Blue Gourami

[cableguy42]

Ive got a blue Gourami about five years old,my problem is i cant add any other Gouramis to my tank, has he chases them like mad. Ive not had him that long but where i had him from, had other Gouramis in with him. I cant understand why, if anyone as any answers then let me know. Thanks

 

[tarheel]

Maybe he is just establishing territory and if you give him a day or two he will stop. Another question is what sex of gouramis are you trying to add?

 

[TammyLiz]

Gouramis are territorial. Your 5 year old gourami should be pretty big, fully grown, and it is unlikely that the ones you are adding are the same size, correct? He sees the tank as his territory because he was there first. Anything you add he will see as an invader. If it is smaller than him he will not stop chasing, because he'll be sure that he is strongest and best and won't see a reason to allow invaders in his territory.

If you really want to add others, you must find ones that are exactly the same size, and add several at the same time. If yours is male, get three females. (ask how to tell them apart if you don't already know, the LFS employee may not know) I have been told that rearranging the tank so that the current one hopefully feels like he is in a new area that isn't his territory, can be helpful, but I haven't personally had luck with it. Its your best bet but you may still not be successful. Gouramis are best added to a tank all at the same time.

Since I'm not sure how big the tank is I am assuming it is large enough. Smaller tanks cause more aggression in gouramis, and if your tank is any less than about 40 US gallons, I would reccommend you only keep a single one.

HTH.

 

[cableguy42]

Thanks for the info: I'm not sure what sex it is but its fully grown.The ones ive tried to had were not that much smaller a few pearl gouramis and golden gouramis.can some one tell me how to tell sexys? My tank is 48IN X 18IN X 15IN Its been in my tank about a month now.

 

[TammyLiz]

The males have a pointed dorsal fin, usually longer than the females, which is rounded. At that age your fish is probably easy to sex, but in case you're not sure, you could post a picture for others' opinions.

 

[vancouver]

It's harder to get an old fish to change it's behavior.. if that makes sense..

It's like saying you cant teach an old dog new tricks..

Have you tried adding any other type of fish other then a gourami?

 

[cableguy42]

Ive put other fish in my tank with the blue gouramis and they have been fine.i will try to put some other gouramis in my tank the same size as him and let you know how i get on.

 

[sylvia]

Is it a male then? If it is, I would suggest you don't add any more gouramies - regardless of size. How big is your tank? Three-spots idealy need at least 10 gallons per fish and shouldn't realy be kept in groups of fewer than 3 (singly they are fine - but keeping them as pairs usualy results in the more dominant fish bullying the other to death). Let me just point out that when I say 10 gallons per fish, I'm not saying you can keep a three-spot in a 10 gallon

Three-spot gouramies (that is blue, gold, opaline, platinum, cosby and lavender gouramies) are particularly aggressive. Males are worse than females because of their high level of territoriality.

In a large group or with younger fish, you'd see fewer problems because aggression only realy starts at sexual maturity and, if the fish are in a large group, then the aggression is devided amongst all the individuals - meaning that no single fish is targeted.

Unfortunately, an adult, fully grown three-spot is not a fish that'll appreciate company and mixing him/her will only stress all the fish in your tank unecessarily. Even getting a fish that's the same size will not solve the problem - the current gourami views this tank as 'his/her' territory - newcomers are intruders and are seen as a threat to chase off. Because of the restrictions of a tank, 'chasing' can lead to the death of the 'intruder'.

If you realy want to add more gouramies, stick with the same species (color doesn't matter though - so it could be a gold or platinum for example). There are a few others (generaly larger species) that work with three-spots but it depends on your tank's size (for example kissers, moonlights and snakeskins can sometimes work but require decently large tanks).

If your current fish is male, don't add any more males because they will fight to the death. You can try adding females but only if you add at least two (so aggression is devided between them) and make sure they are of a similar size. Re-arange the tank before you put them in to make the tank more 'neutral' territory for all the gouramies involved. If your fish is a female, then, again, a couple more females would be an option. Alternatively, you could try adding a male and female.

Keep in mind that, if you have both sexes present, if your fish breed the male will become particularly defensive of his bubblenest and may well kill his tankmates - that includes non-gourami inhabitants.

Like I said initialy, I don't think adding another gourami is a good idea at all and it would eb best to just look at non-gourami alternatives - it's simply not worth the risk IMO.

 

[cableguy42]

Yes he is a male , My tank size is 4FT X 1 1/2 FT X 1.3 FT which is a big tank really.I'll most probably leave him on is own as he does not bother my other fish and is happy alone.thought it would be a good idea to put other ones in but never mind . better having a happy tank.

 

[sylvia]

It's about 55 gallons - so you could add, say 3 females of the same size if you wanted to try and see how things go. Make sure to re-arange the tank beforehand and, whatever you do, make sure all the new additions are females and of the same size and add at least 2 at a time to reduce the chance of your existing gourami focusing all his aggression on a single 'intruder'. Keep in mind that, if they breed, the male could end up going on a 'killing spree' so either keep the current strong or destroy any bubblenests he attempts to build.

Of course, sticking to just this one male is fine and may be for the best. Perhaps consider adding something like keyhole cichlids or rams - they behave quite similarly to gouramies but spend more time at the bottom of the tank and are less likely to 'clash' with your three-spot or other tankmates.

 

[cableguy42]

Thanks everyone for your help not sure what i'll do with putting any more gouramis in my tank yet.I'll have a hard think about it and let you all know what i do. THANKS

 

[catfish_mad]

Hi chris, get rid and take it back up glovers, then buy some better looking fish like a big clown loach, tinfoil barbs or some new catfish.

Dave

 

[Rafael Dilone]

Is it a male then? If it is, I would suggest you don't add any more gouramies - regardless of size. How big is your tank? Three-spots idealy need at least 10 gallons per fish and shouldn't realy be kept in groups of fewer than 3 (singly they are fine - but keeping them as pairs usualy results in the more dominant fish bullying the other to death). Let me just point out that when I say 10 gallons per fish, I'm not saying you can keep a three-spot in a 10 gallon

Three-spot gouramies (that is blue, gold, opaline, platinum, cosby and lavender gouramies) are particularly aggressive. Males are worse than females because of their high level of territoriality.

In a large group or with younger fish, you'd see fewer problems because aggression only realy starts at sexual maturity and, if the fish are in a large group, then the aggression is devided amongst all the individuals - meaning that no single fish is targeted.

Unfortunately, an adult, fully grown three-spot is not a fish that'll appreciate company and mixing him/her will only stress all the fish in your tank unecessarily. Even getting a fish that's the same size will not solve the problem - the current gourami views this tank as 'his/her' territory - newcomers are intruders and are seen as a threat to chase off. Because of the restrictions of a tank, 'chasing' can lead to the death of the 'intruder'.

If you realy want to add more gouramies, stick with the same species (color doesn't matter though - so it could be a gold or platinum for example). There are a few others (generaly larger species) that work with three-spots but it depends on your tank's size (for example kissers, moonlights and snakeskins can sometimes work but require decently large tanks).

If your current fish is male, don't add any more males because they will fight to the death. You can try adding females but only if you add at least two (so aggression is devided between them) and make sure they are of a similar size. Re-arange the tank before you put them in to make the tank more 'neutral' territory for all the gouramies involved. If your fish is a female, then, again, a couple more females would be an option. Alternatively, you could try adding a male and female.

Keep in mind that, if you have both sexes present, if your fish breed the male will become particularly defensive of his bubblenest and may well kill his tankmates - that includes non-gourami inhabitants.

Like I said initialy, I don't think adding another gourami is a good idea at all and it would eb best to just look at non-gourami alternatives - it's simply not worth the risk IMO.

My blue gouramie is fine in my 10 gallon tank along with my two pearl gouramies. But the strange thing is that he sometimes gets bully by my female swordtails which are smaller than him.

 

[cableguy42]

Hi chris, get rid and take it back up glovers, then buy some better looking fish like a big clown loach, tinfoil barbs or some new catfish.

Dave

Go get a life you silly boy,Stoke on Trent boyz rule

 

[catfish_mad]

Hi chris, get rid and take it back up glovers, then buy some better looking fish like a big clown loach, tinfoil barbs or some new catfish.

Dave

Go get a life you silly boy,Stoke on Trent boyz rule

i still think you should get rid as they aint really that good of fish