laritheloud Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 (edited) So I have a female thicklip gourami that is basically the love of my life at the moment. She was purchased by accident with two female honey gouramis, and I was told it was a male honey... just kidding, she's definitely a female sunset thicklip goourami. She gets along extremely peacefully with the two female honeys I purchased with her (they touch feelers gently and rest together in the same bunch of plants at night), but I noticed that she's started to chase my honey gourami male around my heavily planted 29 gallon tank. There's line-of-sight breaks along the sides and a bunch of floating plants, thinking about trying to move the hornwort to free-floating in the middle and see what that does. Other than that, should I seriously consider moving either the thicklip or the male honey to my 55 gallon tank? I don't see any real bumping, but I'm concerned about the stress on my male. He was pretty intense the first month or so he was in the tank with her (he tended to be the one chasing all the ladies around the tank while he settled), and then one day it's like she realized she's a bigger fish and decided she wasn't going to put up with him anymore. I think he's been in the tank since late June, and this has been a relatively recent development (past few weeks). Edit: I'm also so, so bad at catching fish out of that tank, so I'd like 'moving' to be the last resort. Edited September 17, 2021 by laritheloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Zenzo Posted September 17, 2021 Administrators Share Posted September 17, 2021 If you are hoping to one day breed the honeys, I would move the love of your life. If not, she seems to get along well with the females, so maybe move the male to the 55. Since you have multiple tanks, at least you have options. Also, don't you have some cool new nets to help you catch fish? It should be easier now. Use the medium net as the "trap" and use the small net to chase the fish into the larger net. 😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 17, 2021 Author Share Posted September 17, 2021 On 9/16/2021 at 10:39 PM, Zenzo said: If you are hoping to one day breed the honeys, I would move the love of your life. If not, she seems to get along well with the females, so maybe move the male to the 55. Since you have multiple tanks, at least you have options. Also, don't you have some cool new nets to help you catch fish? It should be easier now. Use the medium net as the "trap" and use the small net to chase the fish into the larger net. 😆 I will absolutely attempt, but I think you sorely underestimate how terrible I am at attempting to trap fish in a net 😆 I'm not dead-set on breeding but would love to see if he CAN get along with the two females in the tank. I'm just glad there are options and I can find a peaceful solution. I won't be moving anyone yet, though, because the first fish into my 55 is a school of pseudomugil signifers and they're getting some antibiotic feed right now. I want to make sure they're looking great before I move my gouramis. For now, I'll monitor. Worst case is if the chasing intensifies, I'll temporarily move the male to the hospital tank while the rainbows settle and recover. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 On 9/16/2021 at 10:39 PM, Zenzo said: Also, don't you have some cool new nets to help you catch fish? It should be easier now. I definitely find the new nets easier!! 😃 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeg Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 On 9/16/2021 at 10:00 PM, Hobbit said: I definitely find the new nets easier!! 😃 What do you mean by new nets? I feel like all the nets ive seen are the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 https://www.aquariumcoop.com/products/aquarium-co-op-fish-net Those are the new nets. Some reasons I like them: The holes are bigger so the net moves though the water more smoothly. Less turbulence to scare the fish. The material is soft 😌 They’re big! The “small” net is actually fairly large compared to the average net you’ll see at a fish store. That just makes things easier. They have a boxy shape. It makes it easier to catch fish. Not sure I can explain why—maybe the fish don’t see it as quite as threatening? Maybe it makes it easier to scoop them up? Many nets have a pointy shape like this < but the coop nets hold a boxy shape like this [ The handles are thick and easy to hold onto. Not an issue for everyone but I have weakness in my hands. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 17, 2021 Author Share Posted September 17, 2021 Agree, the nets from Aquarium Co-Op are really nice... I am just incredibly bad at catching fish! Slippery little cuties! But I'm still seeing chasing this morning and she's pretty relentless. Line of sight breaks don't do very much when she's busy following him *everywhere*! I'll move her as soon as I feel comfortable with the state of the 55 gallon. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 19, 2021 Author Share Posted September 19, 2021 (edited) Update: I now have big plans to move my darling to the 55 gallon and get her a boyfriend and some lady friends. Her name is Lady Marmalade and now I'm dreaming up equally ridiculous names for the potential harem. Lord Orange? Lord Vermillion? Sister Pumpkin? Madame Maple? Miss Amber? Missus Marigold? The possibilities are endless! 😆 Edited September 19, 2021 by laritheloud 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 I’m pretty bad at catching fish too! When I needed to pull one little lightning fast green tetra I ended up making a fish trap with a one liter plastic bottle. I’m surprised how well it worked. The only problem was keeping my idiot male swordtail out of the trap. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solstice_Lacer Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 If you get her a boyfriend call him Orange Cassidy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 19, 2021 Author Share Posted September 19, 2021 On 9/18/2021 at 8:55 PM, Patrick_G said: I’m pretty bad at catching fish too! When I needed to pull one little lightning fast green tetra I ended up making a fish trap with a one liter plastic bottle. I’m surprised how well it worked. The only problem was keeping my idiot male swordtail out of the trap. Please share your fish trap secret! Did you cut up the bottle? My thicklip is thicc and needs a bigger hole than the top of a bottle, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griznatch Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 @laritheloud Here's a trick I used to catch a dozen neon tetras in a fully planted 75. I still have nightmares of trying to net them the normal way. I wait until night time so the lights have been out for hours and it is truly dark in the room. It sounds extreme but I did this at like 1:30 AM, so as to make sure the little buggers were sleeping. Leaving all the lights out, I used a strong flashlight and nabbed them then with my net. They kind of freeze for about 2 or 3 minutes and are much easier to net. Much easier on the fish and plants and your sanity. So far this method has worked for all my fish. Well, except for guppies who almost swim in to the net. 🙂 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 19, 2021 Author Share Posted September 19, 2021 On 9/19/2021 at 9:51 AM, Griznatch said: @laritheloud Here's a trick I used to catch a dozen neon tetras in a fully planted 75. I still have nightmares of trying to net them the normal way. I wait until night time so the lights have been out for hours and it is truly dark in the room. It sounds extreme but I did this at like 1:30 AM, so as to make sure the little buggers were sleeping. Leaving all the lights out, I used a strong flashlight and nabbed them then with my net. They kind of freeze for about 2 or 3 minutes and are much easier to net. Much easier on the fish and plants and your sanity. So far this method has worked for all my fish. Well, except for guppies who almost swim in to the net. 🙂 Actually, this is brilliant. Lady Marmalade rests in the same spot near the surface every night. The only issue is I have an acrylic 29 gallon tank, and the angle that I'd have to snatch her is really, really tough beneath the overhanging 'lid' pieces of the acrylic tank. Needless to say, despite the awesome clarity, it's my only acrylic tank. Maintenance and fish catching are 10 times harder because of that overhang!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griznatch Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 (edited) hmm, yeah the lid could be a challenge. The "small" co-op net has a pretty short handle and surprisingly good sized net area. Maybe that would work? Edited September 19, 2021 by Griznatch typos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 19, 2021 Author Share Posted September 19, 2021 On 9/19/2021 at 9:56 AM, Griznatch said: hmm, yeah the lid could be a challenge. The "small" co-op net has a pretty short handle and surprisingly good sized net area. Maybe that would work? I'll get 'er done one way or another. The last time I was able to net her out of there she was constipated and a bit bloated, and I was thinking she had a worse disease than she did. Just kidding, all she needed was to stop eating for a bit and poop. NOW I don't REALLY want to let her bloat up again, but maybe I can manage a sneak-attack at night if I can herd her out of that dang corner. Night is great for a transfer, anyway, with all the lights out giving her time to settle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 On 9/19/2021 at 6:32 AM, laritheloud said: Please share your fish trap secret! Did you cut up the bottle? My thicklip is thicc and needs a bigger hole than the top of a bottle, I think. Yep, I cut the top off of the bottle then inverted it and wedged it into the body of the bottle. I guess you would have to find a bottle with a bigger opening or cut the the opening a bit larger. It helps to have the net ready to direct the fish towards the trap. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted October 25, 2021 Author Share Posted October 25, 2021 I wanted to update with WOW I really love the nets from Aquarium Co-Op! I legitimately had a much easier time catching my fish with that net! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 I know right?!? Who would have thought a bigger net would make it easier… 😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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