Gouramis fighting? (Plz help!)

[Mordecai13]

Hello everyone, I am a new aquarium owner and recently got 2 gouramis (opaline, gold) for my 10 gallon planted aquarium. Attached are pictures of the two. I would greatly appreciate it if you guys could help me with: 

 

1. What are the genders of the two? I am having a hard time figuring it out.

 

2. The gold gourami is constantly chasing after the blue. This forum wouldn’t let me upload a video of it, but the gold intensely chases after the other, nipping at both the others tail and side part of body. This started maybe the 2nd day of them being the tank, and is on and off, but has been increasingly happening in the past couple of days. It’s been 5 days ish since I got them. At times though, they are peaceful to one another. Is this concerning / should I remove the gold? Does this behavior have to do with their genders? 
 

if anyone is so inclined enough to help me that they would like to see a video, plz lmk and I can send that to ur mobile / email.
 

thanks so much in advance!

Edited May 30 by Mordecai13

[Tlindsey]

On 5/29/2024 at 10:52 PM, Mordecai13 said:

should I remove the gold? Does this behavior have to do with their genders? 

It's probably a territorial behavior. I personally would remove one of them. The gold may be a male and opaline may be a female. They are both young. 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

I agree that it’s probably territorial and won’t get better. I think it will be really hard to make it work for both of them in such a small tank. Both of them can get up to 6”, and that’s pretty big for a 10 gallon. Even for 1 of them, but especially for both of them. 

[Mordecai13]

@AllFishNoBrakes @Tlindsey

Thank you for the insights, I will likely remove the gold.

Do y'all think the blue will be just fine by itself for now? And how long until it would get fully grown enough that I'd have to relocate her? My LFS initially recommended that I start with 3 of those gouramis, which i was a bit surprised for. They claimed that its good to have them in groups, but i've also heard other people saying that a singular gourami is fine as well.

I told them about this situation and they instructued me to get a net basket? is this the way to go or should i just flat out separate them for good?

Thanks!

 

Edited May 30 by Mordecai13

[AllFishNoBrakes]

I’m not trying to be overly harsh, but that fish store sounds out of their mind lolol. 
 

I’ve heard Cory recommend “1 or 3 or more” when it comes to Gourami’s, but that advice for a newer hobbyist with a 10 gallon tank is just wild. 
 

Personally, I wouldn’t put a 6 inch fish in anything smaller than a 29. 40 breeder would be even better. A 55 even better than that. 
 

If it was me, personally, I would take them both back and get a single dwarf Gourami instead. Probably much more appropriate for the tank size and your current experience level. 

[Kunersbettas]

I agree with @AllFishNoBrakes. You should probably take them both back. Those two need a good deal of space and they are semi-aggressive. I recommend getting a group of honey gouramis, some yellow or some red, maybe both. You can keep them with ember or green neon tetras, and create a community.

[Tlindsey]

On 5/29/2024 at 11:29 PM, Mordecai13 said:

the blue will be just fine by itself for now? And how long until it would get fully grown enough that I'd have to relocate her? My LFS initially recommended that I start with 3 of those

Yes it will be fine. Tbh don't know about the growth rate. 2 years ago had 3 pearl gourami in a 40 gallon. They didn’t grow fast. A knowledgeable lfs employee would have said no to 3.

[Mordecai13]

@Tlindsey @Kunersbettas @AllFishNoBrakes
Thanks fellas for the insights, really appreciate it as a beginner.

Sorry but I have some more questions if you guys don't mind🫠:

1. The reason i bought those 2 gourami that day is because my LFS had recommended that I put fish in to cycle my tank. I told them that I was getting ammonia readings and no nitrite/nitrate, and they said i needed fish to speed up this cycle. I was initially skeptical because i've plenty read all of aquarium coops cycling instructions and methods, but They reassured me that gourami were hardy fish and that this would be beneficial to my cycle, and not inhumane. Is this correct?? I am currently getting very small nitrite readings as of today and less ammonia, but still no nitrate. 

 

2. In all honesty i really like my opaline gourami, its already earned a place in my heart. In fact i named my username Mordecai 13 because i named the fish Mordecai. Would it really be bad to keep it in my 10 gallon (even for now) as it will grow out of it eventually? If the answer is yes i'd gladly return it, but in an ideal situation i get to keep it for now. 


3. Back to the reason i got those 2 gourami that day (i walked in not expecting to walk about with fish), i had initially had my eyes on these (attatched below) which i think are honey gouramis. They were from another LFS. I had the idea that these were more appropriate size for my tank. If i were to get these, could i do 1, 2, 3, or more? Hypothetically, would 1-3 work with my opaline??, or would they become territorial because of the mixed speciesness?  If the answer is no , i was thinking maybe just getting 1, but would it get lonely?

Thanks so much !!!!!!!

Edited May 30 by Mordecai13

[Kunersbettas]

On 5/29/2024 at 8:52 PM, Mordecai13 said:

@Tlindsey @Kunersbettas @AllFishNoBrakes
Thanks fellas for the insights, really appreciate it as a beginner.

Sorry but I have some more questions if you guys don't mind🫠:

1. The reason i bought those 2 gourami that day is because my LFS had recommended that I put fish in to cycle my tank. I told them that I was getting ammonia readings and no nitrite/nitrate, and they said i needed fish to speed up this cycle. I was initially skeptical because i've plenty read all of aquarium coops cycling instructions and methods, but They reassured me that gourami were hardy fish and that this would be beneficial to my cycle, and not inhumane. Is this correct?? I am currently getting very small nitrite readings as of today and less ammonia, but still no nitrate. 

 

2. In all honesty i really like my opaline gourami, its already earned a place in my heart. In fact i named my username Mordecai 13 because i named the fish Mordecai. Would it really be bad to keep it in my 10 gallon (even for now) as it will grow out of it eventually? If the answer is yes i'd gladly return it, but in an ideal situation i get to keep it for now. 


3. Back to the reason i got those 2 gourami that day (i walked in not expecting to walk about with fish), i had initially had my eyes on these (attatched below) which i think are honey gouramis. They were from another LFS. I had the idea that these were more appropriate size for my tank. If i were to get these, could i do 1, 2, 3, or more? Hypothetically, would 1-3 work with my opaline??, or would they become territorial because of the mixed speciesness?  If the answer is no , i was thinking maybe just getting 1, but would it get lonely?

Thanks so much !!!!!!!

I would not recommend gouramis for cycling a tank, I would recommend livebearers or rosy red minnows. I think the LFS may have been trying to push a sale.

I'm sorry, but keeping an opaline gourami in a 10 will not be a happy setup for him long term. Try a honey gourami, instead. I'm sorry, I know how it feels to return a fish you really like.

If you were to get a honey gourami, you can get a group of up to 5, add some otocinculus catfish, and ember tetras once the tank is cycled, and you'll have a tank with great color. Typically having more of them keeps the aggression down, but the tank is still to small for opalines. A 10 gallon is still considered a nano tank, so keep on the nano side.

Hope this helps you!

This is the honey gourami:

On 5/29/2024 at 8:52 PM, Mordecai13 said:

This looks like a honey gourami.

That looks

[AllFishNoBrakes]

1: There’s nothing wrong with a fish in cycle, as long as it’s done appropriately. Test water every day, and be ready to do a 50% water change every day. Personally, anytime ammonia or nitrite got to .5-1ppm I would do a 50% water change. Test daily, water change daily if necessary. Cycles can take like 30-45 days, so it’ll be good water change practice!

2: Idk how long you could keep the Opaline. Long term, a 10 gallon is much too small. Lots of people say “I’ll get that bigger tank when I need to” and then they don’t. So, if you’ll legitimately get the bigger tank when it’s needed, then no harm no foul. 
 

3: Personally, I wouldn’t mix Gourami species. Honey’s are much more appropriate for a 10 gallon. You could probably get away with 3 of them, and then another species of fish in the tank as well. 1 would be just fine, and probably wouldn’t get lonely. Personally, I would do 1 honey as my centerpiece, some kind of Tetra or Rasbora, and maybe a small Cory species as well. Like Panda Cory’s. 
 

That fish store is giving you some wild advice. Take what they say with a grain of salt, and if you have questions or want to verify things ask us here. We all just want to help! Feel free to send me a message any time. There’s no right or wrong ways. Aquariums are more like an art instead of a science. Some things work for some people, and don’t for others. But the things they’re telling you are just wild, lol. 

Edited May 30 by AllFishNoBrakes

[clownbaby]

I could be incorrect, so listen to others on the forum too, but from my research on honey gourami, it looks like your blue gourami is female and your golden / yellow gourami is male. Males tend to be more aggressive for gouramis, and you can also tell by the dorsal fins. Female gouramis usually have more rounded dorsal fins.

Opaline gouramis are territorial and at maturity can be up to 15cm (6 or 7 inches). 10 gallons really isn't ideal, unfortunately; I would recommend at least a 30 gallon if you wanted to keep both of them. 10 gallons is pretty tight squeeze for the two.

[clownbaby]

On 5/30/2024 at 8:39 AM, clownbaby said:

I could be incorrect, so listen to others on the forum too, but from my research on honey gourami, it looks like your blue gourami is female and your golden / yellow gourami is male. Males tend to be more aggressive for gouramis, and you can also tell by the dorsal fins. Female gouramis usually have more rounded dorsal fins.

Opaline gouramis are territorial and at maturity can be up to 15cm (6 or 7 inches). 10 gallons really isn't ideal, unfortunately; I would recommend at least a 30 gallon if you wanted to keep both of them. 10 gallons is pretty tight squeeze for the two.

If they're young, a ten gallon is fine. Add more plants and terracotta pots for them to claim territory. Be prepared to need to separate them. However, if you really want to grow them out, buy the tank as soon as possible. If you want to upgrade, buy the tank while the thought is on your mind.

Also, don't feel bad at all. They're young and you are trying hard to care for your fish! Way to go for trying to learn. Your fish are lucky they have an owner who is willing to 1) learn from their mistakes and 2) fix their mistakes! You are doing a great job! AllFishNoBreaks, Lennie, Tlindsley, and others on here are great resources. We are very friendly and love to help out 🙂 

[Lennie]

These guys fight until they legit kill each other. I kept a trio in 160 liter community tank. It went very well for months until it didn't. They bully and fight to kill, no joke. super agressive. 

 

I would suggest to rehome one, and increase the tank size for the other one you wanna keep if you do. These guys are big gouramis for a 10g.

 

If you want peaceful colorful species for 10g, try looking for domestic red thicklips or honey gouramis.

On 5/30/2024 at 6:52 AM, Mordecai13 said:

would 1-3 work with my opaline??, or would they become territorial because of the mixed speciesness?

you did not mix the species. It is just the selectively bred coloration. both are the same species. So yes, they are aggressive both against their own species and against other gouramis in my experience. They bullied my honey gourami so I had to move him to a new tank

Edited May 30 by Lennie

[Lennie]

On 5/30/2024 at 6:39 PM, clownbaby said:

from my research on honey gourami, it looks like your blue gourami is female and your golden / yellow gourami is male. Males tend to be more aggressive for gouramis, and you can also tell by the dorsal fins. Female gouramis usually have more rounded dorsal fins.

I agree the blue is f but gold is hard to tell imo

 

But fin structure and aggression does not work the same for all gourami species. F having rounded fins and male having longer and sharper ends may work for some like thicklips or three spots but not all. Like it doesn't work for honeys for example, or sparklings. My gold gouramis (threespots) were crazy agressive, and it was always the females. My male was angelic. My honey gourami male  was also angelic, but sparkling gourami males always fought for dominance for example. So I personally wouldn't generalise gouramis this way. They can change a lot from one species to another

Edited May 30 by Lennie

[Tony s]

On 5/29/2024 at 11:52 PM, Mordecai13 said:

They reassured me that gourami were hardy fish and that this would be beneficial to my cycle, and not inhumane

My lfs has the same philosophy. It's not inhumane if you can keep your ammonia less than 0.5, and your nitrites undetectable. There's no damage to fish this way. as has been suggested it takes constant water monitoring and constant water changes. It's more work this way, but also teaches good habits. If you're going to get a bigger tank for your pearl, a better way would be to put in an extra sponge filter now. that way when you do get a bigger tank for the pearl you can transfer that sponge to the new tank. It will have its own colony of bacteria, and your new tank will basically be instantly cycled. you would still need to monitor it, but it shouldn't require anywhere near as much work

[macdaddy36]

On 5/30/2024 at 11:45 AM, clownbaby said:

If they're young, a ten gallon is fine. Add more plants and terracotta pots for them to claim territory. Be prepared to need to separate them. However, if you really want to grow them out, buy the tank as soon as possible. If you want to upgrade, buy the tank while the thought is on your mind.

It’s obviously not fine because they are already having fighting issues even at this small size.

On 5/30/2024 at 11:45 AM, clownbaby said:

Also, don't feel bad at all. They're young and you are trying hard to care for your fish! Way to go for trying to learn. Your fish are lucky they have an owner who is willing to 1) learn from their mistakes and 2) fix their mistakes! You are doing a great job! AllFishNoBreaks, Lennie, Tlindsley, and others on here are great resources. We are very friendly and love to help out 🙂

Obviously everyone makes mistakes, and that’s fine, but it’s best practice to not keep 2 gourami in that size tank together, even one grows too large. There isn’t a good reason to wait it out longer then necessary 

A honey gourami is similar to your gold gourami and would be a great option in this size tank. You could combine it with a variety of other small fish in this size tank.

If you are doing a fish in cycle harlequin rasbora are hardy enough to withstand any mistakes and would be a great option. Then, when you’re done with your cycle get the honey gourami.

[sumplkrum]

On 5/29/2024 at 10:52 PM, Mordecai13 said:

1. What are the genders of the two? I am having a hard time figuring it out.

From your photo, the blue one does look like a female based on the dorsal shape.
It doesn't really make a difference though. Even if you were trying to breed them, you'd have them separated almost all the time to avoid conflict.

Fish stores commonly sell them as 'peaceful', but they're really not.