Dwarf Gourami stressed??

[lyquidphyre]

When my boyfriend first put fish in his tank he bought two dwarf gouramis and an angel fish. Well, one of the dwarfs died.. and then my boyfriend bought two kissing gourami and one blue gourami. Now his original dwarf gourami is getting picked on more and more by the blue gourami. At first it was the other way around.. but now the blue gourami is more dominant.. and just a bad a**. We've noticed that the dwarf gouramis tail is a little.. shorter than before. Its not ripped or ragged.. but its shorter, like its been gradually bitten here and there enough to shorten it. (Does that make sense).
He is eating normally but he isn't as active as he used to be.

Is there anything that can be done to help him? I was thinking getting another dwarf gourami a little smaller than he is so the blue gourami doesn't pick on him because he is out numbered.. or something. I don't even know if fish work like that. The blue gourami doesn't pick on anyone other than the dwarf.
Does he need more hiding spots... or...?

 

[grimlock3000]

Having one Dwarf Gourami, one Blue Gourami, and two Kissing Gouramis in one tank is a recipe for disaster unless you have a really large tank with a lot of plants.

 

[lyquidphyre]

See, that is what I was thinking

its a 29 gal and it has a handful of plants.

Should he get rid (and by get rid, I mean sell to our trust fish store) of his blue gourami??

There hasn't been any problems.. the kissing gouramis normally "fight" with one another- but nothing serious... the angel keeps them all in check.. and the blue gourami only picks on the dwarf.

Or should he get more plants/hiding places?

 

[grimlock3000]

From my experience, Gouramis simply need their own space. A 29G tank does not offer enough space for four Gouramis to each to have their own space. More hiding places can help, although he could end up with a situation where the Dwarf Gourami just hides all day. All fish have their own unique habits, so the best thing to do it find a situation that best suits the fish you have. Get some more plants and see what happens, then go from there.

 

[Hypostomus]

I second grimlock. I would say get rid of the blue gourami and then get a number of plants (fake or real-- just use silk plants toward the top so that they do not harm the fish).

IMO, kissing gouramis will get too big to have a pair of them sharing a 29g with an angelfish also.

 

[grimlock3000]

IMO, kissing gouramis will get too big to have a pair of them sharing a 29g with an angelfish also.

I was thinking this too, once those Kissing Gouramis get too big I presume lyquidphyre will make sure they end up in a larger tank

 

[Orca]

Hypostomus: "..just use silk plants toward the top so that they do not harm the fish."

I've never heard that before. Can you explain what you mean? Thanks.

 

[grimlock3000]

Silk plants are soft since they are made out of woven material . Plastic plants can be good for teating fins of certain fish with their sharp edges. Some plastic plants are better than others, but in general silk plants are less dangerous for the fish.