Gouramis gettin frisky

[branflake12]

So i just brought home 3 dwarf gourmais, and the big one seems to be using his cool feeler fins to spar with the others, and nips their tails...the get head to tail and spin aournd feeling each other up or something...normal? i just traded cichlids for them and was hoping for a more peacful fish...thoughts? experiences? THanks

 

[Jericho]

Do you know if they are males or females, you can tell by their dorsal fins, the males are pointed and females are rounded. They say you should only have 1 male in a tank or they can get aggresive.

 

[branflake12]

Well after looking aorund, theyre all male, all 3 of em. my lfs on the phone said yeah all they sell is male dwarfs (?) and that they may be a bit nippy but wont do any real damage...i think stress might build up though on the smaller one. i was going to get 1 more but i might hold off...and 1 female with 3 males wouldnt be good either...looks like just the cory cat to clean up...messy eaters for such a small mouth

 

[TheDeerslayer]

Most LFS's do sell males only because they are more colorful. Usually my dwarf gouramis don't present a problem because one of the gold gouramis has established alpha male status, but they all have their little territory. At one point I had both my male dwarfs in the same tank and never had any issue. I ended up seperating them to add some color to my smaller tank.

That being said gouramis are fairly aggressive for a "community fish", many people will catergorize them as "semi-aggressive".

Try giving one of them to a friend or put in another tank (if you have one) and see how they do in pairs.

 

[branflake12]

thanks-do you suppose an additional red dwarf would spread out the aggression? sort of the controlled overcrowding theory? There about 1.5" now, so they wont get that much bigger...and i am fully able and willing to do the increased maintence...or would 4 of them be too much for this eclipse tank...as supposedly high tech as it is...Also, any problems with adding a small cory to the bottom? these guys are making a mess.

 

[Jericho]

Which tank are you putting them in, it it is the 7 that is probably not enough room for each to claim their own territory. Every fish is different some will get along and others won't.

 

[branflake12]

It is the eclipse 7, i had some rocks leftover from the cichlids in their, so when i did a change i rearranged their room, with 4 clear cut hiding spots for the other two, the big dog likes to hang out at the mid-top area and watch his subordinates anyways, so i think its all good. just a few scales getting chewed off every now and again worries me.
Spose that cory cat would be ok in here to get some of the food off the bottom? anyone?