Help !!! Gourami question
- Thread starter 1boatnut
- Start date
star_rider said:
Well hopefully I have the situation under control. Like I stated I believe the Neon blue was agressive because he was in the tank almost 2 weeks before the new arrivals. I removed him from the tank and went back to the store and returned him for another Neon Blue. So far all is well in Gourami land.
I am glad ! He not only got nasty with the 2 new arrivals,he started being nasty with all the others that he didn't seem to have a prior problem with !
Now,here are some of the reasons I even got Gourami's to begin with.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=981
http://www.aquariumarticles.com/?c=403
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/10gouramis_dwarf.htm
http://www.fishrankings.com/?q=dwarf_gourami
http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?cur_lang=2&what=article&id=34
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=981
http://www.aquariumarticles.com/?c=403
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/10gouramis_dwarf.htm
http://www.fishrankings.com/?q=dwarf_gourami
http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?cur_lang=2&what=article&id=34
In general it's a good idea to look at the more aggressive gourami types as you would bettas. They are very picky about who they live with, and that is compounded by the fact that each one of them have very distinct temperments and personalities. (I theorize that this is because labyrinth fish are more highly evolved than say, cyprinids or characins.)
For example I have a paradise fish in my 10g and a three spot in my 20g; both of which show only mild aggression - and that aggression is at maximum only a quick chase away should another fish annoy them or try to steal their food. In fact I have found this behavior to be good for the tank in general, as it keeps the nippy little pain the @#% fish like tetras, barbs and danios at bay. The one gourami in my twenty gallon is at least four years old now...so I worry that when she dies if there might be a power vacuum and the resulting chaos from such a thing. hehe
So yeah...one larger gourami per tank unless as people have stated before - a larger tank with lots of cover. Even then I wouldn't do more than one gourami. They just seem so much more interesting when kept as a specimen species.
I always leave the groupings to the schooling fish.
For example I have a paradise fish in my 10g and a three spot in my 20g; both of which show only mild aggression - and that aggression is at maximum only a quick chase away should another fish annoy them or try to steal their food. In fact I have found this behavior to be good for the tank in general, as it keeps the nippy little pain the @#% fish like tetras, barbs and danios at bay. The one gourami in my twenty gallon is at least four years old now...so I worry that when she dies if there might be a power vacuum and the resulting chaos from such a thing. hehe
So yeah...one larger gourami per tank unless as people have stated before - a larger tank with lots of cover. Even then I wouldn't do more than one gourami. They just seem so much more interesting when kept as a specimen species.
I always leave the groupings to the schooling fish.
Interesting, I got 2 Honey Gourami females, and one was in the tank prior to the other. When I introduced the new fish the existing one was very happy and interested (it was happy about the other existing female as well before it died of unknown reasons perhaps I.P. or an internal bacterial infection). It was trying to free the other female from the fish bag. Now they seem to be best friends schooling together in the tank. I want to get one more but I want to make sure it is a male.
My Girlfriend got 4 pearl gouramis. They were ok at first but she says they are being very agressive. One of them died for unknown reasons. She thinks she got 3 males and one female but is not sure as they are very young. Seems like another one is starting to act like the first one which died.
Not to hijack but perhaps she needs to add more fake plants and or rocks and caves?
My Girlfriend got 4 pearl gouramis. They were ok at first but she says they are being very agressive. One of them died for unknown reasons. She thinks she got 3 males and one female but is not sure as they are very young. Seems like another one is starting to act like the first one which died.
Not to hijack but perhaps she needs to add more fake plants and or rocks and caves?
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adding more caves and plants will help.justintoxicated said:
as for the gold gourami incident, gold gouramis are a variation of three sopt gouramis, and they are one of the NASTIEST fish i have ever had. i have only had one, and i dont want any more, because they beat up and kill everything that is in the tank with them that is smaller than them. that meants they need to be with bigger fish like cichlids, otherwise they need to be by themselves. even femlae three spots (and blues, golds, platinums, etc.) can get mean.
