A gourami puzzler...

[Bahagia]

Greetings all,

I have two gouramis - a golden gourami, which, judging by her rounded body and rounder fins is a female, and an opaline gourami which judging by it's appearance is a male (it has a more slender body and is larger, despite being the same age).

I've had them for about two years and they've been as good as gold. Lately, they have been acting strangely - the female has been hiding in the corner of the tank behind a plastic plant, and the male has been approaching her tentatively before being chased off.

Sometimes, they'll chase each other and have a bit of a fight, either by 'kissing' or by nipping each other's fins (this has me rather worried because the female's anal and tail fins are showing signs of damage).

So, my questions are:

1. What on earth are my gouramis doing? Is this some kind of courtship ritual?
2. Given that the female is showing signs of injury, would it be a good idea to seperate the two for a while?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Bahagia

The behavior you are seeing is not courtship, it's more like establishing dominance, one over the other. It appears that your female is not willing to submit and simply run away and hide.

All you can do is to separate them. Normally, gouramis will act out but stop short of causing harm to each other; once they start, it's trouble. I would remove the male so that the female can have the run of the tank while she recovers.

If you can permanantly remove him it would be for the best. If not, you could try to return him to the tank in a few weeks. Perhaps then he, as the newcomer, will be less assertive. If this doesn't work, you will have to remove him for good.

 

[Bahagia]

Hi Inchworm

Many thanks for the advice, I'll try that. Perhaps a week or two with my big shubs will teach him some manners...