Adopted blue gourami - M/F? Community tank?

[Coryking]

What do you keep your blue gourami's with? And you have three 3 spot gourami split into two tanks?

My three spot is currently in a 30g tank with a wiptail, 12 Kuhli loach and 6 albino cory. It will be a heavily planted tank that is southeast Asian themed in a few months. I had the three three spots in the 30 together with 6 kuhlies. When they became aggressive I removed the two aggressive ones put one in a ten gallon and one in a 20 gallon then after a few days I took them both back.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Not the same thing. I've kept honeys and there completely different three spots are booming with personality while honeys are not booming they have a hint of personality.

I know exactly what they are "booming" with, after having one in my tank kill multiple fish

To each his own, but I'll never own or recommend a 3 spot gourami to anyone

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

My three spot is currently in a 30g tank with a wiptail, 12 Kuhli loach and 6 albino cory. It will be a heavily planted tank that is southeast Asian themed in a few months. I had the three three spots in the 30 together with 6 kuhlies. When they became aggressive I removed the two aggressive ones put one in a ten gallon and one in a 20 gallon then after a few days I took them both back.

Well, if you returned fish to the store, why are you against my taking this one to store and saying I should keep it?

 

[Slaphppy7]

Well, if you returned fish to the store, why are you against my taking this one to store and saying I should keep it?

 

[Coryking]

I know exactly what they are "booming" with, after having one in my tank kill multiple fish

To each his own, but I'll never own or recommend a 3 spot gourami to anyone

You just got a bad egg. What fish did it eat a chilli rasbora or a fish pestering it.

 

[Coryking]

Well, if you returned fish to the store, why are you against my taking this one to store and saying I should keep it?

I am not against giving your fish away. I gave my opinion about keeping it and said it is a shame about giving it away

 

[Byron]

You just got a bad egg. What fish did it eat a chilli rasbora or a fish pestering it.

I'm sorry, but the truth is that this species is an aggressive gourami and this is the norm, not the exception. There is no point in trying to conceal the fish's true nature. Individual fish can behave contrary to the norm, for various reasons. But there is enough evidence from enough reliable sources that one has to accept that some fish species are more aggressive than others.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I am not against giving your fish away. I gave my opinion about keeping it and said it is a shame about giving it away

But why is a shame to give it to someone with a much more suitable set up? That's the part I don't get. I'm not going to sacrifice the welfare of my current fish, to keep a fish I never planned to get. The fish is no longer in a tank that's too small for it (and for your own stocking, a 30g is far too small for three 3-spot gourami, so that wasn't planned out well), and keeping it - apart from the risk to the baby cories and seven elderly tetra and livebearers I have, would mean abandoning the dream tank plans I already had until the gourami dies, which could mean years... it makes no sense to keep it, and the set up it might be going to is much better for one of these fish.

Isn't it enough that it's already much better conditions, with clean fresh water, not being poisoned by sky high nitrates and bullied by the rainbow shark (as soon as I put them in QT, the rainbow began following and harassing the gourami, so I had to separate them. So there's a good chance that was also happening before I took them in) getting a better diet etc, and then will be going to a much better set up than it has lived in for the past two years?

 

[Coryking]

I'm sorry, but the truth is that this species is an aggressive gourami and this is the norm, not the exception. There is no point in trying to conceal the fish's true nature. Individual fish can behave contrary to the norm, for various reasons. But there is enough evidence from enough reliable sources that one has to accept that some fish species are more aggressive than others.

Really. Multiple posts have said males are agressive females are not. I'm not trying to cover up to the truth. Read this

Three Spot Gourami Care Guide & Species Profile

The three spot gourami is a freshwater species of the gourami family. These fish are easily recognizable due to their distinctive black markings.

www.fishkeepingworld.com

 

[Byron]

Really. Multiple posts have said males are agressive females are not. I'm not trying to cover up to the truth. Read this

Three Spot Gourami Care Guide & Species Profile

The three spot gourami is a freshwater species of the gourami family. These fish are easily recognizable due to their distinctive black markings.

www.fishkeepingworld.com

This is one of the major problems in this hobby, the abundance of misleading sources. Unless you know the knowledge level of the person who owns or writes the information, it is not reliable.

There is some true information in this article, but some totally false. This is an aggressive species, that is the norm.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Really. Multiple posts have said males are agressive females are not. I'm not trying to cover up to the truth. Read this

Three Spot Gourami Care Guide & Species Profile

The three spot gourami is a freshwater species of the gourami family. These fish are easily recognizable due to their distinctive black markings.

www.fishkeepingworld.com

The article mentions the males potential for aggression towards other gourami males and other fish in particular, and to have more females to spread that aggression. But it doesn't mention how a female fish will behave with no males around, and it certainly doesn't say they will not eat small tankmates or also display territorial aggression.

I bought my first tank to try to rescue a gold gourami (same species, different colour variation)from my dad's tank, because the female had done so much damage to him. I couldn't save him, he had too many internal injuries, the female gold gourami killed him. Once the male was gone, she turned on the other fish in the large, 57g tank. Plenty of space, no other gourami in there after the male died - but she was an unholy terror causing real damage to and then killing other fish. She went back to the store. So I have seen what I'll be missing!

Again, even if this one remained as shy and peaceful as she seems now, the small fish I have would be terrified of her, and that's unfair to them.

 

[Coryking]

But why is a shame to give it to someone with a much more suitable set up? That's the part I don't get. I'm not going to sacrifice the welfare of my current fish, to keep a fish I never planned to get. The fish is no longer in a tank that's too small for it (and for your own stocking, a 30g is far too small for three 3-spot gourami, so that wasn't planned out well), and keeping it - apart from the risk to the baby cories and seven elderly tetra and livebearers I have, would mean abandoning the dream tank plans I already had until the gourami dies, which could mean years... it makes no sense to keep it, and the set up it might be going to is much better for one of these fish.

Isn't it enough that it's already much better conditions, with clean fresh water, not being poisoned by sky high nitrates and bullied by the rainbow shark (as soon as I put them in QT, the rainbow began following and harassing the gourami, so I had to separate them. So there's a good chance that was also happening before I took them in) getting a better diet etc, and then will be going to a much better set up than it has lived in for the past two years?

I am not on about the set up I am on about it is a shame for you to miss out on this fish. They are wonderful fish. As for 30g being to small it is not as my article says 30g is minimum tank size and every one in help with southeast Asia stocking also agrees with me about the tank size. It has been planned out for years and I'm finally getting someone elses opinion.

 

[Coryking]

This is one of the major problems in this hobby, the abundance of misleading sources. Unless you know the knowledge level of the person who owns or writes the information, it is not reliable.

There is some true information in this article, but some totally false. This is an aggressive species, that is the norm.

What about this article then your friend Essjay recommend it https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/trichopodus-trichopterus/

 

[Coryking]

The article mentions the males potential for aggression towards other gourami males and other fish in particular, and to have more females to spread that aggression. But it doesn't mention how a female fish will behave with no males around, and it certainly doesn't say they will not eat small tankmates or also display territorial aggression.

I bought my first tank to try to rescue a gold gourami (same species, different colour variation)from my dad's tank, because the female had done so much damage to him. I couldn't save him, he had too many internal injuries, the female gold gourami killed him. Once the male was gone, she turned on the other fish in the large, 57g tank. Plenty of space, no other gourami in there after the male died - but she was an unholy terror causing real damage to and then killing other fish. She went back to the store. So I have seen what I'll be missing!

Again, even if this one remained as shy and peaceful as she seems now, the small fish I have would be terrified of her, and that's unfair to them.

As I said to the other hobbyist it is a bad egg. I've had aggressive guppies, red garra and tetras before and I always found a way to stop the aggression. As my other article says ' Some individuals can become very spiteful ' if you don't want a three spot a since ' it's too aggressive ' then re-home it. Since you want to do something else then re-home it there is no problems in rehoming it.

 

[Byron]

What about this article then https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/trichopodus-trichopterus/

Yes, this is closer to the mark. Here's the passage under "Behaviour and Compatibility" just so everyone sees it.

While often recommended as a community fish this is not always so. Some individuals can become very spiteful as they mature, while others remain peaceful. Males are territorial and will squabble amongst themselves, becoming very aggressive when breeding. It is best kept with robust fish such as barbs, larger characins, loricariids, loaches and other medium/large gouramis.​

That information would certainly give me pause with this fish at the very least, and certainly I would never consider it for the setting like AdoraBelle's is, it is just not responsible.