Aggressive Gouramis

[mattsr]

I have a pair of Pearl Gouramis, (1m and 1f), and 2 male dwarf Gouramis. The Male pearl chases and nips all the others, the female pearl chases and nips the dwarfs, and the dwarfs sometimes retaliate against the pearls. Altogether, it's not terribly relaxing to watch! They've all been in the tank for several weeks now, the dwarfs being added later than the pearls. They seem to be getting more agressive toward each other and I think I may need to make some changes to create a happy community.

None of the books I read before stocking the tank warned me about this and neither did my LFS.

The tank is a 220 litre RENA aqualife and it's well planted with plenty of hidy-holes, so I don't think lack of space is the problem.

Other residents, who all get along with each other very well, are 5 platys,7 corys, and a flying fox.

Any suggestions welcome!

 

[confusion]

I ended up having to put my dwarf gourami in a different tank because of this very problem. I don't know of a solution.

 

[geezer]

I too had this issue where I was told that gouramis get along together. However, when my gold gourami almost ripped the tail off my thick lipped gourami I was forced to take the thick lipped gourami back to my LFS. I later learned from a guy who just opened his own fish shop that gouramis that, gold, opaline, blue and pearl are the most aggressive of the gouramis and tend to attack any other gourami that looks like them. I dont know if he was just feeding me a line, but after seeing what my beautiful, peaceful gold gourami did to the thick lipped gourami I wouldnt put gouramis in together.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Few gourami's can actually be kept together successfully, and male gourami's in general are more agressive than the females. You should remove any fish like gourami's in your tank that become agressive as once they become a bully towards the other fish, they usually don't stop unless they or the other fish are removed.
Make sure you have enough tall planting in the tank as gourami's do best in heavily planted tanks as this reflects the sorts of habitats they'd live in the wild, so they feel less stressed in heavily planted tanks .

 

[biewenga]

I'm looking for a little help with my Gouramis as well. I have a small 10 gallon tank that was originally set up with 1 Pearl Gourami, 1 Pink Kisser, and 1 Cory. The Kisser died within the first week. We recently added 1 more Pearl Gourami and 2 Long-finned Danios. Originally the two Pearls swam together throughout the tank, but recently one female seems to have taken to being dominant over the other. The slightly smaller, and newer, of the two is now chased, pushed, and proded by the vetern. The newer Pearl seems to submit by swimming sideways and hiding in corners, only to come out for a venture to the surface for a breath. She is passing water through her gills much more rapidly than the dominating Gourami, and she is not eating during feeding times.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Should I expect the dominated Gourami to succomb soon? Is this usual behavior?

Thanks for your insight!

 

[mattsr]

I'm looking for a little help with my Gouramis as well. I have a small 10 gallon tank that was originally set up with 1 Pearl Gourami, 1 Pink Kisser, and 1 Cory. The Kisser died within the first week. We recently added 1 more Pearl Gourami and 2 Long-finned Danios. Originally the two Pearls swam together throughout the tank, but recently one female seems to have taken to being dominant over the other. The slightly smaller, and newer, of the two is now chased, pushed, and proded by the vetern. The newer Pearl seems to submit by swimming sideways and hiding in corners, only to come out for a venture to the surface for a breath. She is passing water through her gills much more rapidly than the dominating Gourami, and she is not eating during feeding times.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Should I expect the dominated Gourami to succomb soon? Is this usual behavior?

Thanks for your insight!

 

[dwarfgourami]

I'm looking for a little help with my Gouramis as well. I have a small 10 gallon tank that was originally set up with 1 Pearl Gourami, 1 Pink Kisser, and 1 Cory. The Kisser died within the first week. We recently added 1 more Pearl Gourami and 2 Long-finned Danios. Originally the two Pearls swam together throughout the tank, but recently one female seems to have taken to being dominant over the other. The slightly smaller, and newer, of the two is now chased, pushed, and proded by the vetern. The newer Pearl seems to submit by swimming sideways and hiding in corners, only to come out for a venture to the surface for a breath. She is passing water through her gills much more rapidly than the dominating Gourami, and she is not eating during feeding times.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Should I expect the dominated Gourami to succomb soon? Is this usual behavior?

Thanks for your insight!

Tbh I really think a 10 gallon is too small for pearl gouramis. They are likely to show unusual behaviour in cramped conditions, and we are talking a fish that grows to 4 inches, and gets tall. I think the dominant fiss might subside if her rival got out of her space, but there is clearly no room for her to do that. I would see about exchanging these gouramis for one honey gourami, and then getting the cory a couple of mates of the same cory species- that would make for a much happier tank.

 

[sylvia]

A 10 gallon is far, far too small for pearl gouramies - even just one. They need a 20 minnimum. Not only are they territorial but, as has been said, they grow quite large and need room to swim. Under normal circumstances they are amazing, peaceful fish and also very social if kept in a group.

Having said that you have to find those pearls a new home, I think the same of the dwarfs. You can keep a single male dwarf comfortably in a 10 gallon but 2 is pushing it as they need to establish territories. Dwarfs, when stressed, also easily get sick and die so keeping them in cramped conditions is asking for trouble.

Keeping these four gouramies in a 10 gallon is bound to cause problems! It's absolutely inevitable and nothing to do with the gouramies - everything to do with the stocking. You need to find the earls a new home ASAP and then consider rehoming one of your dwarfs as well. Don't attempt to add any more gouramies whatsoever.

I find it worrying that all these people are saying gouramies don't work together - that is absolutely untrue! As long as you pick the right species, right sex ratios and have an adequately sized tank, many different species work very well in groups or with other species.

BTW, pink kissing gouramies grow too big for even a 30 gallon - to put them in a 10 will deffinately cause problems (for both them and the fish).

Also, note that there are lots and lots of different gourami species from the giant 30" Osphronemus species, to the smaller but aggressive three-spots to peaceful pearls, fragile licorice gouramies, tiny sparklers and placid bandeds. All Betta species (not just the familiar Betta splendens) are also gouramies! - the generalisation 'gouramies don't work together' is ludicrous .

It is very important to read up on any fish you think you might want to buy and make shure you are familiar with its requirements.

 

[mattsr]

Re my first post that started this off, I'm thinking of adding 3 more females so that females outnumber males- would this solve the problem with the agressive male pearl?

 

[sylvia]

That should help - make shure to get females that are about the same size and rearange the tank before adding them. Also, get some floating plants and lower your tank's temp. a bit - that always helps reduce aggression.

BTW, sorry, I didn't realise when I posted before that there were two people with gourami issues on this thread so I didn't reply to your original post.