dwarf gourami fighting with new neon dwarf gourami?

Question

i just put a new gourami in with another and the regular dwarf wont leave him alone. HELP

Answer 1

Gouramis, like all bubble nest building fishes, are territorial fishes. This means that they claim a territory of their own which is about as far as they can see (at least 50 cm though) and defend it quite fiercely, even from the females, but especially from other males and even more so when they build a nest (if they do they shoo everybody).

It is understandable, because other fishes tend to eat the spawn or the fry. It is especially important for dwarf gouramis because they use plant parts for building their nest (so the birds cannot spot the nests from above) and other dwarf gourami males tend to do it the easy way and steal plant parts from their nests instead of harvesting them themselves.

It is very important to have a large and very heavy planted tank for gouramis so they not only can escape and hide from each other, but cannot see very far and thus claim a large territory for themselves. If this is the case gouramis get along pretty well. The same story is with bettas, who normally are just a little more aggressive than gouramis. In the nature bettas seldom kill each other because the losers can always run away and hide, which is not possible in a small and not very good planted tank.

Adding females won't really help because the females are seen (and see each other) as competitors for food.

So my advice would be: if you have a small fish tank, buy a large one. Fishes are generally much happier in a large tank.
If your tank is large but not heavy planted, buy a lot of plants - real plants, not plastic ones. Lots of plants are a huge benefit for all fish tanks because they eat away the waste byproducts, keeping the water clean longer, produce oxygen in the day, give the fishes an additional and healthy food source and a hiding place.

My fish tank is 120 cm in length (47.25 inches or so) and very heavy planted. I have got 5 dwarf gouramis, two (!) male bettas and 7 spiketail paradise fishes in it, along with other fishes, and they live with each other with occasional small fights but pretty peaceful the rest of the time - just like in the nature.

Answer 2

Gouramis can be very aggressive fish, particularly toward their own kind. They're closely related to bettas, which will fight to the death. I think you should remove your new fish and take him back to the store. Most stores will take them back within a day or two for store credit. That will let you choose another kind of fish to add to your tank.

Visit the sites below to research fish and figure out what kinds would fit best in the community you already have.

Answer 3

If they are both male you wont be able to stop them. That is a pretty small tank for all those fish which will be making things worse. I would return one of the dwarf gouramis.

Answer 4

are they both male? maybe you need a female in with them