I just added 2 blue gourami's to my tank last week. One of them is constantly chasing and poking at the other one. Is this just normal playing around, or is it actually hurting the other one? If so, should I add a third blue gourami to distract the bully? I could always set up my 10 gallon tank and isolate the mean fish, but I would rather not go through the trouble of maintaining two tanks. Any ideas will be appreciated. ??? *thumbsupsmiley*
Mean Blue Gourami
- Thread starter LDCJ
- Start date
What size tank?
Gourmis have similar behavior as bettas, males fight, although not as viciously, the constant stress from territorial and dominace battles can make the individual on the bottom of the pecking order stressed out and more prone to illness, or starvation because the dominate fish does not allow it to eat.
It is not difficult to tell male and female blue gourmis apart. The dorsal, anal and tail fins of the male will be more pointed, and in the female these fins will be rounder. Also, the female, when seen head on, will be more plumper behind the pectoral fins. It is advisable that you have two females for every one male in order to reduce the aggression. Females can be just as aggressive as males, though, especially if they are larger.
The bad part is that gourmis are also highly territorial, and can be so with other fish. If your tank does not have a large surface area, your groumis can dominate the entire tank and not allow any other fish to the surface to feed. I have known cases of blue gourmi being placed in community tanks, and have descimated their tankmates because they were too crowded. Blue Gourmi also grow a good 8"-10", so nothing short of 55gallons or more might satisfy them biologically or territorially.
Some people have gotten their gourmi to live "peacefully" with other fish. I don't know exactly how they've done that, it must depend upon the individual fish. I have one 2" bably blue gourmai male that is actually the bottom of the pecking order in my tank, even where the other fish are concerned, so I have no trouble with him. Other people have super dominate fish that kill the entire tank. Make sure your tank is plently well decorated to give those being chased a place to hide, and make sure you do not crowd them. Trading in the "mean" fish does not garentee you'll get a more "peaceful" gourmi. Gourmi's can be great community fish so long as they are given the proper amount of room to establish their territories
~~Colesea
Gourmis have similar behavior as bettas, males fight, although not as viciously, the constant stress from territorial and dominace battles can make the individual on the bottom of the pecking order stressed out and more prone to illness, or starvation because the dominate fish does not allow it to eat.
It is not difficult to tell male and female blue gourmis apart. The dorsal, anal and tail fins of the male will be more pointed, and in the female these fins will be rounder. Also, the female, when seen head on, will be more plumper behind the pectoral fins. It is advisable that you have two females for every one male in order to reduce the aggression. Females can be just as aggressive as males, though, especially if they are larger.
The bad part is that gourmis are also highly territorial, and can be so with other fish. If your tank does not have a large surface area, your groumis can dominate the entire tank and not allow any other fish to the surface to feed. I have known cases of blue gourmi being placed in community tanks, and have descimated their tankmates because they were too crowded. Blue Gourmi also grow a good 8"-10", so nothing short of 55gallons or more might satisfy them biologically or territorially.
Some people have gotten their gourmi to live "peacefully" with other fish. I don't know exactly how they've done that, it must depend upon the individual fish. I have one 2" bably blue gourmai male that is actually the bottom of the pecking order in my tank, even where the other fish are concerned, so I have no trouble with him. Other people have super dominate fish that kill the entire tank. Make sure your tank is plently well decorated to give those being chased a place to hide, and make sure you do not crowd them. Trading in the "mean" fish does not garentee you'll get a more "peaceful" gourmi. Gourmi's can be great community fish so long as they are given the proper amount of room to establish their territories
~~Colesea
My blue gourami is about 3" now, and sort of shares the top spot in the pecking order with my 3" moonlight gourami. They get along fine with my 2" red tail shark, 3 red eye tetras, 6 cardinal tetras, 2 killi's, and one 2.5" bristlenose pleco. All these in a 20gallon high.
Of course I'll have to move the two gouramis out when they start to get bigger, but it goes to show that fish aggression largely depends on the particular fish. The gold gourami I had (which are just albino blues) used to tear my poor moonlights fins to shreds, so I just took him back. They've all got their own personalities, just like people
Of course I'll have to move the two gouramis out when they start to get bigger, but it goes to show that fish aggression largely depends on the particular fish. The gold gourami I had (which are just albino blues) used to tear my poor moonlights fins to shreds, so I just took him back. They've all got their own personalities, just like people
I have 3 gouramis in the same tank:
2 honey reds
1 dwarf (he's iredescent blue)
They all get along fine. Sometimes they even appear to schoal. And the bigger honey red and the dwarf are hysterical. When I approach the tank they come to the front, and when I get close they center themselves directly in front of me. If I move, they follow. They always have to be the center of attention. Sometimes I use a magnifying glass -and they both try hard to get in the center of that viewing area, too. In fact, if I am trying to look at something specific - they can be a pain in the buttocks.
Overall, they are cool - some of my favorites!
2 honey reds
1 dwarf (he's iredescent blue)
They all get along fine. Sometimes they even appear to schoal. And the bigger honey red and the dwarf are hysterical. When I approach the tank they come to the front, and when I get close they center themselves directly in front of me. If I move, they follow. They always have to be the center of attention. Sometimes I use a magnifying glass -and they both try hard to get in the center of that viewing area, too. In fact, if I am trying to look at something specific - they can be a pain in the buttocks.
Overall, they are cool - some of my favorites!
I just recently added a blue gourami to my tank. It used to be my friend's, and then she gave him to me. My friend told me for the first week or two in a tank it might go around and peck at the other fish a little, just to show them who's boss. They like to dominate smaller tanks, so they can get agressive. If it doesn't seem to be injuring the fish, leave it in and see if it stops. But if it is hurting your fish and getting real agressive I'd move it out. Hope it helps...good luck!
-Katie
-Katie