a possible move?

[terri]

hi guys,
i recently had a conversation on another thread about losing an oscar. he was probably about 8 yrs old and his "widow" is pining.
ive noticed in the last few weeks that my blue gourami at work is not acting himself and am wondering if the tank is getting too small. would it be possible to put him in with my oscar in the 55 gal at home? the blue is VERY aggressive and i think would hold his own with the very large oscar, and also i think he is too large for her to be interested in gourami snack time. the behaviors ive notice in the blue are the dorsal fin lying flat, and he doesnt cruise the tank as much. he is about 3-4 inches and still feeding well, just doesnt seem real happy. might this make the oscar less lonely and give the gourami more room? help!

 

[sylvia]

No, don't move the gourami in with the oscar... The blue gourami will only get to 6" maximum - the oscar will become double that, be much more aggressive and will almost deffinately end up damaging the poor gourami. No matter how aggressive you think he is, the oscar won't welcome him into her tank. Your oscar will be fine on her own - she doesn't need a companion - oscars and other cichlids are territorial and generaly solitary (except at breeding time with a few exceptions) and don't appreciate intruders (which would be the gourami in this case).

As for the gourami, what size tank is he in? If it's at least a 20 gallon the problem isn't space - test the water, add some plants - especialy floating plants - make sure his tank-mates are peaceful shoaling fish that won't compete aggressive for food, won't nip and aren't related to gouramies in any way. Also make sure the temperature is good - 78 deg F is about right - and offer him a varied diet. Then look out for signs of illness in case this is the problem.