My Angelfish are eating my Gourami! What do I do?

Hi. I have only been keeping fish for about a week. I have two angelfish and one pink kissing gourami. The fish shop guy said there wouldn't be a problem. But ... the angelfish keep picking at the side of the gourami. He just sits there and lets them do it. I don't really want to get rid of any of them so is there anything I can do? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Cheers, Alison

 

At this early stage its possible that they are establishing a hierarchy, seeing whos the dominant fish, how big is your tank as this might also be a cause....??

 

Welcome to FishLore! stop by the Welcome forum and lt us welcome you properly
Along with tank size could you tell us what other kind of fish you have in that tank please? Since your tank has only been set up for a week it is cycling so we need to know what your water readings are (ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates). Here are some good articles for beginners .
Angelfish and Gouramis usually don't get along very well unless the tank is huge. They are both strongly territorial and will claim a large area. You may need to take one or the other species back to the fish store if the aggression doesn't settle down.
Carol

 

Welcome to Fish Lore Alison Both Carol and Chris are giving you good advice and asking good questions. I'd agree with both of them. Gouramis and Angels are not likely to get along well unless the tank is large and has a lot of hiding spots. Light stock and lots of hiding spots should help reduce aggression.

 

I got myself 4 small kissing fish, after around 4-6 weeks they were HUUUGGEEEE. around 12cm big
they kissed every fish in the tank but never had a problem with them getting or attacking others.
only my rainbow shark which nipped their fins so I got rid of the shark.
how big is the tank?
is there anywhere for the fish to hide? plants etc

 

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I only have the three fish in the tank - 2 angels and 1 gourami. The tank is 74 litres - don't know what that is in gallons. I have one real plant, two fake corals and a couple of other ornaments that the fish hide in. I think I will see if they settle down, if not, I will take the gourami back. Thanks for all the suggestions.