# My Gold Gourami is Chasing my other Gouramis!



## JonBurton (Jun 30, 2012)

Hey there, I have a gold gourami and 3 inches in size and he is chasing my other 2 Gouramis(Dwarf and Blue) And it sort of looks like he is nibbling on their tales. What should I do to stop this? it looks like he is bullying the other 2 because they are smaller. Or he is being territorial. Should I sell it or keep it?


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Gourami species should not be mixed for this reason. These fish compete with each other in the wild and often do not get along for that reason.
I'd get rid of the offender, if you want to keep the other two, a ton of plants will help keep the peace.
What size tank is it?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JonBurton (Jun 30, 2012)

It is a 10g tank and I will probably end up selling it.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Agree with Olympia, this behaviour is to be expected from gourami, and in so small (to the fish) an aquarium. The other two won't likely last long if the gold is not removed. And the Blue and Dwarf should be separated.

We have fish profiles, second tab from the left in the blue bar across the top of the page. Info on minimum tank sizes, compatibility, etc. is included for each species. Please have a read. For a direct link:
Blue Gourami [this is the same species as the Gold which is just a colour variant]
Dwarf Gourami


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## JonBurton (Jun 30, 2012)

Byron said:


> Agree with Olympia, this behaviour is to be expected from gourami, and in so small (to the fish) an aquarium. The other two won't likely last long if the gold is not removed. And the Blue and Dwarf should be separated.
> 
> We have fish profiles, second tab from the left in the blue bar across the top of the page. Info on minimum tank sizes, compatibility, etc. is included for each species. Please have a read. For a direct link:
> Blue Gourami [this is the same species as the Gold which is just a colour variant]
> Dwarf Gourami


Actually I left for the night and came back right now and they seem completely fine. I guess I just had to wait


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## JonBurton (Jun 30, 2012)

Byron said:


> Agree with Olympia, this behaviour is to be expected from gourami, and in so small (to the fish) an aquarium. The other two won't likely last long if the gold is not removed. And the Blue and Dwarf should be separated.
> 
> We have fish profiles, second tab from the left in the blue bar across the top of the page. Info on minimum tank sizes, compatibility, etc. is included for each species. Please have a read. For a direct link:
> Blue Gourami [this is the same species as the Gold which is just a colour variant]
> Dwarf Gourami


Never mind, they went at it again, the dwarf Gourami's tail is completely gone now... Gunna have to get rid of him.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

JonBurton said:


> Never mind, they went at it again, the dwarf Gourami's tail is completely gone now... Gunna have to get rid of him.


Yes, you cannot change a fish's inherent nature. Sometimes an individual fish will be different to some extent from the norm, but not usually.


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## JonBurton (Jun 30, 2012)

Byron said:


> Yes, you cannot change a fish's inherent nature. Sometimes an individual fish will be different to some extent from the norm, but not usually.


The women at the pet store said all gouramis get along together. So I got 2 different ones. I am going to bring them both back and tell the store manager what happened. And sell the Gold Gourami on Kijiji.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

JonBurton said:


> The women at the pet store said all gouramis get along together. So I got 2 different ones. I am going to bring them both back and tell the store manager what happened. And sell the Gold Gourami on Kijiji.


Unfortunately, employees at some fish stores have limited knowledge. Some stores don't care as long as they sell fish. And then there are the good stores owned by hobbyists and/or that employ hobbyists.


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## JonBurton (Jun 30, 2012)

Byron said:


> Unfortunately, employees at some fish stores have limited knowledge. Some stores don't care as long as they sell fish. And then there are the good stores owned by hobbyists and/or that employ hobbyists.


Yeah the women who sold me my fish did not look to enthusiastic. Oh well I will get a refund and Get different fish. What kind of fish do you recommend? Like I want to have some mixed.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

JonBurton said:


> Yeah the women who sold me my fish did not look to enthusiastic. Oh well I will get a refund and Get different fish. What kind of fish do you recommend? Like I want to have some mixed.


The 10g size will limit obviously, but there are many "dwarf" species depending upon your water parameters. What is the GH 9general hardness) and pH of the tap water? It is easier and safe to select fish suited to the available water than it is to try and adjust the parameters, though this is possible.


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