A Pair Of Pearl Gouramis & A Bubble Nest.

[Lazerus]

Hi all,

I got a pair of Pearl Gouramis last Friday. I had read up about them, and was confident enough that they were peaceful fish & hadn't read anything about aggressive behavior. I thought they would be a nice addition to the community tank.

So, I got a beautifully coloured Male fish, and a female, both are a good size about 7cm, although not fully grown just yet.

However, the male is turning out to be a very feisty fellow, and is often chasing the female around the tank and not allowing her to occupy any of the top water space....to the point that she remains hidden under the plants around the bottom and only comes up for air. If she even attempts to swim freely, he runs her off, quite aggressively.

He however is parading around the tank like the Lord of the Manor, and is very proud of his bubble nest that he made.

The other smaller fish are being occasionally harrassed too, although not as much as the female Pearl gourami, and he takes a quick 'pop' at them when they come too close to the nest, which makes me anxious that he'll hurt them, although he hasn't yet. They usually stay clear of him, plus they are way too fast for him.

Now, what I'm wondering is, will this all calm down? They are only in the tank a few days after all....am I to assume that over the course of time that the fish will learn to live peacefully? Is it just a settling in phase?

I noticed he wasn't aggressive like this in the tank in the LFS?

The next question I have is about this bubble nest he has made.... I know this doesn't necessary mean that they are mating/breeding, rather that its something that male gouramis do naturally anyway, but how do I avoid ruining his nest when I do a water change?

He has the nest made under the glass 'fin' of the tank....so every time I do a water change, the water level will drop and this is going to upset the lovely nest....how do people get around this? Or does it matter?

Any advice would be appreciated!

I'm a bit disappointed as I didn't think I'd have to deal with aggression issues. I hope I don't have to bring him back.

 

[star4]

I have a pair of pearls, my male was exactly the same, forever chasing the female and other fish, but in the 6 months I have had them he has never actually harmed any of the fish or the female. Mine has never made a nest though. I read somewhere you can put a margarine lid (or similar) in the tank for them to make a nest, this will float up and down with doing a water change. Hope this is of help.

 

[pippoodle]

he will still do this while he has a bubble nest , the only way to calm him down is to add another female - which i dont think you can looking at the current stocking
or remove his nest - he will instantly stop chasing everyone as he has nothing there to defend - once he has mated with the female and they have deposited the eggs in the nest then you can always float the nest into a breeding net (fabric not plastic) and wait for the fry to hatch - usually within 12 hours , you can then feed them in there or transfer them carefully to another tank on there own to grow on

 

[Lazerus]

Thanks...no, I'm aware that I definitely can't add any more fish...however, I know that a second female might diffuse matters though, but I had read that Pearls' being of more peaceful nature can often co-habit together without having to have the 1-2 ratio.

Ok so, anyway, ...I'll keep an eye on them, perhaps its early days yet and things will settle down over the next week or two.

I did a water change and the bubble nest is now gone for the time being....so I'll see if he makes another. If he does I'll put him right in the corner with a lid or something. Its just his recent bubble nest was right bang in the middle of the tank at the side glass 'fin' which was a nuisance for the smaller fish passing by minding their own business. He was after them the whole time.

I'm also just hoping he leaves the female alone to wander around the tank too, its awful that she's stuck down in the bottom of the tank, peeping out from the plants...the thing is, its not that he's after her to mate all the time, its more that he doesn't want her there at all.

We'll see what happens. If it becomes a real problem, I will re-home them.

 

[pippoodle]

Thanks...no, I'm aware that I definitely can't add any more fish...however, I know that a second female might diffuse matters though, but I had read that Pearls' being of more peaceful nature can often co-habit together without having to have the 1-2 ratio.

Ok so, anyway, ...I'll keep an eye on them, perhaps its early days yet and things will settle down over the next week or two.

I did a water change and the bubble nest is now gone for the time being....so I'll see if he makes another. If he does I'll put him right in the corner with a lid or something. Its just his recent bubble nest was right bang in the middle of the tank at the side glass 'fin' which was a nuisance for the smaller fish passing by minding their own business. He was after them the whole time.

I'm also just hoping he leaves the female alone to wander around the tank too, its awful that she's stuck down in the bottom of the tank, peeping out from the plants...the thing is, its not that he's after her to mate all the time, its more that he doesn't want her there at all.

We'll see what happens. If it becomes a real problem, I will re-home them.

You may have to add lots more plants this way she can swim around the tank without him seeing her all the time
also add some floating plants as gouramis love these and are good for making the bubblenests

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Lazerus

It's usually the male gouramis that are aggressive. If you can exchange him for another female the chances of them getting along would be much, much better.

 

[Lazerus]

Thanks....

I have a fair amount of twisted vallis, and the amazon swords are reaching new heights! So there is actually plenty of coverage.

I notice she is venturing out a bit more, but is clearly still very cautious. I often see her making a sprint for the top to take a gasp of air, keeping a keen eye on 'our lad' and then goes back down to the depts....but she's swimming along the back of the tank more so.

I might move some of my bogwood and change things around a little to break up the territories...see if that helps.

My male is making a new bubble nest all the time....he's a very industrious fellow, it seems.

I've hung a 'posy' of fake silk plants in the corner of the tank, forming a small canopy to hopefully coax him in that direction, but he seem adamant that he wants to take the middle of the tank for his nest.

Anyway, I'll leave about another week or two and see how things settle.

 

[sylvia]

Assuming you realise that a bubblenest rarely means you'll get fry in a community setting with gouramies (the fry hardly ever make it), then I would suggest increasing the water current near the surface of the tank. This will prevent the male from building another nest and you should have far, far fewer aggression issues.

 

[Lazerus]

Thanks....yes, that's exactly what I've done. He hasn't been able to keep the bubble nest intact as a result.

Everyone seems alot happier...even Mrs Pearl is making more outings.

I'm very happy it, needless to say!

Thanks for all the help.

 

[Lazerus]

Hi all,

Just a little update...

Things are so much happier in the tank....

Since the bubble nest has been taken away (I lowered the water level slightly so that the bubble nest can't take a hold) everything is so much better.

Here's a couple of pictures of my male...I think he's gorgeous!

I find it very hard to get a picture of the female, she's more shy, plus when she finally comes out from behind the plants, my camera won't respond a the crucial moment when I need to take the pic!!!

Had a lovely one of the two of them kissing, but nearly went nuts when the camera didn't take the pic..Ah well!

Here's Mr Pearl mingling with his friends....no more aggressive behavior!

He seems to be very good buddies with my paired German Blue Rams...they seem to be very tolerant of each other and are hanging around together alot.

So just in summary, thanks for all your help! Delighted!

I really thought I'd have to give them away!