quick gourami question

[kelly82]

right,in my 3' long tank i have 1 opeline gourami and 2 pearl gourami, with 4 albino corys. unfortunately the opeline bullied and killed the pair of golden gouramis (i know they shouldnt have been housed together but we were assured theyd be fine by the fish store,and couldnt return them in time), both inside a week, but she doesnt seem to even notice the pearls, they just swim right past each other like the other fish dont exist, whereas she chased the goldens on sight every time. my question is that i want to add some other fish to the tank but i dont know what. i dont want anything small, and i would like something to brighten up the tank, something eye catching,and something she cant harrass so easily,we considered a male opeline but dont want to run the risk of it turning into an all out fight in there. any help greatly appreciated.

[Nolapete]

The opAlines bullied gold gouramis or were they honeys? Honeys are obviously a bad choice because they are so small, but the golds would have to be significantly smaller than the opalines since they are both Trichogaster trichopterus aka 3 spot gourami strains.

Pearls are Trichogaster leeri, so being a different species the opaline isn't trying to establish dominance. In all likelihood, based on my experience the opaline and the "goldens" were the same sex. They were probably all males. The opaline was doing what is normal in establish the pecking order. The goldens simply succumbed to it or fought back and lost.

General rule of keeping gouramis:

Different color strains of 3 spot gouramis are all the same, they don't see the color difference unlike people and will attempt to establish dominance.

1.) With 3 spot color strains, I've found 1 male and multiple females work fine. Two or more males will generally be bullies while they fight it out amongst themselves. They are not only trying to gather up the females, but also prevent the other males from getting them.

2.) With the exception of giants and kissers, all gouramis will pretty much ignore other species of gouramis in a tank that gives enough surface area for them to have their own space. They will treat them like any other fish when it comes to defening their territory. It isn't any less or more because the other fish is a gourami.

3) Trios (1M 2F) work best to distribute male aggression.

I currently have a tiny pair of dwarfs in with a trio of pearls 5 times their size and they ignore each other.

Over the course of 35 years, I have kept 3 spots, pearls, dwarfs, thick-lipped, moonlights and honeys all in the same tank without a single loss and no aggression. I have bred all of the above gourami species in addition to bettas. Anabantoids are one of my favorite fish.

With 3 spot strains, it is generally best to put them in the tank all at once or put the old fish in the new fish's tank. You can have trios of multiple color strains i.e. 1 blue, 1 gold, 1 opaline as long as only one is male.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any other questions you might have.

[kelly82]

ok,right well i had 1 male 1 female golden gouramis, and 1 female opeline,first the male golden and female opeline attacked and bullied the female golden, she was smaller than both of them even though all were brought at the same time, and they together harrassed her to the point she died,she wasnt allowed out in the open at all, they would both set off full tilt after her round and round the tank,she didnt last long. after she died the male golden and female opeline seemed very close,swimming together,eating together etc, the male would occasionally get a nip from her though couldnt see why,then 2 days ago she turned on him, they were very sinmilar in size, but he didnt fight back, she started chasing him all the time like they both did to the smaller female golden, i was going to return him tomorrow as i couldnt get to the store before then,but this morning i found him tattered and dead. im gutted, im hoping she wont turn on the pearls,and am watching them very closely,but if she does start getting bit big for her boots,the male soon puts her in her place. would getting the female opeline another male opeline help, or do you think she may just be a moody stroppy fish?

[ct-death]

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113968

Is this the same 30G tank?

Are these also the tanks still cycling? If so, at a minimum hold off any more fish.

[kelly82]

ye,at the moment the readings are ph 7.5, ammonia 0, nitrite possibly at most 0.1, nitrate 10

[ct-death]

Three 3-spotted Gouramis ina 30G w/ 2 Pearls is very tight quarters for a species that likes their space from one another. Couple that with the stress of the cycling and the aggression is bound to happen.

The good news is that until the "opeline" should leave the pearls alone until she grows larger (over 4+ inches), but minor aggression should be expected during feedings times, crossing paths in a small tank w/ territories, etc.

[Nolapete]

She just seems to be an overtly aggressive fish. I'm leaning towards she's a misidentified male. A picture would be good.

[ct-death]

She just seems to be an overtly aggressive fish. I'm leaning towards she's a misidentified male. A picture would be good.
Gouramis in particular sure DO seem to have a wide range of personality swings from individual fish to individual fish!!!

[Nolapete]

3 spots and pearls DON'T keep to themselves.

[kelly82]

she has small dorsal fin,small and rounded,and i was told it was definately female,i would add pic but dont know how,can take pic on digital camera and get it onto laptop,but not sure from there. shes bout 3" at the moment.

[kelly82]

if i return the opeline, what tank mates would be good with the pearls then?

[kelly82]

ok i have pix but no idea how to post them:help:

[jm1212]

opaline gouramis can be nasty, expecially around other gouramis. sooner or later the opaline is going to start to go after the pearls, because the opaline gets bigger, much bigger. pearls only reach 4 inches long, opposed tot eh 6 inches that opalines will.

many tetras will be good tankmates. rummynoses, red eye, cardinals, lemons, and diamond tetras are all great choices. corydoras also make pretty good tankmates.

[kelly82]

i already have 4 albino corys, im not wanting to go with small fish like tetras, i really wanted something bigger but still community,im just not sure,it seem everywhere i go 4 info gives conflicting advice, just not sure what to do for the best

[Hooked Newbie]

ok i have pix but no idea how to post them:help:


Sign up at www.photobucket.com (http://www.photobucket.com) and upload them there. Then paste the IMG code from your album here. There are other ways, but that seems the easiest to me.

[Hooked Newbie]

I think it's more a matter of space for territory than any specific species related or size issues. I have multiple Gourami and there's no agression as long as they all have their "own space" to go to. The Gourami in my 75 wll actually "school" when they think it's feedng time and I have 2 Male Dwarfs in a planted 29 without issue.

Eclipse 150
RENA XP2
2 Dwarf Neon Blue Gourami
5 Rummynose Tetras
1 Yoyo Loach
4 Peppered Cories
__________________________________________
29G Long
Top Fin 30
RENA XP2
8 Tiger Barbs (2 Albino)
1 Red Tailed Shark
1 Mystery Snail
__________________________________________
75G
Aqua Clear 300
RENA XP3
1 Gold Gourami
2 Blue Gourami
3 Blue (Color variant) Gourami
6 Red Serpea Tetra
5 Fancy Guppies
4 Platies
3 Velvet Red Swordtail (1M)
1 Red Tailed Shark

[severum mama]

.1 is a high reading for nitrite. Do a large water change asap. The nitrite level should be kept under .25 or you may start losing some fish. Don't add any more fish until you are sure the tank has cycled, with ammonia and nitrite both consistently at 0, and detectable nitrate.

[kelly82]

isnt 0.1 less than 0.25??? will give pix a try but think i will return the opeline anyway,shes started looking more and more interested in my smaller pearl female!

[mazeman22]

If I were you, I would either:

Get rid of the opeline gourami

or

get a divider for your tank.

I'm wondering if that extra nitrite is stressing your fish out? Just a question

[kelly82]

ok,well im definately removing the opeline,i certainly dont want to devide the tank. im doing regular pwc, and testing every day, fish all seem much calmer today than they have been up to now, need to test water this morning as i havent done it yet, opeline seems to have quit her harrassing of the female pearl but im not risking it,shes going back.

[rhardy]

Is your 3' long tank a 30 gal. or is it less than 30 gal? You probably have to wait until your tank is cycled to find out the true temperment of this fish. Stress from cycling, and tank crowding can turn a nice fish into a monster.

[kelly82]

tank measurements are 36x12x15

[Dwarf Puffers]

You have a 28g. Remove the opaline, she is obviously too agressive if she's gone through 2 fish already.

I know this is :OT:, but did someone say that pearls are agressive? I was thinking of a pair of pearls and a trio of honeys in my 75g planted...

[rich311k]

I found my pearls to be rather placid.

[kelly82]

my pearls are placid,they occasionally chase each other for a sec or 2 but other than that they are friendly. just wondering if anyone had any ideas of any fish i could house with the pearls? nothing small such as tetras/guppies, and i already have 4 corys. any help welcomed.

[severum mama]

Duh, sorry, you DID do water changes to keep nitrite under .25! Keep up the good work, and resist the temptation to add any more fish until the tank has cycled. What are your readings now for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate?

[kelly82]

readings today after pwc 30% last night were nitrite 0 ammonia 0 nitrate 10-20,bad lighting made it hard to tell which it was closer to! thinking of possibly mollies or platys as tank mates now,not my fave type of fish,but lots of colours. what does everyone think- pair pearls, 4 corys,and a few,maybe 5 platys or mollies. would it work??? oh yeah,and is it normal for my male pearl to be guarding a spot in the tank,hes taken a liking to a tall fake plant that sticks out of the water a bit,hes not keen on his mrs going near it but wont allow the opeline anywhere near,he slowly cruises after her until shes out the way( yes we do still have her at the moment as we couldnt get out at the weekend due to flooding)

[Marinemom]

Sorry to hear about the flooding but can you get out now? I would get the opaline out ASAP and then see how it goes for awhile without any additions. Then after everything has calmed down then think about what fish to add that are more on the peaceful side.Platys are peaceful and mollies although considered peaceful can be a bit aggressive at times especially in tight quarters.

Marinemom

[kelly82]

unfortunately cannot get to fish store before saturday afternoon,but have separated the opeline until then, so looks like its gona be platys then lol,not risking any nasty fishies now! theres some awesome coloured platys out there so will have nice colourful tank which is what i really wanted. cant thank everyone enough for all the advice, hopefully i will get it all sorted in the next couple of weeks.