Too Many Males?

[cartandpeg]

Hi,
going back awhile I went into the LFS and purchased 5 dwarf flame gouramis,I asked if they would all be okay in my tank,"No worries they are a community fish" I was told.

My fault,impulsive buying and doing no research.

First up they all seemed well,now there is some form of pecking order going on,not all the time,nothing violent,just lunges at each other untill one moves away,more of territorial type thing I think.

I suspect they are all males from what I read,should I return the fish for credit,they will be moved to a 240 ltr tank soon,would that help.

Thank you.

 

[Bugdozer]

If they are brightly coloured rather than silvery, yes they are males, and yes five is a bad idea. The males tend to not get on with each other. In a 240l tank you could probably have two as long as each could have a defined territory and avoid seeing each other all the time. They are a community fish in so far as they tend to be ok with other non-anabantoid species, but not each other.

 

[cartandpeg]

Thank you Bugdozer,
I thought as much just needed to confirm it,that will teach me to impulse buy,might see if the shop I got them from will trade them in on some more suitable fish or some products.

 

[panda_cory]

If they are brightly coloured rather than silvery, yes they are males, and yes five is a bad idea. The males tend to not get on with each other. In a 240l tank you could probably have two as long as each could have a defined territory and avoid seeing each other all the time. They are a community fish in so far as they tend to be ok with other non-anabantoid species, but not each other.

+ 1, I have heard you can keep males together but they need large tanks and places where they cant see each other, e.g lots of plants.