What to do w/male gourami beating up the other one?

G

greenday04

AC Members
Nov 28, 2004
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Concord, CA
:mad:
I am so mad at my dwarf blue male gourami as he picked on the other ones' eye and injured it. I took the injured fish out and even though he lost his eye I nursed him back to health for a week. He was eating and pooping so I decided that maybe he would be strong enough to hold off the other one. Boy was I wrong. Immediately the other one started picking on him and eventually made his eye bleed. I took him back out and he is doing fine again.

What shall I do? I can't keep putting him back in. Other than his fellow gourami he doesn't fight w/the other fish. Except the fact that he ended up, which I figured out after a week or so, eating the other 5 cardinal tetras that were there. :thud:

I have:

20g
2 male dwarf neon gourami (one in other bowl for now)
5 Pristella tetras
3 gold platys

Help. Any advise is very welcome!!! :bowing:
 
There is nothing you can do to make these fish get along. That is their nature. I would try and take back the dominant gourami to your LFs and swap it out for a couple more pristellas. Its unlikely they will take back the gourami with the missing eye but at least you can nurse it back to health and make it more comfortable.
 
Ok, first off, now you know first hand that two male dwarf gouramies together is NOT a good idea. I once had a male dwarf gourami kill another dwarf gourami male, and this was a 55 gallon community! :eek:

First thing I would do, is bring the aggressive dwarf gourami back to the store.
 
Thanks guys, I will see if they will take him back. I just wanted to defend myself a little. I did ask on this forum and others if I put in the two gourami and the other fish together. No one told me not to put two gourami together! I am frustrated with the gourami from the bigging. These two are my 3rd & 4th ones, the other two purchased at Petco got dropsy and died.

I got these two at Petsmart and havent had any death due to the quality just this fighting.

I will keep both and get the other another tank so he can be on his own. What size do you recommend and should I even try to put other fish w/the one eyed one and if so what kinds?

Thanks again for your help
Patience, patience, patience, I know but it is so hard sometimes.
D
 
Your idea of getting another tank is good.

What you could do, is either put the one eyed dwarf gourami in the new tank (by himself and get no other fish) or do the opposite and do that to the aggressive dwarf gourami (of course if the the store takes it then never mind!), but you could just put the one eyed dwarf gourami with other fish that aren't too active.... especially at feeding time, because gourami's aren't exactly the fastest of sorts lol, and with one eye that kind of add insult to injury :( (no pun intended)

At this point in time, it would be up to you on this issue, with us only giving you guidance. As it's up to you in regards to what you want to do.
 
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