Gourami's Territorial Problem

[rayjay999]

Hi, I know that male gourami's have territorial issues with each other, but I was wondering if I put a male Honey Gourami in a 20g tank and the next week I put another one in, would the second one get bullied because the first one thinks it's his territory? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[guppy_man]

well i happened to me i bought 2 gouramis from pets at home and they were so cute i went and bought 2 more a week after an the 2 i put in first started to chase the other ones but now they are ok and ive got them in a 20 gal tank i got.....

4 gouramis
3 albino cats
1 cory
2 guppies
2 tetras
3 mollies

and they are doing fine one of them even started to make a bubble nest i was soo excited but he has stopped now

 

[sylvia]

Honeys only get to just under 2" and are usualy peaceful. I see no reason to not add both males at once but if you add them seperately, you won't have problems anyway. A little chasing might occur but they'll settle quickly. I'd preffer a trio (1 male, 2 females) myself, in a 20 gallon, but it's up to you.

 

[rayjay999]

Thanks for the help, I wanted to get a female, but none of the stores around here carry females at all! And I don't really want to order over the internet.

 

[sylvia]

No females? Are you sure you are taking about honey gouramies (colisa chuna/sota)? I think you may have confused them with the honey/flame color morph of the dwarf gourami - colisa lalia. They are often mis-labelled or given fancy names to encourage people to buy them. Dwarfs are more territorial and grow to a full 2". Two males would still work but you're better off adding them at once if this is the species we're talking about.

 

[rayjay999]

I'm pretty sure they're honey's because they were really small and looked like the honeys I've seen on the internet. Plus they were labelled Sunset Honey Gourami, but I may just not have looked close enough to find the females...

 

[navigator]

I have just lost a little honey gourami because of being bullied and harrased by the bigger honey gourami, I wont be putting 2 of these together again they r to territorial

 

[sylvia]

The thing with gouramies, navigator, is that each has its very own character. Occasionaly you'll come across a very aggressive individual and he (it's usualy a male ) will be the exception to all preconceptions and he'll go against everything you believed about the species. It has happened to me many times and the killer pearl gourami I owned is the one that sticks in my mind. However, it is only an exception - most honey gouramies are perfectly peaceful and it is unusual to find one so violent. That doesn't mean they aren't territorial or aggressive though - to an extent, all gouramies are, but they are one of the most peaceful and the ones that are not are either not being kept in the right sort of environment or are one of those strange individuals. I have kept a trio of honeys in a 10 gallon with absolutely no trouble so I see no reason why a couple could not live in a 20 gallon.

 

[navigator]

thank you for your advice sylvia it is much appreciated, I am gonna get 2 female gouramis and some new floating plants to see if that makes any difference, will keep in touch and let you know how I get on.