Pearl Gourami Laying At Bottom Of Tank, Help

Hey guys I’m kind of new to to tropical scene. So a few days ago in an established tank I changed the substrate from gravel to a black sand. 2 days after that I introduced a pearl gourami and 4 panda corydoras. For the first 2 days my gourami was swimming around a good bit hanging out by the fake plants. She was eating with no problem. At the time my local pet store said that she would be fine in a 10 gallon and now I’m seeing mixed reviews.

Yesterday morning I noticed she was laying at the bottom of the tank. Since then, she is still laying at the bottom, not sideways or anything, and occasionally comes up the the surface gulping some air. I did a partial water change and nothing has changed. I don’t want to have her die already because this would be the first fish I have lost in a short amount of time. Could it be because she feels crammed or is it one of those gourami viruses. Any help would be great!

 

Do you have a picture?

10 gallon is too small for a pearl gourami, they really need larger tanks.

4 Cory in a 10 gallon is too few, you need at least 6 of them, but that makes the 10 gallon too small.

Your stocking isn't ideal for a 10 gallon tank.

Do you know about the nitrogen cycle? By changing the subtrate you probbaly removed a lot of the beneficial bacteria in your tank. I would test your water and consider dosing Stability to help boost your beneficial bacteria. Also consider adding some live floating plants (hornwort, etc) to help soak up ammonia, etc. Worried you may have mini cyclr

 

I agree with the above. I have a 37 G that had one and that was probably the minimum appropriate size. If yours is a baby though that might not be the current issue (but will be in the future).

What are your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels?

 

As of right now I only have the test stops which I know aren’t that accurate. Tomorrow I’m going to bring a water sample to my local fish store. I did not change my filter so and the other media in my tank. From what I’ve seen on forums many people don’t go through a mini cycle because of the beneficial bacteria in the filter and on other media in the tank. I would have thought even if I was going through a mini cycle, a water change would help quite a bit. Plus, the corydoras have been doing just fine.

I also know now that a 10 gallon is way too small for a pearl and it’s kind of sad seeing her like this.

 

Also here’s a picture of her

 

Aww, I love Pearls. Such sweet personalities! I would do a water change tonight then get the water tested tomorrow. When you go, ask them for the actual numbers. Often they'll just tell you if it's "good" or "bad". Ensure you get the details!

 

That picture also maker her gills look red but in person they are not

 

Should I see if it’s possible for them to take her back. Say she is fine and it’s just a water issue, I don’t want her to be confined to a 10 gallon since I don’t really have the room for a 30 gallon

 

I would ask if they would take her back. After all, they were the ones who told you that she would be ok in a 10 gallon when they shouldn’t have.

 

True but don't we as keepers have the responsibility to inform ourselves as well.
Think ones eyebrow should be raised when an employee tells me a fish this size is told to fit in a 10G.

 

On topic, I've seen salespeople sell 4 common plecos to someone for a 10g... I did chime in and say they grow to about 2 ft long... and got ignored completely.

 

Yeah, if you don’t have room for a bigger tank I would send her back. If they won’t take her, you can also try to sell her online.

Smaller fish in your tank will actually make it feel a bit bigger too!

 

Here are some great stocking options for a 10G: Stocking List for 10 Gallons

 

Update, did a water change last night and now she’s kind of leaning on her side :/

 

The pet store took her back thankfully