Need help with gold gouramis!!!

[Josh Q]

I have had 1 gold gourami in a 10G tank by himself for about a month because the second one died a couple of weeks after I bought them both. SO I bought another one today to put in with him and minutes afterward the current fish started beating up the new one. It was bad. Wouldn't let the new one sit for a second...literally! Is it just because he's been in there so long by himself? I know the tank is too small for when they start growing towards their max 4", but I can transfer them to another tank in the future. Any help would be great.
-Josh

 

[wetwetwet]

Hey josh,

most gouramis can be teratorial and aggressive (esp. males) - this and a confined space with nowhere tpo retreat to.....

Any otheer fish aswell?

 

[Josh Q]

No other fish. I didn't want to overcrowd but I could put both fish in my 25G community seeing as it's understocked right now. You think that would be a good idea?
-Josh

 

[Josh Q]

Ok, I put the new gourami in the community tank until I could figure out what I want to do with him. Now while in the community tank he has stayed in the same exact hidding spot for a day and a half. Doesn't move for food or anything. Down at the bottom under some plants in the back where no one can see him. Should I just let him get comfortable and he'll eventually come out or should I put the other gourami in there to see if that gets him out?
-Josh

 

[pebbles]

the golden gourami,it seems is a colour morph of the 3 spot gourami ,which is know for its spiteful nature.you say your other one died was it possible that this one bullied it. they are not the best of community fish.wish i could give you more helpful advice ,but it seems these particular gouramis can come to regard the tank as 'theirs'and will see any intruders off .could be you may need to ask your fish store to take them back or exchange them.as www says they can be very territorial. bye the way i have a pair of pearl gouramis and they can be lively at times ,but generaly good natured.hope you find the answer to this soon pebbles

 

[impur]

Haha i tried the exact same thing. I have a gold in a 10 by himself and added my 3 spot and they immediately went to fighting. I found the 3 spot later that night flopping around on the floor!!! My gold is male, the 3 spot is female. I even added a divider and the 3 spot found a way over it somehow just to get her arse kicked. If you want to keep em together, put them in the 25 at the same time. You need to provide plenty of tall plants to break up the eye line so they have places to hide from each other. Hopefully that will work. Thats what i'm gonna try i'll let you know how it goes.

For the one hiding now, give it a day or so. You might leave the lights off to help keep its stress level down.

 

[Josh Q]

Thanks for the help. The first gourami died due to bad health from the pet store. As far as the one that is hidding, there are actually no lights for that tank. And all the fish in it are pretty relaxed, so it's a pretty non-stressful tank. I'm gonna put the mean gourami in the big tank in a little bit. I'll let you know what happens.
-Josh