Mean Gourami

I have a pair of Gold gouamis. One of them is constantly dhasing the other and nipping at him. The poor thing
has part of his tail fin and dorsal fin in shreds. The aggressive one does not bother any of the other fish in
aquarium. What can I do? My roommate said to just take him out and get rid of him . I don't want to just kill him?

Help!

 

You can see if the store will take him back by chance. The thing about Gouramis is that they do not get along with any of their own relatives unless you have a VERY large tank and a lot of hiding places so they can forget the other one exists. If you do not have a way to separate them into separate tanks please consider asking the pet store to take the bully back and then medicate the other one with Melafix and extremely clean water to allow his fins to heal. Please do not consider Bettas for you tank either as they are also members of the Gourami family.

I do hope this is helpful. I would hate to see you dispose of the fish as well.

Welcome to our group. We do try to help each other and if you feel you need more help please do not hesitate to ask.

Rose

 

How do I apply the medicine to the injured fish?  Pick it up?  I told you I'm new at this.

Steve
???

 

Melafix just goes into the water. First, you must remove the carbon from your filter or it will remove the medication from the water as fast as you put it in. Then you put in 1 teaspoon of Melafix for every 10 gallons of aquarium size every day for 7 days. Then if the fish is recovered you do a 25% water change and put the carbon back in the filter and stop the medicine. If he is not totally recovered then you do a 25% water change and leave the carbon OUT of the filter and put the medicine in like you have been for another 7 days. Then do another 25% water change and check the fish again and decide whether to put the carbon in and quit the medicine or continue as you have for another 7 days. Melafix is a herbal remedy and can be used until the fins grow back with no damage or harm to the fish. There is a companion medication called Pimafix that a lot of people use at the same time and it is used exactly the same way and in the same dosages. The medications are made from the same lab and they do seem to work well together.

Rose

 

Thank you Rose. I will try it tonight!

Steve

 

If you can think of any other way I can help please let me know. Please let me know how he is doing.

Rose

 

HI Rose

Things have worked out very well. When I got home tonight, the mean Gourami had cornered his victI'm in the corner and was periodically attacking him. I took the mean Gourami back to Petsmart where I got him and they took him back and said they would reintroduce him into the tank with the other Gouramis.

To replace him I got a second Clown Loach. He immediately started hanging out with the Loach
who was already there.

The Gold Gourami who was being picked on is venturing out of his corner a little bit this evening and seems to be doing better now that the other one is gone.

Thanks for your advice.

Steve

 

HI Rose

Sadly, the victI'm Gourami did not survive. I found him on the bottom of the tank this morning.
Thank you for all of your help and advice.

Best,
Steve

 

I am so sorry but sometimes things just work out this way. I am so sorry that you lost your fish. It is always sad to lose a fish as we tend to invest a part of ourselves in them and they become our friends. We love them in a strange kind of way and we go through a grieving process when they are gone. We have all gone through the loss of at least one of our little ones and if you need us we are here for you. Please do not beat yourself up over this. It is the normal way of things between Gourami and you did not know this. Now the thing to do is take the knowledge that you have and decide whether you want another to replace it. I would hope that you do not take this as a reason to give up on keeping fish as it does sound like you are a caring and loving person who will make a wonderful fish parent.

Please feel free to contact me or any of us if you want to talk or feel you need our help.

Rose
:'(

 

My gourami has been being mean to my swordtail. If my swordtail gets too close, he chases her away. How could I reduce this? Provide cover? Get another swordtail so the gourami can't single our one fish and so my swordtail has a friend.

 

gourami's are very territorial...take the gourami out, re-arrange the tank decor, and then put him back in after a half hour or so...also the cover wouldnt be bad for the swordtail either..goodluck

 

How big is the tank?
I agree that removing the guorami and rearranging can "reset" its territorial instincts, giving another chance at things working out. If the tank is too small, however, things are less likely to go well.

 

awww.. my gourami doesn't pick on the other fish he picks on me lol I get bit everytome I have to go into the tank(fix a plant the pleco pulled up or I did while cleaning ect.) I even go near the tank and he's waiting... but I would give what shawnie said a try.

 

awww.. my gourami doesn't pick on the other fish he picks on me lol I get bit everytome I have to go into the tank(fix a plant the pleco pulled up or I did while cleaning ect.) I even go near the tank and he's waiting... but I would give what shawnie said a try.

LOL my convicts do that..its like they are waiting for cleaning day ...but they have fry also ....never had my gourami's come after me, but they get a time out with tank rearranged about once a month

 

gourami's are very territorial...take the gourami out, re-arrange the tank decor, and then put him back in after a half hour or so...also the cover wouldnt be bad for the swordtail either..goodluck

Okay. But what do you think I should put him in? Could I just put him in a small container? Do you think My swordtail would be less stressed if I got another swordtail?

 

yes put the gourami in a 5 gallon bucket or something with fish water from your tank...as far as adding another, we would need to know your tank size and what's already in it?

 

It wouldn't be overstocked. I have 10 gallon with just the gourami and swordtail.

 

hows the meanie doing today?? did he get his time out yet? LOL

 

It wouldn't be overstocked. I have 10 gallon with just the gourami and swordtail.

Is it a dwarf guorami or one of the "standard" ones (blue, kissing, etc...)?
If it isn't a dwarf guorami, and it's in a 10 gallon tank, it's likely feeling crammed in. Even if it doesn't go over the "1 inch per gallon" guideline, a standard-sized guorami needs more space to feel like it has a home. Even a dwarf may be stressed in that situation.

 

It's a dwarf gourami.