Fight Club

[Loraxx]

Here is my Gourami problem. Two days ago I bought a male Fireball gourami and a male Dwarf Gourami (first mistake, though the sales person assured me two males was fine). I put them in my 10 gallon tanks along with four neon tetras, a swordtail and a platy, all of which have been in the tank for at least a month. The Fireball is larger then the Dwarf and began to chase him after being in my tank for a hour. Today, the Dwarf seems to have started to chase him back and I noticed some damage to the Fireballs scales but I think that may have been there when I got him. I have looked online and saw some people saying that you should get at least three males together because though they will chase each other, it isn't harmful and takes some of the stress off if you have more then two.

Is this a good idea? I am planning on getting a 20-25 gallon tank in July, so room is not really a problem. If it is a good plan, should I get a male the same size as the (larger) Fireball or as the Dwarf?

Also, do Angelfish and Gourami's get along and if so, should I get male or female Angels? Or is a 20 gallon to small?

Thanks so much for listening to my ramblings

P.S. I also temporarily have a 20 gallon I could move one into but would rather not as I feel the tank is already over stocked (not mine, I'm babysitting)

 

[Squishiebabe]

If their picking on eachother, I would temp move one...just to be safe. I've heard male gouramis can be very agressive with other males, and thats not a lot of space for them to get away from eachother. You don;t want a dead fishie, if you dont decide to move one, i'd keep a sharp eye...just my input, lol

 

[sylvia]

First of all, is your tank cycled? Read through all the links in my signature very carefuly and then ask in the beginners forum if you still aren't sure.

You have to take one of the gouramies back to your LFS - at least until you have your bigger tank. Seeing as they are already fighting, one will probably be killed sooner or later if you keep them together.

30 gallons is the minnimum for angelfish so, though they do oke with some gourami species, they aren't an option for you. You'd want a pair BTW, but sexing them is near impossible so you'd have to get about 6 and wait for them to pair up - then you return the rest and keep the pair.

Now I have to ask - what the h*ll is a 'fireball' gourami? Lol - the names these LFSs come up with never cease to amuse me... Seriously though, you need to find out what it is. If it's trichogaster trichopterus (which it may be), returning it permanently may be a good idea as, particularly if it turns out to be male, it won't make a good tankmate for your dwarf even in the larger tank. If it's just another colisa species (like the dwarf - colisa lalia), you may be able to keep both gouramies - but only once you have the larger tank.

What size are each of the gouramies right now? Do you know if both are male?

Also, if the tank isn't cycled, you should take both back and do a fishless cycle and then re-think your stocking plans. Is there anything else in the tank besides the gouramies?

Welcome to the forum

 

[Loraxx]

First of all, is your tank cycled?

I think it is. My tank has been around in one form or another with fish in it for about two years and none of the things that cause 'un-cycling' have happened.

Now I have to ask - what the h*ll is a 'fireball' gourami?

That is so weird! I bought a 'fireball' gourami from another store a long time ago and since they both called it a fireball I never thought to check. It's whatever this is:
http/www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/gourami_dwarf_red.jpg
Which appears to be the same as a dwarf.

What size are each of the gouramies right now? Do you know if both are male?

The larger one is about 2'' and the smaller an inch and a half. I am almost sure there both male because they are both brightly coloured.

Is there anything else in the tank besides the gouramies?

Four neon tetras, a plady and a swordtail.

Well today they seem to have decided they want nothing to do with each other anymore and ignore each other when they swim past. Do I still need to return one if I keep a close eye?

 

[sylvia]

No, you can keep them. I thought they weren't both dwarfs. If they are both dwarfs, just keep a close eye on them and upgrade the tank as soon as possible. Adding tall rooted plants and floating plants should also help to keep them from starting up again. Oh and, once you have got them into a larger tank, don't add any more. Stick to the two (you asked about this before). A good guideline is one dwarf per 10 gallons.

 

[Loraxx]

Yay, I can keep them! I swear, it's amazing how attached you can get to a fish in a short amount of time.

Thank you for taking the time to reply!