and bettas. I had a few female bettas mixed with Kissing Gouramis. They never once went after eachother. It was honestly the most peaceful tank I've ever had.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

jamiend97 said:


> I've always heard not to mix gouramis and bettas. I had a few female bettas mixed with Kissing Gouramis. They never once went after eachother. It was honestly the most peaceful tank I've ever had.


Kissing gourami get around a foot long and need a 48 inch tank. More than likely your fish were crowded and stressed, and they reacted to it by huddling in the corner; not the conditions you want to keep any fish in. There was aggression in that tank. You just never saw it. Those fish should not have been put together. 



Bombalurina said:


> I was in a local petshop yesterday. The guy who runs it is actually pretty good, by petshop standards. When he saw a sick goldfish in the (typically) overcrowded tank, he scooped the little guy out and isolated him in the plant tank, which is twice the size and has no other fish (the other guys were attacking him).
> However, he also had a tank with coral blue dwarf gouramis, male swordtails and serpae tetras -all quite aggressive fish. The serpaes were mostly just bothering each other, the stupid little nippers (heaps of them had nipped fins), but the swords had basically declared war on the gouramis. Two were hiding behind the filter, one was fighting back and one had a wound on his side, most of his tail missing and smaller wounds around his head. I really want to go back and get him out of that tank, since he clearly can't fend for himself in there. The guy who runs the shop doesn't have any other isolation tanks.
> 
> Here's my dilemma: I don't really have anywhere to put him. I have my overcrowded sorority (moving to the 23 gallon in a few weeks where I won't be overstocked anymore), but he would fight with the girls, I presume, gouramis and bettas not being famous for getting on. I have my 3 gallon CRS tank, but that's too small and it's only 20 degrees celcius. I have my 5 gallon, but that's Odysseus's.
> ...


You would be risking a lot putting a male gourami in with female betta. I don't think it's a good idea. He could stay in a 5 gal temporarily, but for his best long-term happiness he really should be in a 10 gal or larger. Do you have any friends with a community tank that would be willing and able to take him?


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I don't know. I know some people, but either they are like me and don't have the room, or tend to be a bit snobby about their fish (in the best way possible, wanting to breed pure and all that). I don't know if people would take rescues.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Is there a local aquarium club you could contact? Maybe someone there has the space and the desire to keep your little guy. I know I would, but I'm in the US. Shipping him here would be expensive and dangerous for the little guy.


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## jamiend97 (Feb 22, 2012)

thekoimaiden said:


> Kissing gourami get around a foot long and need a 48 inch tank. More than likely your fish were crowded and stressed, and they reacted to it by huddling in the corner; not the conditions you want to keep any fish in. There was aggression in that tank. You just never saw it. Those fish should not have been put together.
> 
> 
> You would be risking a lot putting a male gourami in with female betta. I don't think it's a good idea. He could stay in a 5 gal temporarily, but for his best long-term happiness he really should be in a 10 gal or larger. Do you have any friends with a community tank that would be willing and able to take him?


It was my old 150g. It was planted nicely, it had 2 gouramis a couple female bettas, pleco, a couple snails, and guppies.
They really all got along. The gouramis were always active, along with all my other fish.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I'm actually a committee member on the local aquarium club - that's the only reason I know more than one fish keeper in the city.  I know a lady who could rehome him once he was healthy again, but I'd have to get him healthy and I just don't have the permission to set up a new tank. Unless I could get a breeder box in my sorority - I've seen them up to 5 litres (which still isn't big, but at least there are no swordtails in it).


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Awesome! I wish there was an aquarium club in my area. 

If he doesn't have any disease you could put him in a breeder box. I've done that with my bettas when I was moving their tanks around. Ideally the mesh breeder boxes are better. And you're right, the bigger the better.


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## jfw (Oct 22, 2011)

do you have to have permission because you are in an apartment or something?


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Nope, it's because I live with my parents.  Their house, so quite understandably, their rules on tanks. 

I am really tempted to get him on the way back from uni now. I have a small breeder box that he could go in very temporarily until I get a bigger one....hmm.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Just make sure you don't introduce any diseases to your sorority!


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

That would be the problem. I don't think he is diseased, though, just massively harassed. I didn't go to see him today as it was bucketing down rain when I left uni and I ride a scooter, so I was pretty wet.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Have you heard of the dwarf gourmi iridovirus (dwarf gourmi disease)? That would be my biggest worry. It often shows very little signs and can be transmitted to other fish. And I'm also just flat out paranoid about not quarantining fish after I had a fish lice disaster with my goldfish tank a few years ago. -shudders-


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I have asked all the local fish shops if they have ever had a problem with iridovirus, and all but one have said no. They guy that did stopped selling DGs altogether, and all the other stock I've seen in the city have seemed healthy...it is a risk, though, since I know we get most of our fish from Asia.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I think iridovirus is the thing that was going to grind the fish importation business to a halt in Australia last year. 

We tend to be pretty stringent on quarantine, which is why it costs more to import things in. 

If you put him in the sorority, AquaOne and other cheaper brands make breeder's nets that are around 4-5 litres. I have some bettas living in them and they work well. 

Just give him a very thorough check-over. I recently had ich nearly wipe out an entire sorority so I now really go over any new arrivals with a fine-tooth comb.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

I know nothing about the requirements of other fish, but I would think the main priority for this fish would be to get it out of that other tank and into something where it can heal - even if it isnt the right size. After its feeling better then I would worry about the right size tank or rehomed. Then again this would explain why I have 2 bettas in storage containers and one living in a stolen veggie krisper :shock: Soon they will get a 10G


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