New Tank with Blue Gouramis

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Camiel

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So I'm new to the hobby and I've started up a new tank 25 gallon tank. After preparing my set-up, waiting until my wood stopped floating, I decided yesterday to finally add some fish to the tank. After visiting the shop several times and watching the fish and doing my research I finally decided what fish I wanted to buy. Dwarf Gouramis and some Cardinal Tetras. The Dwarf Gouramis (only sold in pair) came out pretty damm expensive so I bought other gouramis, thinking these were also Dwarf Gouramis, just to realize today that they are Blue Gouramis which can be quite territorial and aggresive.I bought 2 together with 10 cardinals and one of the gouramis is constanly chasing the other one around in the tank... I'm quite worried now and frustrated cause I possibly wanted to add several other Gouramis which is likely not possible anymore. So do you guys know other fish, preferably not nano fish ( I'm planning to expand the cardinals with another 10) that I can add to the tank and how to prevent one of the blues in harassing the others ?
 
I would return both blue gourami, as this is not going to end well. The dominant will kill the other within no time. As you mention, this is one of the most aggressive of the moderate-sized gourami species, and even one alone can suddenly kill every other fish species in the tank.

Before I suggest other possible species, what are the tank dimensions? I know it is 25 gallons, but the length and width is important here. The cardinals will be fine at 20 regardless, but this is taking up much of the space but some other species will be OK. Substrate fish like a group of cories (7-10 or so) might be one option in addition to the upper fish.
 
Thank you for the reply...

Well that sucks, returning I'm curious if I get my money back... Uh the dimensions of my aquarium are 61cm x31 cm x 41 cm so my bad Its actually more like a 20 gallon, some miscalculations there.... Sometimes it seems that they are doing better, like they are swimming together until one of them again starts chasing
 
What I would also like to mention that in the store they like to keep these fish in like a really small tank which houses like 10 of these how do they keep them alive then?
 
I've called the shop and they say it's not possible to return as I feared...
 
Which country do you live in?

Most countries have consumer protection laws and this could fall into that category. The shop sold you fish which are not suitable for your tank and are not compatible with each other. If the tank hasn't cycled yet (developed the beneficial bacteria needed to keep ammonia and nitrite levels at 0), then it is overstocked too and the shop sold you too many fish for a newly set up aquarium.

If the shop does not want to give you a refund for the fish, or replace them with something else that is more suited to the aquarium, then you should talk to the store manager and tell them you want to change the fish for something more suitable. If they still won't play nicely, then put it in writing too and hand them a letter saying the fish are not suitable for the tank (the tank is too small for that species of fish), and they are not suitable with each other, presumably because they are both the same sex (probably males), and are fighting. And the shop should replace, exchange or refund you for the fish. If they don't, you will contact consumer protection and get them involved.

Then contact your department of consumer protection and get them involved.

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You have only had the fish for 24 hours and any half decent shop should take the fish back give you a refund or store credit and let you get something more suitable. Before you get any new fish, post the name of them on here and we can say whether they are suitable.
 
I live in Belgium... the tank is cycled I've added tabs with beneficial bacteria 2 weeks ago to let the filter media grow.... About the return... I'm not sure if it's possible I just think its pretty ridiculous that I can't return them... I guess I just walk in and say you can have them I don't want my money back
 
I was thinking about getting a pair of dwarf gouramis, an already paired couple so to say... I also added a picture of my tank
 

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dwarf gouramis are riddled with diseases and should not be bought from anyone except a local breeder.

dwarf gouramis are not sold in prs. The colourful fish are males, the females are silver. But if you want gouramis, look at honey gouramis or some of the other types, just avoid the dwarf gourami (Trichogaster lalius) and all their colour forms.
 
Ah my fish store sells them in pairs... and I asked them about the Iridovirus ( the disease that mostly affects dwarf gouramis) and they said they quarantine them to first, but I shall trust you on this one... How can you know the difference between the dwarf gourami and honey gourami
 
honey gouramis are completely different to dwarf gouramis. If you google them and look at images of them, you will see the difference. Basically honey gouramis are smaller than dwarfs and honeys are a yellow colour, whereas dwarfs are usually blue with red stripes, or blue or red all over.
 
Thank you so much for your help guys, together with a friend we have been able to return them to the store...
 
Colin is quite correct on the dwarf gourami disease issue...never buy this species unless you can get them directly from the breeder.

What I would also like to mention that in the store they like to keep these fish in like a really small tank which houses like 10 of these how do they keep them alive then?

This is something that is often mentioned. And it is not so much a questio of keeping them alivee, but of the consequences to the fish going forward.

We must always remember that stores intend (hope) selling the fish as quickly as possible; the longer they keep them the less profit. Nothing wrong with that, but given this fact and the limited tank space and the numbers of fish, the fish are almost always kept in conditions that are not at all suitable. But the short time they are there means that even though the fish are in an environment that is anything but good, it is usually not going to impact them long-term--at least, they/we hope not.

Fish in crowded conditions and/or too small a tank will usually not exhibit normal/natural behaviours. Think of it as you being trapped somewhere...you are not going to be thinking of having fun when your life is in danger. The normal loss of colour is due to the same thing, the fish is under quite severe stress. But once you get them home they must be in an environment which is close to what the fish "expects," and then if it has not been irreparably harmed it will begin to behave normally for the species. Sometimes sadly the store conditions stress the fish to such an extent they do not recover.

When we consider the terrible conditions the fish have gone through from capture to storing to shipping to being dumped in a bare tank with all the wrong conditions, to being chased around with a net, bagged, shipped...it really is something of a miracle they survive at all. Colin posted a thread about this a while back.
 
That's quite sad but also inevitable to treat them that way. But for what it's worth, I will never visit the store that sold me the blue's I found a new store with real friendly staff who seem to actually care more about the health of the fish and who actually inform their customers well enough before they buy something. I stayed away from the gouramis, the store took them back hopefully they get a good life somewhere else (hopefully their not traumatised as much as you say) and I decided to stick to platys and cardinals instead which seem to get along nicely:):)

And thanks again for your help Byron and Colin.
 
Do you know the GH (general or total hardness) and pH of your source water? We didn't check into this previously as ity wasn't part of the issue, but now that you mention platy and cardinals, we should know. Platies need some hardness, cardinals do not, though there is some adaptability if limited.
 

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