sprakling gouramis - agressive?

[clutterydrawer]

I have three sparkling gouramis which I got a few weeks ago and I think they're fantastic. They're not shy at all, always out and about investigating the tank, coming up to meet me when I got into the room, and so on.

But recently they seem to have getting a bit stroppy with each other - nothing major, just sort of chasing each other off. If you know what I mean...?

I was just wondering if this behaviour is common and whether it's damaging to them or if they're just "playing". Also, your opinion on whether I should get a couple more or whether theyll be fine with jsut the three of them. It's a 10g tank with the three gouramis and some bumblebee shrimp. thankyou!

Edit: is there any way to sex them? I was reading about sexing coraking gouramis in the other thread and wondered if the same applied as the'yer quite similar fish but didn't want to hijack that thread!

 

[sylvia]

I would add a couple more simply because you have room and they are fantastic fish. It WILL also help even out aggression - particularly if you happen to have 2 males with just one female...

Sexing them is pretty much the same as with croakers (size, color, length of fins), yes, but there are several additional things you can look at to determine for certain. Also, the extended fillaments you see in croaker's anal fins are not significant in sparklers and the difference in fin length is much less noticeabe than with many other gouramies.

First of all there's the method of shining a light through the fish and, as they are semi-transparent, you can often see the reproductive organs and, in particular with females, you can see the eggs as a yellowish sack when she is ready to spawn. This takes a lot of practice though. Something else to note is that when they 'croak' (they do croak just like croakers), it is usualy the males that do so and usualy it is towards another male 'intruder'. Lastly, and probably the easiest to employ, is that males tend to have a very bright row of spots on the upper, dorsal, area of their bodies. In females these spots are usualy faint or absent entirely.

The behaviour you described is normal - especialy for fish still in the process of establishing a hierarchy/territories and settling down in their new environment.

 

[clutterydrawer]

I only just noticed I wrote "sprakling". Oh dear! Thanks for your advice, I'd love to get some more - they are easily the most entertaining fish I've owned, so interested in everything!

ta

 

[Aylana]

Just thought I would stick my nose in and add my 2p. I have two sparklers who have recently seem to have reached adult size and there was a slight increase in aggression for a while. Then they spent the other night circling and chasing each other and then they began swimming backwards croaking at each other. Bizarre and facinating. Since this little display they have pretty much ignored each other so I assume they have sorted out their pecking order or whatever.

Mine are very brave too, while my all my rasboras rush off if I come over and peer in the tank the sparklers will come to the front and stare back at me.

Amazing little fish!!

 

[Gill]

I had 7 and they had reached maturity, they always stayed together, but attacked my Angels. So I donated them to the Hospitals Tank.