I have recently seperated my gouramis from the rest of my fish because they were being picked on. I put their tank upstairs and, for right now, it has no heater. It is not in direct sunlight. It stays between 86 and 90 degrees. I know that is too hot. My fish seem latharigic. They just kind of sit on the bottom. Any ideas?

could you try a water change?

Actually, that seems to have helped. I changed about 25% of the water last night just as part of normal cleaning, and I gradually brought the temp from about 84 down to about 80. It dropped down to about 78 over night and has just stayed there. My fish seem to be happier. They are not sitting on the bottom anymore, but actually moving around.

If you can't move them to a cooler room or cool the entire room, there are a few ways to lower the temperature.

1. Water changes; you got that.

2. Draw the shades in the room. Cover the sides of the tank that are getting light. Turn off the hood light if you have one during the hottest part of the day as it generates heat.

3. If you want to risk them jumping out, remove the lid and run a fan over the surface.

4. Put a ziploc bag full of ice cubes into the tank to float around. Remove and refreeze when it melts and repeat.

They sell tank cooling systems but they're much more expensive than getting an air conditioner for the entire room.