Gourami Scaring Me

[Essjay]

There should only be one male dwarf gourami in a tank, unless it is huge, and maybe a couple of females if the tank is big enough.

Female dwarf gouramis are plain silver or maybe with a hint of stripes. Many shops do not sell females because "they are plain and boring and no-one will buy them".
Neon blue females are perhaps the exception, but they will be nowhere near as brightly coloured as male neon blues.

 

[UnknownFishies]

There should only be one male dwarf gourami in a tank, unless it is huge, and maybe a couple of females if the tank is big enough.

Female dwarf gouramis are plain silver or maybe with a hint of stripes. Many shops do not sell females because "they are plain and boring and no-one will buy them".
Neon blue females are perhaps the exception, but they will be nowhere near as brightly coloured as male neon blues.

dang... i mean the original trio were fine together

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

dang... i mean the original trio were fine together

If you'd just bought them from a store, they were likely juveniles when you got them. Mature, adult fish interact differently than they do as babies and juveniles.

 

[UnknownFishies]

If you'd just bought them from a store, they were likely juveniles when you got them. Mature, adult fish interact differently than they do as babies and juveniles.

i bought them awhile ago... unfortunate that i might have to return them

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

i bought them awhile ago... unfortunate that i might have to return them

That's what I mean. When you got them, they were likely juveniles, so they got along reasonably okay. But they've matured now, and are fighting each other for breeding territory.

 

[UnknownFishies]

That's what I mean. When you got them, they were likely juveniles, so they got along reasonably okay. But they've matured now, and are fighting each other for breeding territory.

so basically get rid of all my gouramis? well all except for one

 

[Colin_T]

I have a spare 5 gallon... Does that work?

A 5 gallon tank would be fine for 1 male, especially if it's not well.

All the dwarf gouramis you buy from shops are mature adults. If you had a couple that were fine and added a couple more, it probably screwed up the pecking order and the weakest fish got picked on first.

It's preferable to only have 1 male labyrinth fish per tank. If the tank is big enough then add a female. Having males in a tank and adding females can make things worse because the males have girls to fight over.

 

[UnknownFishies]

Ok... So far I have 2 plans that might work or might not
1. Get a 10 gallon to put on my desk and put one of the gouramis on there. I can also get rid of the two mean ones.(Watched them for about an hour last night and those two tried to get everything) then have two gouramis in each tank? The only problem is I will have to convince my mom to let me get another tank.
2. Take all but one back. This option is what I wanna try to avoid.

 

[dsch132]

I think some cover higher in the water column would be a great idea, especially if this does turn out to be bullying. I keep angelfish and they can be aggressive sometimes. They are also large and vertically oriented which means more vertical cover is needed. Having many hiding spots can offer a safe place to retreat to in the event of bullying. It can also break up the line of sight so that the fish are less likely to harass each other in the first place.

 

[Slaphppy7]

In situations like this, just because you don't SEE bullying doesn't mean it isn't happening.

Much goes on in our tanks at night, when lights are out and we aren't watching.

 

[UnknownFishies]

In situations like this, just because you don't SEE bullying doesn't mean it isn't happening.

Much goes on in our tanks at night, when lights are out and we aren't watching.

True... what do you think I should do

 

[Slaphppy7]

True... what do you think I should do

Honestly, I would keep 1, return/rehome the rest, as Essjay suggested above

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Ok... So far I have 2 plans that might work or might not
1. Get a 10 gallon to put on my desk and put one of the gouramis on there. I can also get rid of the two mean ones.(Watched them for about an hour last night and those two tried to get everything) then have two gouramis in each tank? The only problem is I will have to convince my mom to let me get another tank.
2. Take all but one back. This option is what I wanna try to avoid.

Option two. I know you might not love that option, but two males in a ten gallon are going to have the same problems, and gourami are perfectly capable of killing each other- it's not just a case of schoolyard bullying. They're not just being 'mean' to each other, they're adult males doing what adult males of their species do.

So option one wouldn't solve the problem. Go with option two, and have a peaceful tank where you can really enjoy a single, beautiful gourami One healthy fish that isn't stressed is much better than four who are trying to kill each other.

 

[Essjay]

It's not just physical bullying, there's chemical bullying as well which we can't see. Fish secrete pheromones which are picked up by other fish of the same species, and allomones which are picked up by fish of different species. If the gouramis are secreting "get out of my space" pheromones and allomones, the fish picking up these signals will be stressed as they can't get away.

 

[UnknownFishies]

It's not just physical bullying, there's chemical bullying as well which we can't see. Fish secrete pheromones which are picked up by other fish of the same species, and allomones which are picked up by fish of different species. If the gouramis are secreting "get out of my space" pheromones and allomones, the fish picking up these signals will be stressed as they can't get away.

i’ll see if petsmart can take them back