Gourami Behavior Question

[ShortAndSweet]

We have two female and one male three spot gourami in our planted community tank. We're newbie Gourami keepers so their behavior may certainly be normal for the species, but I've never seen such crazy chasing before. The male will chase the smaller of the two females more often to where she spends a lot of time hiding. She loses her coloring/spots after a lot of chasing as well. Yesterday, I noticed she was missing a feeler which may be attributed to the chasing. Everything else on her body looks normal so she's not being nipped at.

When we feed algae wafers, the male will not allow the females access to them. He will allow the guppies to feed from them, but will chase the females away if they come near.

Is this all normal gourami behavior? Or will I need to move the smaller female? Will the feeler on the female grow back?

Thanks.

 

[gmc1]

What size of tank do you have?

 

[Byron]

Yes, the tank size is very important.  You may need to separate the fish or be prepared to lose the female that is picked on.  And this could be both females in time.
 
Male gourami of every species are territorial, much like cichlids, and this varies according to species.  The species you have, which is Trichopodus trichopterus, has several developed "varieties" with common names such as blue gourami, gold gourami, 3 spot gourami, opaline gourami, platinum gourami, and others.  But these are all the same natural species.  And this is a species where males often can be rather nasty; I have even heard of females becoming nasty to the point of killing rival females.
 
Space with lots of cover such as plants, chunks of wood standing up, etc. can sometimes protect the females by providing hiding places; but this only works to a point.  Individual males can be more or less aggressive, so there is no way to predict what may or may not eventually occur.  A missing pelvic fin (this is the "feeler", it has a taste cell at the end) is likely a sign of aggression by the male.  Monitor their behaviours for long periods, sitting motionless so they are not distracted and will tend to behave more "normally."  The female may continue to be stressed to the point of sickness and death.

 

[ShortAndSweet]

It's a 35 gallon tank. The male is less aggressive towards the larger female (who at this point is larger than our male) but still does a fair amount of chasing. He hasn't claimed any particular territory but certainly claims the food.

If we moved the smaller one to a 10 gallon (with Tetras), will she be fine as the only gourami in the tank?

 

[Byron]

It's a 35 gallon tank. The male is less aggressive towards the larger female (who at this point is larger than our male) but still does a fair amount of chasing. He hasn't claimed any particular territory but certainly claims the food.

If we moved the smaller one to a 10 gallon (with Tetras), will she be fine as the only gourami in the tank?

 
"Territory" to the male is most likely the entire tank.  This is why he chases the females.  I do not know what to suggest to help, as to be honest I do not believe this 35g tank is sufficient space for this species.  Re-homing might be the kindest option...will the store consider a trade or credit?

 

[ShortAndSweet]

Bummer. It is unlikely, as we've had these guys for a few months and the store we purchased them from is an hour away. I can certainly check into local stores to see if they'd be willing to take them.

Thanks for your kind, quick responses.

 

[gmc1]

I have four three spots.three female to one male.mine used to do the same as you until I added the last golden female.everything is fine now.gouramis will chase each other but only for a very short time.I have mine in a 60 gallon.I personally feel that that's about the minimum for them.