phunghd2003

I have 3 gouramis for a few weeks now. They live happily with other fish in the tank. However, they often fight one another. Is it common?

capekate

Hi there
In my experience I have found them to be aggressive to each other. Whether they really hurt one another I dont know, but they sure do peck and chase each other around the tank. Do you know the gender of your gourami?
~ kate

phunghd2003

I think they are all males.

capekate

ahhh then... they are all fighting for dominance within the group..
~ kate

wolfman21

How big is your tank. If it is big enough, they will chase after each other and then eventually settle into their "corner" of the tank, sometimes chasing others away if they get close. This aggression is normal among males.

mirciulie

I've got 3 gouramis too (came with the tank).

Two gold (I think) and a blue one. The bigger gold gourami is chasing the smaller gold one, especially at feeding time. Then, that guy in turn goes after the blue one

I'm not sure if they're hurting each other. I can't see any ripped fins or stuff. Granted, I have other problems that I had to attend (broke a heater).

Also, the serpae tetra (got 4) will nip them once in awhile. I think I'll get 2 or 3 more of them, to make them happier. I should off get neons instead....

The gouramis are sitting under the top usually. I have almost half of the surface covered with floating plants. and some on the bottom.

Should I get rid of the bigger gourami, or just let them get used to each other. The bigger one came from a different tank when I've bought this tank from a guy off craigslist.

Narcicius

Yeah you definitely need ateast a 1:2 male femal ratio for any gourami, they are just aggressive towards one another, btw they are related to bettas lol.

mirciulie

I'm not even sure what I have now (males or females). I have to read up on them, then I'll look.

miker

It is common for Dwarf Gouramis to be aggressive with their own kind (Yeas..females too..that is why 1:2). If there are hiding places and some floating plants they should be fine.

mirciulie

There's plenty hidding spaces and floating plants. But the gouramis are hanging on the top half, so not using the wood and rocks bellow.

Heck, I might even have 3 males?! That's funny. I'll check today on them. Not even sure if they're dwarf gouramis, or golden gouramis. The blue one it's easy, but the other too, don't know.

If I have let's say 2 males and a female, then I'll need 3 more females . That'll make the tank crowded.

miker

Additional females are only added to distribute the aggression of the males. If you are not planning to raise fry, you can give the female back to LFS.

mirciulie

I purchased the tank from a guy that was getting out of the hobby.

SO there's nowhere I can return those.

Plus, I like them gouramis. I will need to get another female or two probably. Do they mate really easy, so I need to be carefull on that?

Narcicius

They do not in fact mate easily, it is a complicated process, and will not happen unless you allow it. So theres not much to worry about in that area, as long as you know what to look for.

mirciulie

That's good, cause I don't want them to mate. I just wanna make sure the male doesn't chase the female arround.

Narcicius

Well thats part of the gourami lifestyle, sometimes you might escape it but that all depends on the personality of your fish. If you want this to stop then you might have to return the male to your lfs. Otherwise just remember its good to have multiple females per male to spread his aggression a little so the females stand a chance of surviving the stress.