Gourami Behavior, Trichogaster  9/30/09
Hello Crew, I have a gold Gourami question. About a month ago I bought 2 gold gouramis (1 male and 1 female). Sometimes they get along OK and mingle and eat together with no problem. Other times the male chases the female unmercifully. She then hides in a little cave until he finds her and starts chasing her again until sh gets really stressed out. Is this normal for a male and a female?
<Yes; unfortunately. Thank goodness you have structure, space for the female to get away>
If by some chance it were 2 males would that be the typical behavior?
<Mmm, yes>
I even went about 4 days ago and bought 1 additional female to hopefully spread the aggression.
<A good technique>
She was pregnant.
<Mmmm, you judge this how? The genital papilla? Roundness of the abdomen?>
I didn't necessarily want a pregnant one, but she was the only female that looked really hardy. The next day the one I had just bought was gone and I have searched high and low. The only thing I can figure is she jumped out of the tank somehow.
<Oh!>
If this aggressive one keeps bothering the other I am going to take them back to the store.
<Good plan>
Thanks,
James
<Trichogaster are bubble nest builders... like the common Betta. Bob Fenner>

Re: Gourami Behavior - 10/01/2009
Hello Bob, I feel like a real dummy, but I found the mysterious missing Gourami.
<Ah, good>
She was stuck in the net I use to introduce fish into the tank after drip acclimation. I can't believe I did that. I am usually so careful and watch to make sure the fish goes in the tank. Oh well, I hope I am not the
only one that has done this. Now I am still back to the one male who chases the one female. In your expert opinion would adding 1 or even 2 cut down on the aggression by the male.
<Sometimes does... But another, usually better technique is to give the bully a "time out" by floating it in a plastic colander or sequestering it in a breeding net/trap for a few days... Typically this takes the "spit and
vinegar" out of these fish>
I really do hate to take him out since he is large and very pretty. And if I got say one or 2 more females would that still be OK to have 3 gouramis, 8 angels and about 12 cories in a 75 if I do not get any more
fish? Thank you so much for all your help.
James
<Welcome. These all should go together fine in this size/shape system.
BobF>
Re: Gourami Behavior
Thank you, I have never head of that technique. What if I put him in an empty plastic coke bottle? (large one). I don't have a floating colander with a top on it. And during this time out period will it help to not feed
him or not?
<Uncovered is fine... needs to be fed. B>
Re: Gourami Behavior
Mr. Fenner, please be patient with me and forgive me for being so ignorant, but it I put him in a floating colander what will prevent his escape?
<Might "jump over the lip", but most all the plastic colanders I've seen float well enough (have a lip that traps air). Perhaps yours doesn't... The pop bottle/plastic will work if you can devise some holes in it,
float/attach it to the side of the tank... These Anabantoids need to get to the surface/air. B>

Shy Gouramis (Trichogaster trichopterus behaviour, environment)    9/16/08
Hello!
For about 9 months, I had a 72 gallon tank running with assorted fish, and all was well. Then, at the beginning of July, we had a disaster at our house and I was forced to farm the fish out to friends with tanks while our house was repaired. I have now cycled the tank (all readings are good) and brought back first the 12 rummynosed tetras which seem to be
perfectly happy and all. Next to come back, about a week later, were the 5 gouramis (3 golden, 2 Opaline). Since they have been back (5 days), all they do is hide in the plants, all huddled together and their markings are very dark (although they do come out briefly to eat). They were never like this before the disaster, and the friend who took care of them while they were away, said that they weren't like that in his tank. Just wondering if this is normal? And, if yes, any idea how long this will last for? Should I continue to reintroduce the remaining fish to the tank? Would any kind of fish help them to settle in better than another?
Looking forward to your reply.
Thank you!
Cheryl
<Hello Cheryl. The gouramis you are keeping -- varieties of Trichogaster trichopterus -- are generally very outgoing animals. However, there are a few things they can't stand, and so I'd review these before anything else. They don't like strong water currents, and they don't like nippy or aggressive tankmates (and Rummynose tetras might be nippy, though they are usually well behaved). They may simply not be settled into the tank; review in particular water quality. Although you say the readings are good, repeat your test two or three times across the day to see if it stays consistently good. Adding food can alter the balance, so while nitrite might be zero first thing in the morning, after you've fed the fish it can go up. Nervousness in fish is commonly associated with water pollution and also with unstable pH, so check the pH as well. In any case, since the tank is new, leave things be, and do the usual water changes and provide only small meals. Don't think about adding any more fish for at least two weeks. As a rule of thumb, you should never add fish to a tank if the existing fish aren't doing what they should be doing. You could make things worse! Cheers, Neale.>

Trichogaster trichopterus; behaviour   8/31/08
I have a 40 gallon aquarium with a black ghost,
<Your Apteronotus will quickly get too big for this tank, especially if we're talking those paltry US gallons.>
3 leopard Cory's and I had a pair of Opaline Gourami but I returned the male because seemed to aggressive toward the female Opaline.
<Absolutely normal for the species; Trichogaster trichopterus, despite its wide sale, is rather aggressive, at least as far as the males are concerned.>
I have since seen the gold Gourami which look pretty good but have read they can be aggressive.
<Gold, Blue, and Opaline Gouramis are all the same species: Trichogaster trichopterus, known among biologists as the Three-Spot Gourami. See why we use Latin names? It's so much easier than trying to keep track of common names.>
Is this just the males or females too?
<Generally only the males.>
I can't remember if I read there should be a ratio of one male to two female or one male to three or more females for Gourami .
<Makes no odds, though two females to one male would work nicely. The male is territorial and guards the eggs on his own. Therefore he views any other fish in his patch as a potential threat, rival, or waste of resources. So once a male becomes territorial, it doesn't really matter what fish you keep with him: he'll chase them.>
Please let me know what's correct.
<Done.>
Also would the female Opaline count in the needed ratio one male to multiple females?
<Yes; all one species.>
Or do all need to be same type Gourami whether its gold or Opaline etc?
<Nope.>
If I were to do the combination using the gold pair and the female Opaline will I most likely be finding myself returning the gold male to LFS? What are your thoughts about if there are any combination... male plus certain (?) number of females or all females into the mix where I
won't have worry about my Opaline? Should I just stay away from gold altogether? Or what other Gourami should I be looking at instead if any?
<There's really no "magic formula" because the male Trichogaster trichopterus is just as like to chase, say, an Australian Rainbowfish as another member of its own species. Keeping a single male and as many females as you want is certainly safer than keeping multiple males, because the males will fight over dominance. But that's about all you do.>
Thank you
<Cheers, Neale.>

Gourami dilemma, Trichogaster aggr.  5/1/08
Hi All,
<Kim>
I recently purchased/set up a new 28 gal. freshwater tank. After allowing the tank to cycle for what I thought was long enough (although after reading your numerous posts/articles on water quality, etc. realize it wasn't anywhere close)
<Need to actually test... for ammonia, nitrite...>
I added two blue and two gold Gouramis.
<Ahh, both Trichogaster trichopterus species>
Everybody was pretty mellow at first but soon perked up and started exploring their new surroundings. After about a day I noticed one of the blues spending more time hiding in corners and not being as active as the others and after further observation found the other blue to be chasing and picking on her (I'm pretty sure from your descriptions that I have a male and a female). This behavior continued off and on until this morning my girl was hiding behind the filter intake and wasn't coming up for air as often as it seems she was before. I had set up a QT in anticipation of adding more fish soon so moved her into that to recover. She really seems to be enjoying her solitude and is actively
exploring her new digs.
So here's my problem (sorry for the long intro): Prior to reading about cycling and adding new fish to the new tank slowly I had ordered a few more Gouramis, 2 pearl and 2 flame dwarf, some Cardinal Tetras, Danios and a couple of shrimp to do the cleanup. My plan was to keep the new guys in the QT for a couple of weeks to make sure everybody was ok but now Delilah is recovering in there. I don't want to put her back in the community tank yet because I'm afraid she'll go back to getting picked on (incidentally he leaves the golds alone), but I also don't want to risk her getting sick if the new fish have any problems. Any suggestions?
<Yes, "float" the bully in an all-plastic colander for a week or so... in the same tank, but where he can't get out, to the other fishes. If you want to splurge, you can get a "breeding trap" or net... and use this instead>
I tried to delay shipment of the new fish but they were already on the way by the time I realized I had a problem!
Oh - and for those of you cringing because I didn't let the tank cycle properly... don't worry, I'm checking the water twice a day to make sure I don't poison anybody.
<Ah, goo>
I've done two partial water changes ~25% each time and am being *very* careful about how much I feed them. I did have quite a problem with ammonia levels yesterday but the water changes really helped.
Thanks for all your advice!
Kim
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Trichogaster trichopterus
Hi,
<Hello, Sabrina here>
I was unable to find any good documentation about my Gourami.  I have 2 female three spotted Gourami and they have been living together for about 6 months.  
<Trichogaster trichopterus is the Latin name - a Google search will yield great results, and here's the WWM article:  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/anabantoids.htm .>
Living with them, I have a small school of tiger barbs.  The other day I bought a pink kissing Gourami.  Now one of my three spotted Gourami has turned very dark and his spots have faded out so that it appears as if it has no spots.  I suspect that it may be stress because the color change occurred within about 3 hours.  A bacteria wouldn't act this fast without harming any of the other fish right?  
<It's certainly possible, but you're right on about stress, too.  Now you've just got to determine why the fish is stressed - illness, perhaps; or maybe being bullied by that new kisser.>
Anyway, that fish now hangs out in the plants.  How should I go about diagnosing what is wrong?
<A good starting point:  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwfshparasites.htm  Other than that, observe the fish very closely, and separate to a quarantine tank if at all possible, for better observation and to protect the fish, also to prevent any possibility of spreading any illness to other fish.>
Thanks,  Keeter
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Spotted Fish
Hi,
I have a golden Gourami in my tank and I have just noticed her having 2 black spots on her body, one by the tail, another in the middle of her body.  Those spots are on both sides and exactly in the same place.  I wonder whether they should be there ( I haven't noticed them before) or it is a disease. Other than that she seems fine.  I will be waiting for your answer
<Lina, this is normal.  The golden Gourami, or Trichogaster trichopterus is almost always seen with black spots at the middle of the side and at the caudal-fin base.  It sounds to me that you have a perfectly healthy specimen.>
Thank you, Lina

Shy Gold Gouramis
Hi there:
I recently purchased 2 Gold Gouramis, both of which I believe are female, to cycle my new 20 gallon hexagonal aquarium. I heard that they were a hardy fish and I enjoy their colors. Before I even bought my tank, I read 3 aquarium books cover to cover to make sure I would have the best chances of success. None of these books, though, contain sufficient information on the "shyness" of certain fish. After combing your site, I was wondering why my Gouramis are hiding from me! It's only been a few days, but I know they are healthy (at least externally) and the water quality is good. Are they just stressed from the big move?
<Likely a factor... as well as their general retiring nature>
Will they come out from behind the plants/rocks when I add more fish in the future?
<Likely much more so>
One seems to be fairly stationary at the bottom and is occasionally followed by the other, who stays near the top. They sometimes come out in the open when they think I'm not looking, but retreat as soon as they see me.
Thanks for your time..... Ben
<Thank you for writing. Bob Fenner>

Why can't we Gouramis be friends?
Hi there,
<Hello Ross>
I have a small freshwater tropical tank with two blue [three spot] Gouramis. I bought the first one a few days ago, and added the second about 24 hours ago, thinking that the first one could be lonely, and no-one likes to be lonely.
<Mmm, not everyone...>
However, the first one [Mr. Fish], now just attacks and torments the new one non-stop! I believe they may be a pair [purely by accident], as Mr. Fish has a noticeably bigger, more pronounced dorsal fin, and his head and back are more angular.
<Good description... likely the first is a male>
When he attacks, he changes from a blue-tinged silver to quite a deep blue marbling. Poor Mrs. Fish spends most of her time trying to seek refuge behind the filter, and I think her tail fin may be getting torn.
Is there anything I can do to stop this quarrelling? Or are they just sorting out who's the dominant one? I'm reluctant to add more fish as the tank is only 30 litres. But at the same time I don't think Mrs. Fish is going to last very long under all this stress...
Thanks for your help,
Ross Dougall.
<I would put Mr. Fish in a floating contraption... a breeding trap or just an all-plastic colander for a week or so and see if this calms him down... do this NOW. Bob Fenner>