Mean Moonlight!

[Insomniac]

Hey everyone,

I have a 35 gallon tank with a small group of red eyed tetras (5) 3 swordtails, 4 zebra danios, 4 cory's, 1 featherfin Catfish, 1 platy, and a moonlight Gourami.

The moonlight Gourami is very aggresive towards other gouramis. I had a golden Gourami in there, whom he/she terrorized to the point of death. I recently bought a Powdered Blue dwarf Gourami who isn't much smaller then the moonlight...he/she chased him constantly, and he's now in a five gallon awaiting his fate...either I return him to the petstore, or figure out how to make it work!

Why is my moonlight Gourami being so mean? I'm pretty sure it's a female, and I thought they were a good community fish. She doesn't bother any of the other fish, and she's quite the character when feeding time comes. I would like to put in another gourami, but I don't know what kind...! Help!

 

[Weaver]

My lfs has the moonlight gouramis in with the opaline so I have 1 moonlight and 1 opaline in the same tank and so far I have had no bother.The opaline gourami is a good bit bigger.My moonlight has shown no aggression whatsoever but lfs owner said that there was the odd aggressive one but they were usually male

 

[Insomniac]

My lfs has the moonlight gouramis in with the opaline so I have 1 moonlight and 1 opaline in the same tank and so far I have had no bother.The opaline gourami is a good bit bigger.My moonlight has shown no aggression whatsoever but lfs owner said that there was the odd aggressive one but they were usually male

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Well, I could very well be wrong about the gender then. I've been wrong before, there's no saying that I'm not wrong again. If I posted a picture of her/him, could you offer your input on what gender you think he/she is?

 

[Weaver]

Sorry I wouldnt have a clue
I have looked it up in the aquarium atlas book I bought and it says that the pelvic fins on males are orange to red and on females are yellow?
Mind you Ive just looked at mine and it looks all silver to me!
Im going to my lfs tomorrow to pick up a betta and I will ask him if there is any other way to tell.
Hopefully someone with more experience will be able to help in the meantime
cheers

 

[Annastasia]

If you posted a picture, I'd probably be able to tell....Though I'm not perfect in Gourami sexing yet.

Some Gouramis just don't do well with others...and usually once one has become dominant, it won't let other Gouramis in. Have you tried re-arranging the tank at the same time you put another Gourami in? Or letting the new Gourami go in the tank first, then putting the other girl in? Sometimes these can help with aggression, because the new Gourami can get their territory before the aggressive one gets back in the tank. Or the aggressive one will be so busy getting new territory, the new one can get it's territory too.

Does that make sense, or am I just rambling?

 

[shuhu]

besides re-arranging the tank, you could add more hidding places... but if she its still that aggresive you will have to keep any other gouramies out of that tank, or maybe put her somewere else instead.

 

[breeze1770]

Golden gouramis and Moonlight gouramis are not the same species.. Golden gouramis are the same species as three spot, blue opaline, platinum opaline, blue etc..

but moonlights are very different fish. They have different scales and body shapes. And Moonlights only come in one color, silvery white. There is no other color morph.

To tell males from female, look at the pelvic fins(the long strings hanging from the front of the fish). On a male they're reddish-orange, on females they will likely look the same color as the rest of the fish, but may have a slightly yellow hue.

Male moonlights can be agressive to any fish... they aren't picky. My largest male moonlight will get snotty with the 10inch pleco as quickly as he will the 3 inch opalines or the other moonlights...

He's an equal opprotunity offender
here is a pic of a male moonlight and a female golden opaline.

http/img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/bre...ts/P1010038.jpg

 

[Annastasia]

Woops, sorry, my mistake! I was thinking Platinum Gouramis, not Moonlights. )

Thanks for the correction breeze1770. Don't know what was wrong with me there...seeing as I have Moonlights myself!