Aggressive gourami help?!

xDestro

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Aug 15, 2016
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I picked up a female opaline gourami a few weeks ago and it's a bit agressive, iv seen it chase some of my other fish and I believe it took a chunk out of my platies tail. I really like the gourami I think it's a good center piece fish but I don't want aggression in the tank. Can I do anything to make it less aggressive? OR is it best to get rid of it? If I have to get rid of it what other fish could I add? NOT a fan of anglefish and that's the only one I can think of, pearl gourami came to mind too but could I get maybe 2-3 without aggression?

Current stocking:
1 gourami
4 roseline sharks
3 platies
1 small raphael catfish
1 upside-down catfish
2 yo yo loaches
5 corys
 

Warborg

Goliath Tigerfish
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Sep 2, 2009
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I had one back when I started(1990) and it would fight with my cichlids. I never found a solution.
 

kewpiefishypewpie

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Jan 21, 2016
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I think the aggression of Gourami's, as far as "peaceful" community cichlids go, is underrated. I had a gold one that pretty much killed all of my stock one time, granted I should have been paying more attention to the tank.

To answer your question you can try and put it in "time out" for a little while. Either another tank or do you have a breeder basket? Put it in there for a day and see it it's attitude changes. You can take all of the fish out, put them in a bucket for 15 minutes and rearrange your tank in the meantime.
 

Yuki Rihwa

Redtail Catfish
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Jan 22, 2015
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The bullier is still a bullier, it doesn't matter you try to separate it, rearrange your tank once it acclimated it will start to bully again, it's the most aggressive one compare to other real peaceful tank mates.
You can keep corys and yoyo loach, and get rip all others then get a male gourami + few females of you choice but when a pair is form you still face the pair bully others away from their territory. So best just get a pair and keep bottom tankmates.
 
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kewpiefishypewpie

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Jan 21, 2016
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The bullier is still a bullier, it doesn't matter you try to separate it, rearrange your tank once it acclimated it will start to bully again, it's the most aggressive one compare to other real peaceful tank mates.
You can keep corys and yoyo loach, and get rip all others then get a male gourami + few females of you choice but when a pair is form you still face the pair bully others away from their territory. So best just get a pair and keep bottom tankmates.
I did manage to scare a bully fish straight one time by keeping it in a breeder basket. It completely changed it's tune when I took it out. There aren't many definites when it comes to fish keeping as I'm sure you know.
 

xDestro

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Aug 15, 2016
578
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Looks like I'll prob just get rI'd of it, could I do a small group of electric blue acara without aggression?
 

Yuki Rihwa

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Jan 22, 2015
2,596
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Looks like I'll prob just get rI'd of it, could I do a small group of electric blue acara without aggression?
You would face the aggression from the established blue acara pair, they're breed very often so they will chase other tank mates away from their spawn area, and you might have disease problem spreading with stress fishes.
 
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