I recently had my dwarf gourami die. I thought it was my fault, but upon returning him. The guy at the LFS said the whole group he bought died...but I digress...I instead chose to get a pair of golden gouramis. The guy at the. LFS, whom I trust, said the do ok in pairs. They are both male. Anyway, they have been fine together occasional chasing. This morning I woke up and one of them is just not doing right. He's vertically floating at the surface. He looks tattered a little and has some sort of injury possibly on his side. My question is: could this possibly be due to aggression or I am doing something wrong with gouramis? The one that died and I returned also got picked on by my angel that I did rehome shortly after witnessing this.
Gourami aggression
- Thread starter Tleyton
- Start date
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Zaphia1
Aquarium Advice Regular
Males can become aggressive when kept in pairs. Keep in mind, gourami are in the same family as betas. I have only ever had aggressive gourami, never had any luck. I'm sure that there are others who have had better luck, but every time I have had a gourami, somebody dies. I have seen it especially in male pairs. I think better luck is had with acclimated male/female pairs.
Tim12
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2013
- Messages
- 4
Sorry to hear that about your fish 
For what happened to your other Gourami, I think it is due to aggression.
I currently have two male Dwarf Gouramis and they occasionally chase each other too, but one is clearly more dominant. Had them for about a month and they appear to be doing pretty good so far, including the less dominant one. I see no visible damage or signs of stress and the same goes for their tankmates. Like what GreenLily and Zaphia1 said it all depends on the individual and luck, just like Bettas.
Also, I have read that Dwarf Gouramis are all susceptible to one virus that kills them in a few months or less. Forgot how that came to be.
Hope this helps answer some questions!
For what happened to your other Gourami, I think it is due to aggression. I currently have two male Dwarf Gouramis and they occasionally chase each other too, but one is clearly more dominant. Had them for about a month and they appear to be doing pretty good so far, including the less dominant one. I see no visible damage or signs of stress and the same goes for their tankmates. Like what GreenLily and Zaphia1 said it all depends on the individual and luck, just like Bettas.
Also, I have read that Dwarf Gouramis are all susceptible to one virus that kills them in a few months or less. Forgot how that came to be.
Hope this helps answer some questions!
Mattyfelts
Aquarium Advice Addict
sorry for your loss, it seems it is because of the two males being together which is a shame, he looked beautiful!
Thanks guys! I feel better now being reassures that it's not just me. Losing 2 gouramis of different types within a one month period made me think I was doing something wrong... It's too bad really. They are beautiful fish. I think I'll take the living one back too because I'm afraid he will pluck off all my tetras.
Zaphia1
Aquarium Advice Regular
I had to take mine back too. Not only did he eat all my rcs, he was battering all of the guppies as well. You may do better with tetras, because they don't have a flashy tail which can cause the aggression.
MermaidGurl
Aquarium Advice Activist
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2013
- Messages
- 124
Aww, I'm so sorry to hear! I have a male dwarf gourami and he's pretty peaceful! I have him in a tank with a guppy, a Platy an two Cory catfish, and they all get along fine. I guess it depends on the fishes personality. He will sometimes go after my catfish for their food, but there is never any real aggression. I'm sorry to hear about you fish
