# Dwarf Gourami aggression



## shellybee (Jan 25, 2010)

I recently picked up a pair of dwarf gouramis (male and female) from Finatics. (Great stock, beautiful fish!) The first week or so everything was fine and the male had been busily making a nest. When the female approached the nest area he chased her away. He didn't care about the other inhabitants. Seemed normal.
Now, there really is no nest (although he keeps building it a wee bit each day) and he is absolutely terrorising everyone in the tank. I have 7 lemon tetras which now spend all their time hiding in the grasses and plants. It's a 32gal tank, and he's the only one free to swim around.
Is there anything I can do to stop him? I've read that adding another female might help, but that might be only if he's aggressive toward the female, won't help the tetras... I'm considering moving him to a tank by himself, but that's a last resort. Oh, and he's also destroying my rotala sp. Vietnam, ripping off bits for his 'nest'. Any advice?


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

shellybee said:


> I recently picked up a pair of dwarf gouramis (male and female) from Finatics. (Great stock, beautiful fish!) The first week or so everything was fine and the male had been busily making a nest. When the female approached the nest area he chased her away. He didn't care about the other inhabitants. Seemed normal.
> Now, there really is no nest (although he keeps building it a wee bit each day) and he is absolutely terrorising everyone in the tank. I have 7 lemon tetras which now spend all their time hiding in the grasses and plants. It's a 32gal tank, and he's the only one free to swim around.
> Is there anything I can do to stop him? I've read that adding another female might help, but that might be only if he's aggressive toward the female, won't help the tetras... I'm considering moving him to a tank by himself, but that's a last resort. Oh, and he's also destroying my rotala sp. Vietnam, ripping off bits for his 'nest'. Any advice?


Occasionally, you get an evil dwarf gourami. It's unfortunate, but it happens. There's not really a whole lot you can do in this case except either wait it out or seperate him for a couple of months and hope he mellows out. I'd try him alone then move the females with him eventually or move him back.


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Gouramies have personality. I mean, different fishes behave differently. 

But I guess that source of the problem that he is trying to mate. In that time gouramis more aggressive even to non-gourami fishes. They defense their bubble nest.

You might try to move female to another place for some time (even into a bucket with water from your tank) and check what happens during two days with the guy.

Another thing that can help. Gourami usually trying to mate in summer, when temperature is raising. Did your aquarium temperature increase during there days? Try to make you aquarium colder and look how it's going.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

I agree with dropping the temperature if possible. Mid-70sF (23-25C) may make the poor little guy less frantic.

Also, if he has some floating plants like watersprite to hang out in and build his bubblenest, he'll stop tearing up your other plants, and may be less aggressive over all. For fish, it's often out of sight, out of mind. If he's up there in his thicket, he won't feel he has to chase your other fish all the time becaue he won't see as much of them.


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## shellybee (Jan 25, 2010)

When I was doing a water change today, I realised just how chewed up my plants were...decided to send him on a vacation. He is now chilling out in my Eclipse 6 with an amano and an ADF. Both tanks are at 76F so I don't think the 'heat' was getting to him. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for the advice. Oh, and the tetras have been doing a happy dance all afternoon...


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

shellybee said:


> When I was doing a water change today, I realised just how chewed up my plants were...decided to send him on a vacation. He is now chilling out in my Eclipse 6 with an amano and an ADF. Both tanks are at 76F so I don't think the 'heat' was getting to him. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for the advice. Oh, and the tetras have been doing a happy dance all afternoon...


He may terrorize the amano. More out of curiousity than a desire to eat it. Dwarf gouramis and honey gouramis are really weird fish.


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## Cypher (Apr 15, 2006)

Try this, if you have a hang on the back fry saver, nylon or acrylic, place him in that for a week - make sure the top is covered cuz gouramis are good jumpers. Kind of like a time- out for fish. See if that helps first before you ship him out. Don't forget to feed him too though.


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

he...









was chasing the female gold way too much...so ended up in with the JDs. He even squares off with the JD that was smaller than him originally...who is at least twice his size now.


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## Cypher (Apr 15, 2006)

Hi Riceburner,

That is NOT a dwarf gourami - what you have is a blue gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus). These guys get to 4"+ and are considered food fish. They are more aggressive than some other gouramis too.



Riceburner said:


> he...
> was chasing the female gold way too much...so ended up in with the JDs. He even squares off with the JD that was smaller than him originally...who is at least twice his size now.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

Cypher said:


> Hi Riceburner,
> 
> That is NOT a dwarf gourami - what you have is a blue gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus). These guys get to 4"+ and are considered food fish. They are more aggressive than some other gouramis too.


He knows. He's giving examples.


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

lol...yeah I know it's a blue. Besides, 4"+ is small to me  

yep, giving examples.... and photo whoring...


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