My blue opaline (sp?) gourami seems to think he is a bass. He does this belly flop kind of jump like largemouth bass do and splashes water out of the tank. Noone believes he splashes like that but when he thinks he's about to be fed or gets spooked if I walk by too quickly then he jumps.
2006-07-08 20:23:19 · 6 answers · asked by wtptoo 3 in Pets ➔ Fish
BTW-he's now grown to about 5 inches long. Will he get much larger?
2006-07-08 20:24:16 · update #1
Hy there! My real name is Danilov and I'm a vet specialized on exotic and tropical fish. I have over 150 species in my private aquarium(s). I think I can help you with your question.
Gouramis are experts in surviving in the Malaysian swamps, and lakes. The nice feature that they have is that they can breathe air, they have some hollow bone in the front of their head that allows them store air, also they are known for this feature of their as Labyrinthine fish ( the hollow place in their head is like a labyrinth). It's normal for them to jump.
Be careful about this, keep the top of the tank always covered. I've had some grams that died because they kept getting out of the tank. The next day I went to feed them some of them were gone, died on the floor, after 2-3 hours , not because they didn't have air, but because their scales dried up, and their flesh cracked. I blamed myself almost 3 months for this, but I didn't have any money to get a glass cover for all my tanks. Now I have over 300 gourami's and still breed them, but I've learned my lesson: I've bought covers for all the tank. Don't fill the aquarium right up to the top, leave a distance of about 4 centimeters from the top not filled with water, so you'll be sure they wont get out.
Hope I've helped you even a bit!
Cheers!
2006-07-08 22:23:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
6 inches is pretty much his full growth. A lot of bettas, and gouramis are jumpers. In nature if they are trapped in a tiny body of water they may attempt to flop their way to a larger body of water. (This rarely ends well, but they'd die trapped where they were any way.) Just make sure you got a lid on the tank. If you ever find him on the floor be sure to try putting him back. Gouramis last a lot longer out of water than most fish. (They can breathe air.)
2006-07-09 11:26:36 · answer #2 · answered by Sabersquirrel 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You spelled opaline close enough...
Gourami's are a cousin to the betta fish. Betta fish are born jumpers. In the wild they live in mud puddles (the reason for the bright colors) and they jump from puddle to puddle. So it is perfectly natural for your gourami to be jumping. I've had several that jumped and several that didn't. But its all good, they do that, nothing to worry about.
2006-07-10 00:46:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Giant Gourami can grow up to 28 inches apparently. It all depends on which species your gourami is really.
2006-07-09 03:31:25 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not an fish expert, but I really like gourami. I really like it when the chef fries the gourami with flour and serves it with tomato sauce. I hope I'm not mean.
2006-07-09 03:28:30 · answer #5 · answered by Nutty Prof 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its Ok
2006-07-09 03:35:51 · answer #6 · answered by ag_iitkgp 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋