Dwarf gourami's bullying other drawf male & fin nipping my Pearl gouramis

[belize]

Is this normal behavior? Had to take the big bully dwarf gourami back to pet store. Kept smaller gourami, but he just starting harassing the Pearls too.

 

[Hound]

Put simply, yes gouramis are territorial. As labyrinth fish go they aren't as bad as bettas, but they can get fairly nasty without adequate space and hiding areas. I believe pearls tend to be a bit more docile than the dwarfs.

 

[boofish2]

^^^^^ what he said. You simply can't get two male dwarf gouramis. The smaller one will without a doubt be harassed to death. Taking the larger one back to the pet store will allow the smaller one to live but will not necessarily prevent him from becoming the new bully. You could possibly rearrange your tank decor but IME this only lessens the aggression temporarily. How big is your tank anyway? And who else is in it?

 

[jamie1972]

Yes....had you done research BEFORE buying your fish....you would have learned that. In the future...that might work out well.

 

[jm1212]

male gouramis, and even females in some species, can be extremely aggressive with other gouramis in the tank, especially males. dwarf gourami males will fight in a tank, constantly chasing and fighting.

pearl gouramis are one of the more peacful gouramis, and more than one male can be kept in a tank. they ARE gouramis though, and therfore to be safe the recommended male:female ratio is 1:3.