Dwarf Gourami Help, please!

[Brinny-chan]

Alrighty, I have two (almost positive) female dwarfs and a pretty big male (still not even sure if he is a dwarf but whatever) and a pleco in a 10 gallon tank. I've had these guys for about two months now, and I'm having a few problems with them.

One of the females always chases the other around the tank, and it can never seem to get away even though I have LOTS of hiding places in my tank. I decided to wait it out and see if it got any better but it's still happening and now I'm worrying about them. There are no signs of damage on either fish but still.

Just a few days ago I noticed a patch on the top of my male's head; on closer inspection it appears he is missing several scales? I haven't seen him being chased around or chasing others, he seems to be pretty peaceful and just swims around all day. He's not showing any signs of illness and I'm really confused as to why he's missing scales.

Anyone have any advice/info? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[MOsborne05]

Gouramis are territorial and need to be kept either by themselves or in groups of 6+. A 10 gallon tank doesn't give them enough room to each have their own territory, which is why they are fighting. You either need to get rid of 2 of the gouramis or get a bigger tank for them. Also, plecs get too big for a 10 gallon too, so you might want to trade him in for something that better suits your tank such as cory cats or otos.

 

[Brinny-chan]

What would happen if I moved one of the fighting females to another tank and kept a male and a female in the 10 gallon? I have 3 tanks but I can really only switch around 2; I have my pearl gourami isolated in another tank because he's a mean fish!

And this is annoying, cause the woman at my LFS told me they'd be alright in small groups >_< Rawr!

 

[MOsborne05]

That would be better but it still wouldn't be an ideal setting for them. You really should either get them a bigger tank or take at least one of them back.