More Troublesome Gouramis

[Majjie]

I love gouramis - but they do seem to be much more aggressive than the literature suggests. You guys (and gals) on this forum should write a book!

Apart from the trouble I've had with pearl gouramis (subject of a separate thread) I've also had four honey gouramis (one pair of wild type colour and a gold pair) in with four sparkling gouramis. They were all being bullied by some horribly aggressive little dawn tetras (yet another thread) which I eventually found another home. Once those bullies were gone, however, the sparkling gouramis took over and started bullying the honeys. The male wild type honey was obviously very stressed and lost his lovely colour. He looks just the same as the female now.

I've taken the honey gouramis out and put them into a separate tank with a young pearl gourami (awaiting the return of my original pair of pearl gouramis who are being given time out for bad behaviour!)
Everything seems fine in that tank for now.

I don't have enough space though to give the sparklers their own tank and so have put them in with six cardinal tetras. The sparklers are now attacking both the cardinals and each other. There's lots of displaying and quite a lot of "croaking".

Is there any way of telling the difference between the sexes of sparkling gouramis?
They're in a 40l tank, I could move them to a 72l tank with two koi angels, some tetras and other fish - would that help?
Should I split them up and move two out and leave two with the cardinals?

This is the largest and most aggressive Sparkler:

 

[diburning]

gouramis are very agressie to their own type and only lessens with age and/or during breeding

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Sparklers can be aggressive little blighters. The males seem worse then the females, but sexing them is not as easy as it is with other gouramie species. Is it possible there's a ring leader to all this bullying? If so you could try removing it to another tank and see how things go.
In general I've found that mixing gourami species never seems to work well. Some being far more aggressive then others and some far more sensetive to their enviroment.
P.

 

[Majjie]

There is the boss Sparkler (in the pic) who guards his own territory at the back of the tank. Then the other three fight over the rest of the tank and it is these three that are attacking the cardinals.

I'm a bit less worried than I was, though. After four days the cardinals have stopped shoaling and now swim around the tank individually. They've perhaps decided that the Sparklers aren't going to do them any serious damage (the cardinals are bigger after all - they're not youngsters!).

I'll keep an eye on them and if any start to look stressed I think I'll move two of the Sparklers out.

Thanks for the suggestion

 

[kimmers318]

That is a shame that you are having problems...my sparklers are wonderful...I have 6 and they also have a dwarf flame gourami, and 2 honey gourami (the little itty bitty guys, not the 2.5 inchers I have seen elsewhere listed as honey gourami, these guys are small and vivid yellow). The most I see out of my sparklers is curiousity.
As for sexing, I have read that the spots above the line of spots that runs thru the center of their body are more prominant in males, and less so in females, or non existent. Don't know how true it is.

 

[Majjie]

Oooh ......must go and check. Thanks Kimmers

Mmm. Not sure there is much difference. They all seem to have fairly prominent spots above the mid-line. I could persuade myself that they fade out at the ends - on one of them. I must go and peer at the ones in the lfs and see if I can spot a difference

My sparklers were fine whilst there were dominant fish in the tank. They only started causing trouble when the bullies had gone. Perhaps that's the answer! I might swop them with the honey gouramis and put them in with the pearls (when they're all back together). I don't suppose pearl gouramis would stand any nonsense from Sparklers (not sure how the guppies would fare though).

My poor fish get moved around all the time. Bit stressful for them, I know, but I hate to see some of them unhappy.

No doubt that Sparklers are lovely though

 

[Majjie]

OK I've given in and moved the Sparklers (had to practically dismantle the tank to catch them though )

They upped the level of aggression and were getting split fins. Plus the cardinals were obviously not happy.

I've put all four of them in the 72l tank with angel fish, assorted tetras, pentazona barbs and Minnie the pearl gourami on time out. It's a shame because I won't get to see them so much now. Perhaps they'll be able to live more happily with more space. I have heard a lot of "croaking" from under the filter though ........