hey guys, i recently bought 2 blue gourami's (or 3-spot gourami's) and they're acting weird.. well, lets start off from the petstore i got them from... they were moving back and forth in the tank (not swimming around, but kind of like a sawing motion) and i thought that was neat, so i got 2 of them... i put them in my tank, and they quit doing that... but now one of them stays hidden in the plants on one side of my tank.. the other one will swim around more often, and will occationally chase the hiding one out, around the tank a round or two, and then just stop like nothing ever happened... i don't even know if these are a male and female... they both look the same to me (their top fins are the same length, although one is slightly more pointed than the other)... and they aren't showing a dark blue like i've read about.. i can't tell if the more active gourami is trying to make a bubblenest or not... it'll act like its eating the plants, and then spit or blow out some bubbles, but its at or near the bottom of the tank, and none of them make it to the top... actually, its more like air bubbles as a by-product of shooting out water... here's what i mean... like if you have a drink of water, hold it in your mouth, stick your head underwater, and spit or blow out the water, it will cause tiny bubbles... well that's what this fish does... so what's going on?? why the agression?
are my gouramis breeding or what??
- Thread starter TwanDizzle
- Start date
That sounds like what my dwarf gouramis did when they were so aggressive. They'd be swimming along peacefully enough, and then zippo one would nip the other's tail and swim off as if nothing had happened. They'd try to hide in corners and swim away from the others, but occasionally they'd swoop in and nip!
I've returned all but one to the lfs, and that one is in solitary splendor in a 20 g tank! (it is the fish in my avatar pic!)
I've returned all but one to the lfs, and that one is in solitary splendor in a 20 g tank! (it is the fish in my avatar pic!)
but why is mine only attacking the other gourami? it won't bother the other fish at all... too small to be a threat perhaps?
Male gouramis are very territorial with other gouramis, bettas, and other long finned fish. Try to rearrange your decorations to create territories. Break their line of sight with each other. 55 gallons should be big enough to create territories for 2 gouramies.
Most likely you have two males. Male's fins come to point at the end, while females are more rounded. Males are also much more colorful. The reason why most pet stores carry males only.
Most likely you have two males. Male's fins come to point at the end, while females are more rounded. Males are also much more colorful. The reason why most pet stores carry males only.
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i thought gouramis were always peaceful except during breeding... and about the line of sight thing... i've got 2 large groups of plants, one on each end of the tank, and a piece of driftwood in the middle... so that should be good, right? but for some reason, the one always likes to go looking for the other... its like 'yeah, i'm bored, i think i'll go harrass the other gourami"... and its like sarcare said... one tiny nip and its all over... until the next time the urge comes along...
Check the submissive fish for any damage. If there is, you might have to return one. Give it some time. They might just be fighting for pecking order. If it just never stops you might want to return it or get it a new tank. If the territories don't work. Try rearranging your tank again. The one fish might have decided your whole tank is its territory. If you change it around they have to draw new territories.
Bettas and gouramis are from the same family. They are both labriynth fish, which means they have an extra organ that allow for them to breathe from the surface as well as the water. They both will more likely fight their own kind.
Bettas and gouramis are from the same family. They are both labriynth fish, which means they have an extra organ that allow for them to breathe from the surface as well as the water. They both will more likely fight their own kind.
yeah, that's the thing... they both have damage... like, missing scales and stuff... i thought it was just part of their pattern or something when i bought them... i couldn't get a good look at them... but when i got them home, i noticed it, and the LFS that sold them to me has a "no return" policy... so its somewhat of a rescue mission...
Blue Gouramis are territorial. If they are both male then the dominant one is going to chase the other. If they are male and female then the male will chase the female unless he thinks it is time to mate. I had a male and female Gold Gourami once and the male would chase the famale all over my tank. I eventually got rid of the male the eventually the famale was taken the the LFS aswell. You can cut down on the aggression by either providing more space for each to claim a territory or get more Gouramis to divide up the aggression.
ugh... this is aggrivating! i thought, from what i've read online and stuff, that gourami were peaceful.... and even the petstore guy told me that they're about the only thing you could put in a tank with the small fish ihave.... so if i get rid of these guys, what else can i put in there to take the place of the "big fish"? i'm afraid i don't have anymore room to add more gourami, and i don't think either one of the LFS's around here will take them because they're so bad off... oh, i went in and checked them real quick a while ago, and one had gained a slightly darker blue, while the other one had turned whiter... even tho its probably because of stress and more bad stuff, i thought it was pretty cool...