3 Spot Blue Gourami

[eastybeasty]

hi everyone

further to my last post i was just wondering, ive got one blue gourami that i think is female and is picking on a ram thats just been added tonight so is stressed and gasping. we've separated them for now but not sure what to do. do we need to get more gourami so the aggression is more spread out? everything i read just contradicts what i last read!

 

[soybean]

Keeping a gourami and rams together was a disaster for me. I tried separating the gourami from the tank for two weeks before reintroducing it, but it was still psychotic towards the rams and needed housing apart.

I had a hunch before, but it just confirmed it for me - rams and gouramis are from the opposite sides of the world, so I don't think they should be housed together.

 

[twodoctors]

I think bring one back would be the answer. I have a few big female 3 spots as well. Never tried putting them with my newly acquired rams, but one of the females (golden one) was the dominant one and kept chasing the others. It stressed one of my male (a bit smaller in size) opaline goruami to the point where he died of stress. Things have calmed down a lot now and they are a lot more docile. Might be because of the addition of odessa and golden barbs. Not sure.

How big is your tank? Gouramis are a bit territorial anyway and if you have a small tank it might be the reason. Or you just have a b!tch of a gourami!

Adrian

 

[eastybeasty]

thanks for the replies. the tank is 140L so that shouldnt be the problem. i should have done more reading before taking the two rams. unfortunately the rams both died, one yesterday and one overnight. i know now that they shouldnt be added until the tank is established. not sure what to do now to be honest. i would have liked a community tank same as in my 60L but with this seemingly psycho gourami it might not be possible! maybe I should consider getting another couple of gourami and see if that distracts her. shes the only one in the tank again now so im wondering if gave gave the others a death stare or soemthing! its all a learning curve, some steepr and more disastrous than others.....

 

[twodoctors]

I added my gourami around the same time... I lied. I added the blue and golden gourami together. The opaline next and the lavendar and wild one soon after. The golden has always been a bully, but things settled down after a month or two. I think you've just got a nasty one so I would return that if it is still possible. Adding more won't solve the problem in the short term.

BTW is your 140L a long or tall tank? Is it heavily planted? Makes a difference.

Adrian