Female Pearl Gourami Bullying

[NOLANANO]

I have had a pair of female Pearl Gouramis in my 75G planted tank for about a month and today at the LFS I saw a male. I introduced the male and the bigger of the two females is chasing the new male and to a lesser degree the small female around the tank pretty aggressively.  I'd say its similar in the aggression that a male apisto might stalk a female or a rival male apisto. 

Prior to the male being added, the big female would chase the smaller female some but would never pursue beyind the initial burst.  With the new male, she is chasing him constantly.

Is it normal for a female to be the aggressor? will it subside over time or should I look into rehoming the aggressive fish?

Edited October 4, 2022 by NOLANANO

[AnimalNerd98]

I haven’t had Pearl gouramis personally, but I have kept other types of gouramis. While it is not “usual” for females to be aggressors, each fish is an individual with its own personality and temperament. You can watch for another couple days to see if the aggression subsides, but if it doesn’t, you might consider just bringing her back to your LFS for store credit. It’s ultimately your call for how long to wait and what you consider to be overly aggressive behavior. 

Edited October 4, 2022 by AnimalNerd98

[JettsPapa]

Hello,

I'm the weirdo that has had up to fourteen of them in a single tank (currently eleven in a 40 gallon breeder).  I'd also suggest giving it a few days, but if it persists there are a couple of things you can try.

First, are there large plants, or other structures that give hiding places and line-of-sight breaks?  If not, adding some stands a good chance of helping.

Second, it might be counterintuitive, but adding more of them will likely spread the aggression around so that no single fish is being repeatedly harassed.  This is assuming you have room for more, of course.

[NOLANANO]

my hope is that it will work itself out. The smaller female is now also chasing the male some but not as aggressively.  When I got my pair of Apistos, the male chased the female for a day or two and now they are best buddies (or at least cohabitate peacefully).  Unless someone with Pearl Gourami experience tells me otherwise, I will turn the lights off to the tank for the day and see how they are looking tomorrow.

[NOLANANO]

I have a bunch of plants, drift wood, and petrified wood stones in the tank with plenty of sightline breaks. I even have some salvinia floating to give them cover from above. The picture is of my tank the day it was set up and while some plants and wood have been moved around a little the general layout is the same.

If I were to add more, should they all be females? or should it be 1 Male to 2 females? what's a good ratio?

The tank is fairly heavily stocked with 12 Rummynose Tetra, 3 Panda Cories, 8 Pygmy Cories, 2 Apisto Macmasteri (m/f pair), 4 endler livebearers, a pandagara, 2 dwarf CPO Crayfish, and now the 3 pearl Gourami.  Its a standard 75G tank (4 feet across).  Everyone is peaceful except the Gouramis since I added the male.

Edited October 4, 2022 by NOLANANO

[JettsPapa]

Most people will say to have one male to two or three females, and that's likely best, but at one time my tank had about 2/3 males and I didn't have any problems (that wasn't intentional; it's difficult to sex them when young).

[NOLANANO]

Update: When I turned the lights on the next morning, everyone was chill.  They no longer aggressively chase each other, now its in more of a playful/flirty manor.  They must have figured out the pecking order and everyone is satisfied with where they stand lol.

[sumplkrum]

Great that it worked out.

Another trick I've used in the past is to remove the fish. Change the tank decorations a bit.
Then put the submissive fish back in the tank. Let them get settled. Then add the one that was trying to be dominant last.

A lot of times, a little tank reset can diffuse aggression.

[NOLANANO]

@JettsPapa I have a quick question and didn't think it needed a whole new thread. I have had the male Pearl in the tank for about a month and his color is still pretty drab. Is this a sign that his living conditions aren't right? He seems happy and doesn't bully or get bullied. Or is he still too young and will color up as he ages? Should I be feeding something to help?