Flame Red Dwarf Gouramis aggresive?

[pseud]

Hey, first post and needing some help if i may!!!

I bought my tank, set it up and left it empty for 48 hours with the filter and heater running. Then I bought some fish and added them:

2 Flame Red Dwarf Gouramis (both male, I'm pretty sure)
3 Balloon Mollies
1 Red Tailed Shark
1 Fiddler Crab.

I know now that I should have let the tanke cycle for 4 weeks with just a few fish in such as Danios, and that I should use real plants.

If only I knew before. Anyway, I'm keeping a close eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels.

My problem is that for a day or two the fish seemed to be fine, but then two of the mollies started acting aggresively toward another, and before I knew it he was dead. Now the mollies are fine.

About the same time, one of the Gourami's started really being aggressive toward the other. I've noticed some fin damage, and he had started to swim strangely, and as soon as he comes out from behind the water heater the other one chases him back behind.

I called PetSmart where I got it from, talked to some guy and he said a few interesting things:

1) I asked if i should add a female to distract the naughty male for a while and he said 'i don't think you can tell the difference between male and female'. Which I don't believe, but anyway then he said that I should have let it cycle and that I shouldn't add any more fish. Fair enough.

2) That I should add some ornaments to "break up the chase a little". So I've done that, about to boil and add them to the tank.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

 

[gadazobe]

Hi and welcome. You don't say how big your tank is. The problem seems to be that you have two males. When your tank has cycled, and IF it's big enough, you can add some females. In the meantime try to provide some hiding places for them - try to break up the tank scenery so that they don't have continuous eye contact. Hope this helps

 

[pseud]

Hi

It's a 20 gallon tank.

I went into the chat room and someone gave me the same type of advice, that they need room in the tank to not be sat there looking at each other.
So I bought some tall driftwood, rearranged the plants a little and it's helped somewhat, my next move will be to buy some even taller plants and that should solve the problem.

Thanks for your help!

 

[joanne61451]

Hi, I am far from being an expert, just would like to say I have a overpopulated 29 gallon tank. I have zebra danios, rosy barbs,tetras,swordtails,platies and 2 MALE FLAME RED DWARF GOURAMIS. they are 2 of the most docile fish in my tank.

I also have a 55 gal. with Angels, T-barbs, Mollies,Blue & Gold Gouramis, Tri-color sharks & Rosy barbs and they all get along...they either swim together or ignore each other..From what I have read on the forum, I have a very lucky tank.

 

[CTS]

i have two male dwarf gouramis and if one crosses the middle of the tank, they will fight. They are very territorial fish!

 

[pseud]

Man, he's back to relentlessly chasing and nipping the other gourami. I'm really worried he's gonna kill him. I'm off to the store now to get some tall plants (plastic), but wont have time to put them in until I get home from work. Please pray for the little red one!!

 

[fishhottie]

Gouramis are very territorial, I have a blue gourami myself that won't stop killing oof the other fish. Thats where he got the name, lean meankilling machine

 

[pseud]

Ok, so I added a couple more plants, put them in when I got home from work, waited a couple of days and it still didn't help, so I added a couple more plants. It helped only a little so I decided yesterday that I was just going to give one of the fish away to the local fish shop. I kept the poor little assaulted one gonna nurse him back to health and then he'll be happy again.

DamagedGoods: