Gourami, over population leads to peacefulness?

[Rosegardener]

I was watching this youtube video, where hundreds of bettas, mostly if not all female in a 55 gallon tank , with no noticeable aggressions. That led me to think back on other gourami in fish shops in Asia, always way over populated but also few noticeable aggressions. We are talking about 30-40 dwarf gourami in a 20 g tank or something like that. Those gourami, say dwarf, once moved from that overpopulated shop tank to our home, with just another or another couple of gourami? Fights, sometimes, fight to kill.

Could shoulder to shoulder overcrowd be the key to gourami peacefulness? When one was surrounded by so many potential enemies, one would think three times before starting a fight? Also with whom to fight as there are so many.

OK I have no hands on knowledge or experience, but had a tank with 3 blue gourami that was never ending aggressions, chasing and fighting til one was killed.

 

[Colin_T]

The overcrowded situation is more likely to be highly stressful to the fish who have no room to set up territories and just struggle to cope with so many other fish near them.

The fish might look ok while you are there, but who is to say how many dead fish have been removed in the morning before you look at the tank.

Most gouramis and some Betta species are extremely territorial and need space. Other species of gourami and Betta are peaceful and you can keep groups of them in the same tank. If you want a group of them, buy fish that are peaceful and naturally live in groups.

 

[DoubleDutch]

What is it in humans that we always seem to try to persuade to keep social fish as single, schoolingfish in pairs and the other way around.?

The shown vid shows the same effect as in overcrowded displaytanks in any LFS in which gouramis "live" together "peacefully".

As soon as these fish will have their hormons start working the tank will be a battlezone. Remind that allmost all fish (even the most agressive and territorial ones) are born and raised together. At a certain point they'll start to have "their own live".

 

[Byron]

The above members are right on the mark here. Before commenting further on their advice, this is just one more example of the inaccurate and misleading information on the internet, and there is nothing we can do about it--except to ignore it all and only use sites we know are reliable.

The behaviours of a fish are part of its genetic makeup. Biologists, ichthyologists and many aquarists have over the years studied each species of fish in order to ascertain these inherent behaviours. The fish is not going to change behaviours, unless this is forced upon it detrimentally. Overcrowding is one way to do this because it is putting the individual fish in a completely false and artificial environment, and at the very least the fish is being seriously stressed. Very brief periods as will occur with most fish in most stores, i.e., up to the time they are sold, may not have a lasting effect, and the fish gets over the temporary stressful situation and is able to enter a normal life in the right environment. The longer the fish is exposed to this stress, the more likely the damage will be permanent.

Researching the species to understand its normal behaviours is crucial to success. The fish is the way it is because that is how it has evolved, to function in a very specific environment. That environment is what it "expects."

 

[Byron]

Just remembered something concerning this issue, that I missed previously. Scientifically-controlled studies are now proving that shoaling fish are negatively hampered when they are denied the group of their own species. One study looked at four species, and maintained each in three different tanks, with three, five and ten fish. The fish in the tanks with only three or five of their species showed clearly increased aggression; naturally aggressive fish became considerably more aggressive, and normally peaceful fish became aggressive to varying degrees. Not only this, but the fish's latency to feed was affected. The point here is again the inherent expectations of a fish and the serious consequences of not providing them.

 

[otterblue]

Stick yourself in a cubicle with 8 of your least favorite co-workers: you'll survive, but it isn't your ideal (or a healthy) environment.

 

[Colin_T]

Stick yourself in a cubicle with 8 of your least favorite co-workers: you'll survive, but it isn't your ideal (or a healthy) environment.

I would survive but I'm not sure the co-workers would

 

[Akeath]

I agree with what the others have mentioned, that it's a stressful environment for them that shouldn't be done long term. Also most stores that do it have young fish that aren't as territorial as they will be when they are mature.

Your Blue Gourami, assuming they are Trichogaster trichopterus, are actually one of the more aggressive types of Gourami. There are more peaceful species of Gourami that can be kept in small groups given plenty of room to swim. Rather than trying to duplicate stressful, overcrowded conditions you might try a more peaceful species of Gourami in a small group with a reasonably large tank and plenty of hiding spots like floating plants. Honey Gourami (Trichogast chuna) are much more peaceful than other types of Gourami, and I've had a trio of 1 male and 2 females in my 40 gallon that do quite well and even swim together. I could probably up it to a small group of 4-5 Honey Gourami in my 40 gallon if I didn't have so many other tank mates taking up the bioload. I believe a 20 gallon is the minimum recommended tank size for a pair of Honeys. While I haven't personally kept them, I've heard Sparkling Gourami (Trichopsis pumila) do well in groups of 4 of their own kind, preferably with 2 females per male, in a 15 gallon or larger tank.

 

[jinjerJOSH22]

There are more peaceful species of Gourami that can be kept in small groups given plenty of room to swim.

Most commonly kept Gourami are actually quite social and should be kept in groups of their own kind. Often the case with Trichopodus Trichopterus is they are kept in too few a number and/or in a aquarium far too small for them.