Gourami Troubles

[mark7616]

im going to rehome one of my gouramis as i was watching this evening and noticed that one of them is always on the bottom of the tank in between some plants with the blue one over it and when something comes near they chase them around the tank (its a community tank) it seems to be the yellow that is aggressive and the blue looks after her. the blue one has a long fin while the yellows is half the size does anyone have any ideas as to whats happening

 

[WILDER]

Sounds like a mating pair to me.

 

[mark7616]

if i split them and kept the male pearl and 2 male dwarfs would this be ok as they all seem to get on and whats with the tenticle arm things they seem to stroke each other. i cant accomodate a mating pair i only have a community tank you see.

 

[WILDER]

I wouldn't worry to much as most of the time they don't make it to the fry stage.

 

[mark7616]

but i seem to have a problem with the female attacking everything except the male pearl she even went for my plec for no reason i just dont want a lot of sushi in the morning.

 

[sylvia]

So what exactly do you have in the tank? Is it a blue a gold, a pearl and 2 dwarfs? How large is the tank?

the blue one has a long fin while the yellows is half the size does anyone have any ideas as to whats happening

This means the blue is a male and the gold is female.

Though fry won't normaly survive in your average community tank, the breeding process can still cause serious problems as, especialy with three-spots (blues, golds, opalines etc.), as the males become very aggressive.

Seperating them is probably the best you can do. Keeping the male pearl and 2 dwarfs sounds like a good plan.

 

[mark7616]

its 100L i have 1x3" plec 5xwhite tipped tetra 3xsmall mollies 2x pearl or 3 spot gourami blue is the male yellow is the female and now 2 male dwarfs. female has always hid in the plants but now attacks everything male seems fine gets on with everything why do they stroke each other with there tenticle arm things and what exactly are they?

 

[WILDER]

They find food with them i think.

 

[mark7616]

its quiet cool watching them stroke each other

 

[sylvia]

2x pearl or 3 spot gourami blue is the male yellow is the female

Pearls are NOT three-spots. Which fo the two do you have? If they are gold and blue, they are not pearls. Remove the male.

 

[mark7616]

the one with the bigger dorsal fin the male is blue with like black ripply markings the female with a small dorsal fin is yellow with brown markings my 2 dwarfs both have long dorsal fins so i say there both male they get on with my blue gourami would u say these are pearl then and its the yellow one im having problems with the blue male seems to of left her now and is at the other end of the tank with the small dwafs please help im lost!!!!!!

 

[sylvia]

Your gold and blue fish are both 'three-spot' gouramies like this: http/www.clhs-chawks.org/loc_web/animals...es/blue_gou.htm
These come in many colors including gold, blue, platinu, lavender, opaline and cosby. All are exactly the same species - trichogaster trichopterus. They grow to 6" and males can become extremely aggressive in time. They shouldn't realy be kept in pairs as, once mature, males will bully any females. Male three-spots have a long, pointed dorsal fin. The one in the picture I posted is male.
Here's a female: http/www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_tricho2.php
Post pictures of your fish if you can and I'll try to sex them for you.
If you are having aggression issues with the female, remove her. If the male's the problem, take him out. Regardless, it's likely the remaining fish will still be aggressive towards your dwarf gouramies and, as your tank is only 25 gallons, it may be best to return both three-spots to your local fish store.

Female dwarf gouramies are pale colored. Occasionaly they have faint striping. Males are the brightly colored ones and have 'bulbous' dorsal and anal fins. Males do fine alone but the two you have should do fine as well since they are in a large enough tank. Females enjoy the company of others of their kind. Again, keeping a male-female pair is a bad idea as the male will chase the female and stress her. Mixed-sex groups are best kept in ratios of 2 or more females per male instead. Dwarfs get to 2" and generaly mind their own business as far as non-gourami fish are concerned. There are many color morphs of this species also.
Here are some males: http/www.thekrib.com/Fish/gourami.jpg
http/www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/other...rf_gourami.html
Here you can see 2 males and 2 females: http/www.elmersaquarium.com/10gouramis_dwarf.htm The 2 on the bottom right are female.
http/www.solodvds.com/tropical-fish/dwarf_gourami.htm - male above, female below
http/www.aquariumsite.com/fish/dwarf_gourami.php - female above, male below
The scientific name for dwarf gouramies is colisa lalia

Finaly, this is what a pearl gourami looks like 9trichogaster leeri:
http/home.fuse.net/fishfarmer/PearlGouramimale872083.jpg (male)
http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/pearl.htm
http/www.aquarticles.com/images/Fish%20S...ourami%20d6.jpg - lots of them
http/www.plantedtank.net/fishprofiles/Pe...ster-leerii/68/ (females)
http/www.plantedtank.net/images/fish/68/7.jpg (female left, male right)
These fish grow to around 4-5". The differences between the males and females are pretty obvious if you look at the pics I doubt these are the fish you have going by the colors you described.