Dwarf Gourami Nipping Silver Molly

[busterbrit]

My dwarf gourami all of a sudden has started nipping and attacking my silver Molly. The Molly is bigger.

Is this normal? Will it go away or do I need to return the Molly to my brothers tank?

Also the guppies have started nipping but it doesn't seem as mean. Is that normal?

 

[erk628]

Some nipping with those fish are normal from time to time. What size tank is it and what is the stocking? If its just once in awhile it should be be fine. But if its all the time then you need to take out the ones nipping.

 

[busterbrit]

Some nipping with those fish are normal from time to time. What size tank is it and what is the stocking? If its just once in awhile it should be be fine. But if its all the time then you need to take out the ones nipping.

I might be giving the Molly back to my brother since I have had other people tell me my tank it to small. Plus I'm having nitrite problems either because I'm not fully cycled (jumped the gun on the fishless cycle) or because I'm over stocked.

16 gallon Biorb
1 dwarf gouromi
1 silver molly (full grown)
2 dwarf platies (1")
3 guppies
3 anubis plants
1 bogwood

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, unlike honey gouramis or sparkling gouramis, dwarf gouramis are quite pugnacious! They are certainly not as mean as the big 3spot/glue/opaline gouramis but they are next down the list as far as I'm concerned.

The dwarf is probably espressing the behavior as part of his natural instinct to clear other fish away from his bubble nest (even the the bubble nest may not exist yet, lol) area. In a smaller tank the dwarf will consider the entire tank the area that needs to be cleared of other species, sometimes.

Luckily, a gourami will usually not be as agressive in these actions as many cichlids would be.

~~waterdrop~~