Pearl Gourami Querry

I read up on these fish, found that they would be suited to my aquarium, community tank.

SO by chance of good salesmanship, they were sold to me at exclusive pets.

Now that they're in the tank, i find them so shy, they keep so low in the tank they could evolve into bottom feeders, and hide behind every rock and crevice and piece of wood in the vicinity, when i stick my head or hand round the back of the tank, they'll vacate the current hiding spot and move to the next within seconds, you never see them at all. even during lights out they don't emerge, i checked regularly into the early hours of the night/morning (helps when you have bouts of insomnia )

Now i am worried, as i read threads now, searching shy pearl gourami, and found many keepers tell of how timid and shy these fish are, so much so that tetra scare them, they won't fight for food and tend to feed after the other fish have eaten most everything...

So my worry is that these fish wont be eating in my tank, and they'll probably be dead for a week before the remains surface from whatever hiding spot they chose last...

It really sucks that i cant see these fish at all when i go near the tank...

ANyone else have these experiences? anyone know a trick to make these fish more at ease?

Or should i call up the store and ask the guy for a switch with some other fish?

What other gourami would you recommend that is suited for a community tank, non agressive and active without uber-timidness?

 

Pearl Gouramis should be fine in your tank. What often happens is that they will take time to adjust to their new surroundings. Give them some time to get used to everything before you decide to swap them out for something else.

I've also read stories about mollies bullying them though. So it could also be that.

 

Hey!

I had 4 from a very small size, and they have all grown to around 4" so far. They have never really been timid, in fact mine sometimes have chased other fish around, or at least away from their 'space'.

I would guess that they are just settling in, and once they are comfortable, will start to venture further out, and eventually be all over the tank? This could take a matter of weeks, or even months perhaps, but it should happen.

Do you have any other 'big' fish in the tank with them? This could be one reason for their hiding?

Mine share with the likes of Tetras (Various types) and Rainbows, as well as a few Loaches, and Banjo Cats. They are however the biggest fish in there.

Hope this helps?
Regards
Big G!

 

thanks for the reply so far,

they are the biggest fish in the tank, next biggest are the red robins, half their size almost, but they are swimming about fine and eating etc. haven't seen any fish come near the pearls yet. the mollies are also still very young and small, haven't gone near harrassing the pearls.

What bothered me is that the pearls hunkered down below an "auxiliary bacteria" sponge filter i have in the back corner of my tank to add surface for the biomass of bacteria in the tank, below the sponge was about 15-20mm of space and those pearls are taller than that, but they'd sure as hell not come out from under it.

i've buried it deeper into the substrate now, with only a 4mm gap, they dont fit beneath it anymore, they then moved to substrate level behind the furthest back patch of vallis i had, so i put a piece of java moss covered log there (so if they hide there, they'd be a bit higher and visable when searching for them)

i also took out one big rock in the tank, and shifted the wood about to create an overhanging cave effect, they seem to have moved to that spot a few times and just hovered there, but if i make noticable movement passing by the tank to my study or sitting down infront of it, they dart back to the corner vallis. Only once have they gone to hide behind a rock next to the sponge filter again, but it seems they now favour visable hiding spots.

At least now i can monitor if they eat something and where they are

hopefully in a week/month or so they'll settle in and start moving about confidently.

Has anyone else besides big g got some pearls, and what's the behaviour like?

 

Ditto

 

Finally, a tiny bit of activity, but i come near and the two scedadle into hiding, so viewing isn't easy...

Just noticed her/him


backing away slowly, i've been spotted


Sound the alarms we are retreating


Back in hiding


And then turning so all i will see is front of the face, almost not visible when you look too fast in the tank, blends in too well