Is three spot better than pearl???

babypink

babypink

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#1
Apr 8, 2004
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Hey guys, im pretty new to this forum and i was wondering if anyone could HELP!!!! any would be very MUCH appreciated!!! :D

I have a 20 gal tank with 2 platies, 1 bristlenose pleco, 6 tetras and 1 pearl gourami.. So, today i decided to buy a three spot gourami just coz their pretty... i took it home put it in the tank and BOOM... my pearl started attacking!!!!

I didn't know wut to do coz the guy at the fish store said that they should be okay... so now my pearl is being fish sit by my cousin in her tank!!! :(

So, I did some research and apparently three spot gourami is more aggressive than pearl towards other fish!!! is this true???? i have no experience with gouramis before except for my pearl which i've had for a while and i have never had any problems with him!!

Please help! I do like my pearl coz i have had him for a while... is there any possibilities to keep em together????

thanx a bunch in advance!!! *laughingc
 

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ashleigh

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Jan 8, 2004
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Sorry to say, evidently not. I would keep them separated. The thing is- with anabantoids (in general) there is no way to predict how they will get along. They are really interesting fish with a lot of personality, but those personalities can cause problems at times. The best thing to do, in my personal opinion is not to combine them unless you have either a very large tank where they can have their own territories (this is just gouramis, obviously)or a "contingency tank" to which you can remove an individual who doesn't play well with others. Any chance you can set up a ten gallon for one of them somewhere?
Another thing, in my experience (and a lot of other people's) is you are better off most times doing your own research rather than asking a LFS clerk. I'm not saying some of these people aren't great resources, but until you have sort of poked around a bit on your own and have a sense for whose opinion you can trust, don't totally rely on it. Remember some of these people are just out for a sale,too. Sorry to sound so cynical, hope all works out well with your fish.
 

TurbineSurgeon

TurbineSurgeon

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Feb 27, 2004
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I agree with Ashleigh. I manage to get away with a pearl and a blue (same species as the 3-spot, just a color morph), but I have 75 heavilly planted gallons. They each have their territory. Unfortunately, 20 gallons is not enough for them to each have their own space. Tomorrow, 75 gallons might not be enough, either.

LFS and LPS staff are very variable, and also often unreliable sources of information. Some are great, some need to be flipping burgers (or were only last week). Before I ask anyone for advice, I interview them first to find out if they are qualified. I ask questions like how long they have been keeping fish, what kinds of tanks they have (or had in the past). Some people even throw something really off the wall at them such as "I have a 20 gallon tank with 6 neons, some ghost shrimp, a small oscar and 2 clown loaches. I really like bala sharks, will they be ok together?"
 

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yusufosman

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Mar 25, 2004
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Well I had 2 Three Spots and one of them was being really agressive towards the other. I then added 3 Pearls and again he was chasing them all towards the corner and they were cowering beneath a rock. I left them in the dark for a day with no change and so I took the aggressive Three Spot back to the LFS. I now have 1 Three Spot and 3 Pearls and they are doing fine together and are swimming around and don't hide. So it really is unpredictable as to whether you can keep them or not. I think the Three Spots are probably more agressive, but in any case all Gouramis can be unpredictable from what I have read. I was also told not to put males in one tank but all of mine are male and they are fine and hang around together.
 

blueturq

blueturq

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Mar 17, 2004
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ya, three spot gourami's are pretty aggressive, what I would do is take the three spot gourami back to the store;)

Before you added the three spot gourami, did the pearl gourami chase any other fish? If so then take it back aswell..... if not then leave it alone!

By the way Turbine your idea in interviewing the workers first is a good idea*thumbsups
 

babypink

babypink

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Apr 8, 2004
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Do you guys think that my 3 spot gourami would become more aggressive over time towards my other fish???

She's about 2 to 2.5" right now, and it doesn't look like she's picking on any of my other fish besides my pearl who i have already moved! Hmmm... would she become more territorial as she gets bigger????

Thanx again!!!
 

dethjam316

dethjam316

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Mar 24, 2004
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gouramis rarely, rarely bother non-gouramis...they almost always focus on their own species for causin' mayhem. i'm guessing you had a male pearl and a male blue, and that's why you have problems. i've kept both (together, with moonlights even) in large predominantly female groups with no hostility whatsoever. it's when you add more than one male that violence/territoriality erupts.
 

Fruitbat

Fruitbat

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Jan 6, 2004
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Interesting discussion. I don't think anybody is saying that Trichogaster trichopterus and Trichogaster leeri are the same thing. I also don't think you're spot on when you say they are equally as aggressive. I've kept many individuals of both species and I must say that, in my experience, the Blue Gourami (T. trichopterus in all of its color morphs is by FAR more aggressive than the Pearl Gourami (T. leeri). In fact...of the many dozens of Pearl Gouramis I've kept over the years I have yet to find one that I could truly categorize as 'aggressive'. In fact...the majority of T. leeri that I've kept have been on the shy side.
 

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