2 Female Pearl Gouramis a bad idea? - Aquarium Advice

ScottS · 11-30-2003, 12:51 PM

I have two female Pearl Gouramis. One has clearly established itself as the dominant fish and picks on the other. Is this going to work out in the long term?

Fruitbat · 11-30-2003, 12:59 PM

Probably will. I have a trio of Blue Gouramis (1 male/2 female) that have set up a definite pecking order. The male is #1 and he actively chases both females. The larger of the two females is #2...she chases the smaller female and even occasionally sneaks up on the male and gives him a nip. The smaller female doesn't get to chase anybody but still manages to get her fair share of food. I haven't seen any damage done during any of these chases. It would be a different story if you had two males. They'll go at each other relentlessly...sometimes to the point of one killing the other.

lmw80 · 11-30-2003, 01:44 PM

What size tank are they in? And is there enough "territory establishing" items in the tank, such as, plants - real or fake, decorations, rocks, etc.? Being that they are females, I can't see there being too much of a problem. Males are usually the aggressive ones.

ScottS · 11-30-2003, 04:11 PM

You can see my tank in my gallery. It's only a 20, but they're in there with just a small school of cardinals.

There are fake cabombas on the left, and a fake amazon on the right with an area of separation between.

lmw80 · 11-30-2003, 04:56 PM

Well, it looks good! Give them a week or two to get used to the tank/each other, and see how it goes. If there's no nipping, or other physical damage, I would say that they will be fine.

ScottS · 11-30-2003, 06:40 PM

Well, I went back down and have discovered there is physical damage to the pearl being picked on. There are two decent sized nips near her head. Is it time to see if the [acronym:7afdd38229="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:7afdd38229] will take one back? And will one pearl thrive alone?

ScottS · 11-30-2003, 10:55 PM

Here's a pic of the damage:
(sorry for the double attach)

riftlake_kid · 11-30-2003, 11:08 PM

one gourami will be fine by itself. she would actually prefer it. gouramis are solitary by nature, they only really socialize to spawn.

madasafish · 12-01-2003, 03:09 AM

I'm definitely in support of returning the aggressor. Aggression will just get worse, and the wounds deeper.

lmw80 · 12-01-2003, 10:16 AM

Yes! Do return the aggressive one, and keep an eye on the wounds of the other one to make sure they don't get infected.

11-30-2003, 01:44 PM	#3
lmw80 Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bristol, Pa Posts: 4,805 Images: 40	What size tank are they in? And is there enough "territory establishing" items in the tank, such as, plants - real or fake, decorations, rocks, etc.? Being that they are females, I can't see there being too much of a problem. Males are usually the aggressive ones. __________________ -Lori Join the Eastern PA/Greater Philadelphia Forum! Click here: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/groupcp.php?g=7825 Aquariums are like jello - there's always room for more.

11-30-2003, 04:56 PM	#5
lmw80 Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bristol, Pa Posts: 4,805 Images: 40	Well, it looks good! Give them a week or two to get used to the tank/each other, and see how it goes. If there's no nipping, or other physical damage, I would say that they will be fine. __________________ -Lori Join the Eastern PA/Greater Philadelphia Forum! Click here: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/groupcp.php?g=7825 Aquariums are like jello - there's always room for more.

11-30-2003, 11:08 PM	#8
riftlake_kid Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: southern california Posts: 11	one gourami will be fine by itself. she would actually prefer it. gouramis are solitary by nature, they only really socialize to spawn. __________________ http://home.comcast.net/~zyphon1968/logo.gif

12-01-2003, 03:09 AM	#9
madasafish Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: NY, NY Posts: 2,260 Images: 73	I'm definitely in support of returning the aggressor. Aggression will just get worse, and the wounds deeper. __________________ [acronym:3ff24413a5="Malaysian Trumpet Snails or Multiple Tank Syndrome, depending on context"]MTS[/acronym:3ff24413a5] is a blessing, not a disease.

12-01-2003, 10:16 AM	#10
lmw80 Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bristol, Pa Posts: 4,805 Images: 40	Yes! Do return the aggressive one, and keep an eye on the wounds of the other one to make sure they don't get infected. __________________ -Lori Join the Eastern PA/Greater Philadelphia Forum! Click here: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/groupcp.php?g=7825 Aquariums are like jello - there's always room for more.

11-30-2003, 12:51 PM	#1
ScottS Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NW Illinois Posts: 205 Images: 7	2 Female Pearl Gouramis a bad idea? I have two female Pearl Gouramis. One has clearly established itself as the dominant fish and picks on the other. Is this going to work out in the long term?

11-30-2003, 12:59 PM	#2
Fruitbat Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Garland,Texas Posts: 1,818 Images: 30	Probably will. I have a trio of Blue Gouramis (1 male/2 female) that have set up a definite pecking order. The male is #1 and he actively chases both females. The larger of the two females is #2...she chases the smaller female and even occasionally sneaks up on the male and gives him a nip. The smaller female doesn't get to chase anybody but still manages to get her fair share of food. I haven't seen any damage done during any of these chases. It would be a different story if you had two males. They'll go at each other relentlessly...sometimes to the point of one killing the other.

11-30-2003, 04:11 PM	#4
ScottS Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NW Illinois Posts: 205 Images: 7	You can see my tank in my gallery. It's only a 20, but they're in there with just a small school of cardinals. There are fake cabombas on the left, and a fake amazon on the right with an area of separation between.

11-30-2003, 06:40 PM	#6
ScottS Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NW Illinois Posts: 205 Images: 7	Well, I went back down and have discovered there is physical damage to the pearl being picked on. There are two decent sized nips near her head. Is it time to see if the [acronym:7afdd38229="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:7afdd38229] will take one back? And will one pearl thrive alone?

11-30-2003, 10:55 PM	#7
ScottS Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NW Illinois Posts: 205 Images: 7	Here's a pic of the damage: (sorry for the double attach)

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