How can I help my female Gouramis?

K

Kasey

AC Members
Apr 1, 2006
25
0
0
I have a 10g, I had 1 platie and 2 mollies doing very well.

I added a pair of dwarf gouramis. The male is doing extremely well. The female hides in the same spot at the surface behind the heater all the time. It has been over 2 weeks. She still has not relaxed at all. No sign of ick, no stringy poop. I change and test the water regularly. Today I fed them, turned the lights off, and just watch to see if she was eating. She finally crept out and tried to eat, but the male chased her around until she went and hid again.

I know they are scared of loud noises, but they are in a pretty quiet area, and the male has adjusted just fine.

Did I make a mistake by listening to the LFS guy and buy a male and female pair?

Anyone have any suggestions about what I can do?

Thank you all in advance for any advice!!
 
you sure its a male and female? How big are they? The tank may be too small.

Also she may just be super stressed. Try to keep parameters as close to perfect as poss, check for illnesses and maybe even quarantine for at least a few weeks.
 
I am sure it's a male and female. Any ideas why the male would be chasing her around and nipping at her? I just feel like thats why she's hiding. Obviously I could be wrong. But the other fish are thriving.

Thanks again!
 
Why are you sure they're a male/female pair?

A 10 is on the small side for gouramis. They normally chase and nip (one dominates the other) unless there's enough space for the one to forget the other. Try some plants (plastic or silk are fine for this), they'll help.
 
Well, the male is large and colorful. The female is much smaller, about 1/3 or 1/4 the size. She is silverish, not colorful. Their dorsal fins are also shaped differently.

I read that they could be kept in a 10g, also that they were peaceful. that's why I chose them. There are so many conflicting sources, i don't know what to do anymore.
 
I'm new, but I have a pair of males and they do exactly the same. However, they are in a 65g, so the smaller one (only about 1/2" smaller) still gets food. But he is constantly chased by the larger of the two. So two males might not make things better.
From what I've read, dwarfs are just like this. Two fems might work out ok, tho.
 
I've been breeding dwarf gouramis over the last year and half and have had the same thing happen whenever I had less then 3 females in the tank. Even my most active female turned into a hermit ("recluse" not the crab) the moment I took away the other females. She, like yours, went straight for the heater to hide even with the dense plant cover. When I added the females back she was her boisterous self again.

If the tank is large enough, try adding 2 or 3 more females.
 
Probably a dumb question but:

If I buy a larger tank, can I ad the substrate and water from the 10g + the extra water, and not have to cycle?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom