Help, Yellow Dwarf Gourami Turning Black

Dec 6, 2009
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Earth
#1
I recently purchased a yellow dwarf gourami about a week ago and he is now turning black on the lower fin and on his face, it started out as a little patch of black and is now getting bigger. He is eating normally, is not lethargic and shows no other signs of change.

His tank mates include a female yellow dwarf gourami, two bumblebee gobies and a mystery snail, I feed formula one tropical flakes, and later in the evening blood worms for the gobies. I have tried googling this and I am not finding anything. I am new to the hobby and I am hoping to find some answers.
 

bassbonediva

Superstar Fish
Oct 15, 2009
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Northern Arizona
#3
pics? no idea here, ive never come across any black fungus or tumors, assuming those are some possibilities.
I'm not a gourami person, but I'm wondering if the yellows do what my cellophane male betta did. He has a nice clear yellow on his body when I first got him, but when he gets stressed some of his scales along his sides turn black. He comes out of it once he's not stressed anymore, but it's rather disconcerting at first. First time it happened, I thought he had ick, but then I realized ick is white. :p
 

stoddern

Large Fish
Jul 26, 2009
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Vermont
#4
my golden 3 spot gourami has lost his spots and developed a snake skin pattern on the back as he got older, my guess is yours is changinging with age aswell most likely due to cross breeding
 

Doomhed

Large Fish
Feb 11, 2003
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#5
It just means that like your yellow betta, he carries the recessive gene for black coloration and he is starting to express the color either due to stress or age. I would not be surprised if he was actually a wild cross, someone trying to strengthen thier genetic lines by reintroducing a wild fish into their breeding program. Breeders of bettas do it all the time using imbillis and plakat splendins.
 

bassbonediva

Superstar Fish
Oct 15, 2009
2,010
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Northern Arizona
#6
It just means that like your yellow betta, he carries the recessive gene for black coloration and he is starting to express the color either due to stress or age. I would not be surprised if he was actually a wild cross, someone trying to strengthen thier genetic lines by reintroducing a wild fish into their breeding program. Breeders of bettas do it all the time using imbillis and plakat splendins.
So totally random question, but if I was to breed my cellophane with one of my darker females (either one of the blues or my black/crimson if she's fertile), there's a chance I'd get black babies? If so, that'd be sweet!
 

Doomhed

Large Fish
Feb 11, 2003
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#7
So totally random question, but if I was to breed my cellophane with one of my darker females (either one of the blues or my black/crimson if she's fertile), there's a chance I'd get black babies? If so, that'd be sweet!
The problem comes in when you add any fish with red in its coloration, it is a mixed bag. Red is a dominant color, just like black hair and brown eyes. You have 2 people with black hair and brown eyes, their children could have any coloration of hair or eyes depending on the hidden recessive genes the parents carry. Whereas me and my fiance are both blonds, she has green eyes and I have blue. Our children will have blond hair and either green or blue eyes. very easy to predict.

you would need to cross him with a female you know for sure was from a Melano/(Steel/Green) cross, and she would have to be blue most likely. this means she carries the blue gene from the (steel/green) line and the hidden black gene from the melano line. On a side note, you would have about a 25% chance of having fish with clear fin edges, or " butterfly" fish as they are called.
 

bassbonediva

Superstar Fish
Oct 15, 2009
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Northern Arizona
#8
All of my girls are from Petsmart/Petco/Walmart, so no way of knowing their parentage. :( My black/crimson is all black with crimson fins. I *had* an all-black female, but she was apparently infertile (tried to breed her to my crimson male with no luck at all) and she diedly shortly thereafter from a swim bladder issue. I guess I could put Carlisle (my cellophane) with Rosalie (my darker blue female...she looks like blue velvet) and see what happens.
 

Jan 4, 2010
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Canada
#9
Darkening is a sign of evil in Gourami's

I have the exact same problem accept in weirder circumstances.

The biggest of my gouramis I named Gyarados. He and Mudkip (another male gourami) stayed together like peas in a pod. The last male gourami, Magikarp, was a loner.

All of them had faint tiger stripes although only Gyarados' darkened. He was the bully. Magikarp eventually got bigger than Gyarados.
Gyarados' fins turned black and at the same time Mudkips stripes started darkening.


After all this time Magikarp Disappeared!

He had been murdered and after I figured this out by finding his bones, both Magikarp and Mudkip started to hide ALL the time and have since both turned darker than ever.

By my experience, turning black is a sign of increased aggression and evil.

I'd say seperate the last of your fish before they chop each other up.