Gourami problem

[slamster17]

i had 4 honey gouramis in my 10g with 3 platies. one honey i believe is an adult 2 inchs the others were about 1.5 inches or less. well one of the small ones died due to unknown causes but it did have a nipped up tail. i also noticed last night that my other two small ones also have bitten tails but the 2 inch honey is perfectly fine and so are the platies and the smallm ones seem to be afraid opf the big one so could he be picking on them as soon as i turn off the tank light? they al act normal during the day but occassionally when the light is off at night i hear the fish hitting the gravel. could this be a pecking order?

 

[aquarius]

gouramis can actually be agessive and territorial amongst themselves, especially if they're all males. i think the 10 gal is too small for 4 gouramis. make sure you have lots of plant and hiding spots for the fish. if that doesn't help and the two smaller gouramis keep getting nipped, it's best to separate the fish so they won't get killed

 

[slamster17]

i have a bunch of anarchis i haven't actually seen the 2 incher nipping the two small ones but during the day they all avoid each other and honey gouramis are very peaceful i think they may all be males but the dorsal kinda goes to a point and curves off like a females but they have vibrant colors

 

[Gourami Lover88]

If the dorsal fin ends at a point, then its a male, if it stays short and rounded its a female.You shouldnt keep more then one male of the same species in one tank.

 

[slamster17]

i cannot tell if they are all males or not but that is all my lps sells and they only usually have 6 of them all the same

 

[Doggfather]

To start, a 10 gallon is way too small for 4 honey gourami's, they would probably be the most territorial member of their genus (Colisa). The biggest gourami has probably established quite a large territory and is becoming aggresive to any gourami that enters it becuase it is viewed as a threat to it's safety.

 

[ryan]

Were the smaller fishes added after the larger one?

 

[slamster17]

no two of the small ones were original 1 died so 1 small one left is original and one was added the same time as the big one

 

[slamster17]

i have added a new plant and changed the position of decor and also requested that my lps ask their supplier if they can buy femals. anything else i may do to solve the problem?

The girl i asked say Whats the difference between a male and female gourami?
omg i know more then they do she also said that their supplier may not know the the difference between sexes either OMFG