Poorly dwarf gourami

[DontstepontheMomeRaths]

Water is clean, half a tank changed every 7 days with various drops added. I feed a small amount of food every other day only, all the other fish in the tank are happy. But a neon blue dwarf gourami died the other day too. I've only had the 2 types of dwarf gourami for 3 weeks and until this week they seemed happy. I cannot work out what's killing them? Other fish in the tank are 6 molly's, 2 guppy's, 1 neon blue dwarf gourami and 2 dwarf gourami's. The tank is 80 litres and has a big Eheim filter.

Can I buy something to add to the water?

Eaurouge where are you?

Are they all males? That's a lot of dwarf gouramis for an 80 litre, have they been fighting? They are very territorial.

Is it? I had 2 neon blue and 2 red stripey ones. They seem to all have ignored each other, never fought as far as I'm aware. Am I calling them the wrong name? I'm doubting their breed now.

Yes this is what they are: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_gourami

Yep, that's them and you've got 4 males. The females are a dull grey/silver so you don't see them very often in pet shops.

This has some really good info, scroll down to the behaviour and compatibility section for more about their territoriality.

Do you think this is what's killing them? Fighting? All my other fish seem happy tonight and there are no signs of disease on the one that died or this one suffering right now. So I cannot work out what's wrong or what to do

Hard to say really what killed them if there are no signs of illness or disease. But if you haven't already got problems with fighting then you will so you might want to think about rehoming two of the remaining males before anything else happens. I can't believe the shop didn't warn you :(

There will be only 2 males left after this one goes

It's lying on the bottom gulping air, it's darkening around the face now, but I suspect that's lack of oxygen. Yesterday it was lethargic and didn't eat. Now I know why

I think I'm more worried that if it is contagious, the other fish will catch it too. But I maybe being paranoid now. Maybe I'll take it into the shop tomorrow to see if they can diagnose it.

The shop were lovely as a new tropical fish keeper, I started with 6 molly's only but the lad who served me when I bought the gourami's was young, which maybe why I was given 4 males originally.

What should I buy in a few weeks to go with my molly's and guppy's and 2 gourami's then? I was happy with the 12 fish. I don't want to crowd the tank.

Two males is still too many really for an 80 litre. There is a virus that affects dwarf gouramis so it could have been that. A lot of them have it already when they are shipped over.

It's still alive. I've bought a general tonic for the water. We shall see.

Still no obvious outward signs of what is wrong. The shop tested my water sample and said the water quality is fine