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Bullying Dwarf Gourami

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Offline barneyadi

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Bullying dwarf gourami
« on: June 10, 2021, 10:10:18 PM »
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Hi guys

I bought 4 gouramis the other day and noticed one is chasing and nudging the other three. I understand they are all male. Got some hiding places but will get more, but what else could I do? I could move the bully bit worried one of other 3 might take his place.

Thanks.
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Offline Sue

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Re: Bullying dwarf gourami
« Reply #1 on: June 14, 2021, 08:51:43 AM »
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What species of gourami, are they all the same? Some species of gourami are more aggressive than others; three spots (including blue, gold, opaline etc) are one of the worst, closely followed by dwarfs.

That said, all male gouramis are territorial which is why there should be only one male in a tank unless it is enormous. The best thing you can do is take three of them, including the bully, back to the shop and either keep a single male or get three females of the same species as the one you keep.

If they are three spots in any of the varieties, females can be as bad as males. I've heard of one female three spot (a blue variant if I remember correctly) which killed every other fish in the same tank and had to be kept alone.
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Offline barneyadi

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Re: Bullying dwarf gourami
« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2021, 10:46:11 AM »
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Quote from: Sue on June 14, 2021, 08:51:43 AM
What species of gourami, are they all the same? Some species of gourami are more aggressive than others; three spots (including blue, gold, opaline etc) are one of the worst, closely followed by dwarfs.

That said, all male gouramis are territorial which is why there should be only one male in a tank unless it is enormous. The best thing you can do is take three of them, including the bully, back to the shop and either keep a single male or get three females of the same species as the one you keep.

If they are three spots in any of the varieties, females can be as bad as males. I've heard of one female three spot (a blue variant if I remember correctly) which killed every other fish in the same tank and had to be kept alone.

They are dwarf gouramis @Sue . Sadly lost one this morning which is probably down to bullying. However i do have 2 other tanks that i could put one in, have already moved 1 to new tank, just got to catch another 1 to move to his own tank. Usually the shop gives me great advice, but sadly not this time. Lucky i like dwarf gouramis.
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Offline Sue

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Re: Bullying dwarf gourami
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2021, 10:55:44 AM »
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I'm sorry to hear about the death  :(

Separating them is the right thing to do. Males will fight if kept together.


As a side issue if you ever decide to get females, it is better to have more than one female if there's a male in the tank. Male dwarfs can get nasty if he wants to breed and she doesn't. Males have been known to kill females. With more than one female, this will spread the aggression so that no one female is targeted exclusively.
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Offline Littlefish

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Re: Bullying dwarf gourami
« Reply #4 on: June 15, 2021, 09:05:25 PM »
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Sorry to hear about the loss of your fish.
I hope you manage to restore peace when the remaining gourami are separated.
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Offline barneyadi

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Re: Bullying dwarf gourami
« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2021, 09:07:14 PM »
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Quote from: Littlefish on June 15, 2021, 09:05:25 PM
Sorry to hear about the loss of your fish.
I hope you manage to restore peace when the remaining gourami are separated.

Still ongoing, think i have got the bully on his own, the other two wont let me catch them but they arent fighting at moment but will keep trying.
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Offline Littlefish

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Re: Bullying dwarf gourami
« Reply #6 on: June 15, 2021, 09:31:46 PM »
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Best of luck with catching your fish.
Sometimes they can be right little blighters and far too fast on their fins.  :)
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Offline barneyadi

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Re: Bullying dwarf gourami
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2021, 08:25:51 PM »
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Quote from: Littlefish on June 15, 2021, 09:31:46 PM
Best of luck with catching your fish.
Sometimes they can be right little blighters and far too fast on their fins.  :)

Well the 2 gouramis have been living harmoniously till tonight, when i noticed them chasing each other. Fortunately one made a mistake and i managed to catch him, but still tried to jump out the jug and net whilst i moved him to his new tank. So hopefully they will all settle down to a peaceful solo life. The original bully is very well behaved in his new tank, although not got the hang of the larger food i put in for him, he'd rather each the small pellets meant for the pellets and rasboras.
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Offline Littlefish

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Re: Bullying dwarf gourami
« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2021, 06:38:40 PM »
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Glad to hear that you've managed to separate them, and I hope that everything settles down now.  :)
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