Cobalt Gouramis fighting

[R3GG]

Hi, i have two female cobalt gouramis which i bought about a month ago for my 39 gal tank. They were fine with each other for the first few weeks but now one appears to be fatter and healthier looking than the other and is picking on the smaller one a lot. I bought two females because i didnt think they'd be as aggressive as a male and a female but this hasnt turned out to be the case.

Should i put the smaller gourami in my 10gal quarantine tank or will they sort themselves out? The aggressive gourami only seems to pick on the other gourami and not the rest of fish.
Cheers

 

[Gourami Lover88]

My biggest female Three spot is was very agressive toward the smaller one, I rearanged the tank and they where fine for a while, but now she is starting to get agressive again.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi R3GG

When I read your post, the first thought that come to my mind is to ask if you are certain that they are both females. I understand that the females of the dwarf varieties are not as colorful as the males, but I've never had the opportunity to see or buy them since they seldom sell them in the US. Perhaps someone from the UK will see this and describe them to you so you can be sure. If not, you might want to start another thread to ask about them.

Anyway, another way to tell the sexes apart is to look down at them from above. Male gouramis have a smoothly tapered shape that is wider at the head and narrowed at the tail. Females have rounded bellies and then they taper toward the tail.

The second thought is to wonder why the smaller female is not growing at or near the same pace as the other one. This may or may not indicate a problem, but it is something to think about.

I suggest that you move the LARGER one to the quarantine tank, not the smaller one. The reason for this is that in a few weeks you might want to try putting them back together and at that point you will want the big one to feel like she is entering the other's territory. It's possible that they will make peace at that point.

In the meantime, try feeding the smaller gourami heavily with live or frozen blackworms or tubifex worms. This will help her grow and that alone could help resolve the problem.

Good luck and please let me know how this works out.

 

[R3GG]

The guy in the shop said that they were both females but thats probably not much to go by as he also said that the ones with red on (Dwarf gouramis) were the males, which is surely wrong as cobalt gouramis are a colour variation of dwarfs.

I think you're right about fattening the smaller one up, i could put the smaller one in the quarantine tank where there is less competition for food. Saying this i think i will remove the larger one like you said so that it feels as if its entering the territory of the other when it goes back into the 39 gal.

I dont think the smaller gourami has anything wrong with it, looks as if its only smaller because the other one bullies it and gets all the food while the small one hides.
Cheers for your thoughts and help Gourami Lover88 & Inchworm
I'll keep you updated!

 

[Inchworm]

...I dont think the smaller gourami has anything wrong with it, looks as if its only smaller because the other one bullies it and gets all the food while the small one hides.

Hi R3GG

You could be quite right about that. Gouramis are like that and even very small fry do the same thing. In the end, the ones that get off to a great start are the ones that will survive and the rest will not. In fact, the fastest growing ones will cannibalize the small ones.

It's a sad thing to think about, but this is nature.

I hope your plan will work out for you. If not, then your only other choice will be to keep them apart.

Good luck!

 

[R3GG]

Yeah its a shame really, all my other fish are in pairs or more and get on really well but im not going to sit and watch the little fella get nipped to death.
Thanks again

 

[R3GG]

The smaller one seems to be eating more now, he/she will still hide away more and isnt affraid of the other but just gets a bit annoyed with being pecked and chased around. I will definitely remove the larger one soon and try and fatten up the small one