Established Gourami, what to do?

[Tachometer]

I got a Gold Gourami from a friend of mine that kept him in a community tank with several other fish (a 30 gallon). He was moving so I took the Gourami off his hands.

Now he's in my medium-establish planted tank (30 gallons, handful of tetras, a large ghost shrimp, some other bottom dwellers...not near capacity).

I seem him harass the tetras a bit and would like to chill him out a touch.

I was thinking about getting a female for him to...occupy his time with...but am concerned that he would just beat her up. He's about 3 inches long and very healthy, but a touch annoying to the other fish.

I'd like to get some more fish in their, but I'm concerned about what he'll do to them. Any suggestions?

Crawford

[ChilDawg]

Remove him, add the new fish, and then add him back after a few days...

He probably would beat up the female if she is not gravid, and that is not the best situation possible.

[Tachometer]

That sounds like a good plan...but I don't have a place to remove him too...in other words, I have but one tank.

Crawford

[ChilDawg]

How large is he right now?

Do you have a 5g bucket (never having been used for other purposes than fishkeeping) readily available, or can you buy one?

If he's not yet full-sized (6"), I think that a 5g bucket with a little bit of gravel from the tank would be a suitable home for a couple of days while the new fish are established.

[Tachometer]

He's only about 3 inches long...and I believe I do have a bucket that I could use for a little while. I've got tons (well pounds) of gravel but no extra heaters or filters...but if I do daily water changes I could probably get away with it for a bit.

Maybe I'll pick up a small tank...I've been meaning to set up a mini bedroom tank...

Thanks for the advice! He really is a great looking fish and is extremely healthy. He isn't terribly mean to the other fish but he's aggressive enough that it detracts from the nice-ness of my setup.

Look like Memorial Weekend will be Fish Weekend!

Crawford

[Tightdog1]

in the bucket you could put an air stone with an air pouymp to keep the water moving and to aireate the water but frequent water changes will be necessary every few days.

[ChilDawg]

Um, using established gravel would be very helpful if you want some biological filtration!