CasperCHill2007

I bought my male Dwarf Gourami 6 months ago and the pet store reassured me he was passive. Even saying he was extremely passive. He was fine with the other fish at first but he would wake me during the night thrashing the tank themometor. I couldn't figure out how he was doing it I just knew he was. About 2 months after getting him I got a bottom-sucker and within 24 hours one of my fish died and the rest followed each within 24 hours till all were gone (including bottom-sucker) leaving only the Gourami. I thought it might have been due to the filter so I waited a while before I bought anymore fish. About 2 months ago I ourchased some more (all passive-according to the pet store) and the same exact thing happened. It starts 24 hours after I've put them all in together and then they all die, one by one, within 24 hours of each other and they don't float to the top so I know they must have been killed close to the bottom or the filter system wouldn't have picked them up. The bottom feeders sink to the bottom leaving only the Gourami left. I have a 15 gallon tank and am convinced and confused that my Gourami would feel the need to kill them. He doesn't thrash the themometor anymore but I know that is how he must be killing them. It's too similar to be just coincidenous.Can this truly be possible? And if so then why wasn't I warned? r do I just have a psycho fish-LOL?

Mike

Generally, it has been my experience that dwarf gouramis are peaceful and are good in community tanks. It sounds like you may a psycho fish - maybe a product of too much inbreeding by the breeders. Have you tried getting another dwarf gourami or two? That may help his behavior, then again it may not. It sounds like you have a crazy fish.

Susie

My Dwarf Gourami sometimes gets a little territorial. Not too much tho!

Miss Mouse

We have a psycho dwarf gourami too - if we go near the tank his fins bristle up and he goes mad and he killed the other fish in the tank with him, so now he lives with an otocinclus and a pleco who he tolerates but you can tell he doesn't like them (they have good hiding places too). Maybe it is inbreeding, or as one of my friends said, lack of space? We're gonna try him in a whole herd of gouramis when we set up our new tank.

Craig

my golden gourami is crazy he is sumtimes is very territorial but my dwarf red fire just swims away from him when hes in a bad mood they r gettin on better now and swim about together the guppies i have are also crazy characters they take no s**t from the golden gourami i actually think there puttin him in his place lol!!!

joe

that is possible that he is killing him but unlikely because they are a peaceful fish

trampoline98

I've had a similar problem, and I wouldn't recommend adding another gourami with that "psycho fish". One of my dwarf gouramis constantly picks on the other, chasing it around, leaving the harassed fish constantly alert and on the look out, with his fins up.

chickadee

If you want to keep that fish I would not put another in with it. I would get a small tank and have it in there by itself. Why put other fish in and take a chance at giving them a death sentence??

Rose

Jason

The main reason if one is picking on another if you have two is that they are both males and they fight, but u have a psyco fish mate

chickadee

Have you considered putting a snail or something in there with a shell that he couldn't kill? It may teach him a lesson that not everything can be killed. My fish tried to peck at their snails (one or two times) and after bouncing off of them like they had been rubber balls they soon learned not to tangle with them.

Rose