Male Dwarf Gourami

[mnbyiuopre]

Okay, I know what you're all thinking "Why does this guy want his Dwarf Gourami to be aggressive" Well, it's not exactly that I want him to be shoving other fish around but just be less laid back. I'm afraid he's not getting enough food. Whenever I feed my fish my mean food stealing Platys rush up and gobble down all of the food along with my swordtails and gups. He is just standing a little back waiting for them to finish and by thetime they're done there's now food left! I have to wait until everyone leaves and feed him. But they still come barging up! DO you think he'll learn to go for the food faster and not let everyone else eat before him? He's not an outsider until it's food time. Whenever I watch he's swimming with everyone happy as could be.

 

[sylvia]

Maybe you should try something a little more appetising - live bloodworm, blackworm, daphnia or brine shrimp are good. Frozen is good too but it may take a while for him to start responding quicker even to that. To be honest, you don't need to worry. As long as he gets at least one moutful at each feeding, he'll be fine. He will probably be nipping at plants and things as well. Actually, feeding some veggies like blanched zuchinni or deshelled green peas might give him a chance to eat without the others intruding - though not all dwarfs like these greens. Another idea is to feed pellets - catfish/pleco pellets, algae wafers etc. Most fish will eat these but because they are usually chunky and can't be moved around by smaller fish, your gourami will have more of a chance to eat.

 

[mnbyiuopre]

If I got live bloodworm from a bait and tackle fishing shop would that be okay? I don't think I'm really able to get any other live foods. I do use frozen brine shrimp and he does eat whatever comes his way. I don't think it's that he doesn't like the food but that he's not able to get to it or not willing to. I could try some cucumber and see what he does.

 

[sylvia]

Yeah - you can use those bloodworms but ask where they are from. If they sound like they might be from a polluted water source, obviously, avoid them. There may also be a risk of parasites being carried in along with the bloodworms so check them when you're feeding - don't just dump a bunch in as you might get something like a dragonfly larvae in with them.

 

[mnbyiuopre]

Okay, thanks. WOuld I be able to see anything that was with them or not? He seems to be going for the food faster now. He also nips at theplatys if they get too close now. Hopefully it won't turn into anything bad.

 

[sylvia]

Yes - a lot of the hitchhikers you'd be worried about are visible. Anything out of the ordinary should be discarded.

Tat sort of aggression is normal territoriality. Whether it'll get any worse depends on your tank's size, inhabitants and whether or not it's planted/has a strong currents/general setup etc

 

[mnbyiuopre]

Okay thanks. The nipping doesn't seem to be a big thing, maybe twice a day. He does seem to have established a territory in the top right corner up front, which is nice because he's easy to see. The funny thing is he changes the territory every couple days.