gourami behavior change?

Mori · 11-06-2003, 11:54 AM

Would anyone know of a gourami site or know what to do when good gouramis go bad?

my ~3 yr old kissing gouramis have started dancing with each other (picture a dog chasing its tail with an extra dog in there) and to pick on another fish. i'm becoming suspicious that they aren't both males like i thought they were...

if i turn off the tank lights, they stop chasing the other fish, even though the ambient lighting seems to be enough for everyone to do their normal thing. They're too large and active to move to a spare tank, and so is their victim.

anyone know what pink gourami spawning behavior looks like? or what might induce it?

thanks!

Wasserpest · 11-06-2003, 04:00 PM

There are many examples for fish getting more aggressive as they get older... Kissing Gouramies can get over 10 inches (well not in a tank) so they need large tanks. It is very hard to distinguish the sexes, which makes it likely that you have two fighting males...

I was looking for a dedicated site myself and came up with nothing, but there might be knowledgeable folks over at the Tropical Fish Forum site.

Mori · 11-06-2003, 05:03 PM

thanks--i'll look it up.

i used to think these fish were males because they do the kissing thing, which is reported to be a male territorial behavior. of course these reports all come from sources that say it's impossible to sex them without having a breeding pair, so......

but they aren't fighting with each other. they're ganging up on someone else. joint defense of territory. :evil: bad fishies. when they play ring-around-the-rosie with each other, it's not aggressive--they don't even open their mouths.

neat fish. underappreciated i think! i bet you could get past 10" in a tank. mine are pushing 9 and it's only a 75 gallon (no wonder they're getting crabby!). on a completely unrelated topic, santa had better bring me a bigger tank this year. or a gourami pond!

Wasserpest · 11-06-2003, 05:10 PM

Kissers are one of my "dream fishes", one day I want to keep them, but they seem to eat plants along with algae, so right now I prefer being able to keep "softer" plants.

Did you know they are edible? They are raised commercially... so if they don't stop misbehaving, hmmm, up for lunch :lol:

I seriously hope Santa will bring you a few extra-large tanks, because if they are mating indeed you might end up with a few thousand of their fry.
:mrgreen:

Mori · 11-06-2003, 06:14 PM

evil gourami fry. wouldn't THAT be a nightmare?

i think i'm safe from baby fishes due to other tank inhabitants and strong filtration. and i refuse to eat my pets for misbehavior. otherwise, my cat would be long gone.

i've never noticed these guys eating plants, by the way, although they're supposed to (they didn't read the manual). i've had tasty plants with them before as well as all sorts of vegetables and algae wafers. they do clean surfaces of leaves, though.

gah! giant pink fish. it wasn't supposed to be like this.

Nordic · 11-14-2003, 05:03 AM

I have never been a big kissing gourami fan, my dad has some...

Is it just me or do gourami's have exceptional eyesight and inteligence?

Only other edible fish we ever kept were bass and tilapia mosambica (which breeds like the pest, cause males are mouth breeders who guard their babies, and catches them in his mouth when there is danger)

Mori · 11-17-2003, 01:09 PM

hey! my fish AREN'T FOOD! don't think of them as food! put down that skillet!!!

i haven't noticed my gouramis as being particularily astute but i don't really know how to judge fish intelligence. they aren't extremely easy to catch, but i've had some fish that were more crafty in eluding capture (the 4-inch long chinese algae eater that stays beneath a moving 14-inch pleco when you're trying to catch the CAE is a good example).

anyway, kissers grow on you (and grow and grow). i stupidly got mine for biological control. well, they did eat the hydra. and i don't have snails or algae in that tank. i just have a pair of giant pink fish in a tank that isn't supposed to have anything like gouramis.

i turned down the heater. they are no longer interested in romance or harassing their tank mates.

everyone should have pink gouramis.

11-06-2003, 04:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
Wasserpest Born to be mild (View User Tanks) PTrader: (74/100%) Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 10,915	There are many examples for fish getting more aggressive as they get older... Kissing Gouramies can get over 10 inches (well not in a tank) so they need large tanks. It is very hard to distinguish the sexes, which makes it likely that you have two fighting males... I was looking for a dedicated site myself and came up with nothing, but there might be knowledgeable folks over at the Tropical Fish Forum site. __________________ All my tanks Cheap Autodosing Cheap Water Change Cheap Filter Acrylic Filter Pipes The Wasser-Controller

11-06-2003, 05:10 PM	#4 (permalink)
Wasserpest Born to be mild (View User Tanks) PTrader: (74/100%) Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 10,915	Kissers are one of my "dream fishes", one day I want to keep them, but they seem to eat plants along with algae, so right now I prefer being able to keep "softer" plants. Did you know they are edible? They are raised commercially... so if they don't stop misbehaving, hmmm, up for lunch :lol: I seriously hope Santa will bring you a few extra-large tanks, because if they are mating indeed you might end up with a few thousand of their fry. :mrgreen: __________________ All my tanks Cheap Autodosing Cheap Water Change Cheap Filter Acrylic Filter Pipes The Wasser-Controller

11-14-2003, 05:03 AM	#6 (permalink)
Nordic Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Cape Town Posts: 696	I have never been a big kissing gourami fan, my dad has some... Is it just me or do gourami's have exceptional eyesight and inteligence? Only other edible fish we ever kept were bass and tilapia mosambica (which breeds like the pest, cause males are mouth breeders who guard their babies, and catches them in his mouth when there is danger) __________________ Cape Town, South Africa 25 Gal. 54watt, DIY CO2 5 Angelfish, 1 male dwarf gourami + 2 females ,2 female betas, 3 albino corys, 2 pepper corys, 2 CAEs 15 gal. Dwarf gourami fry tank 10 Gal 3 variatus platies, 4 black sailfin mollies- 5 Gal guppy birth tank with dividers 5 Gal guppy frytank 1 Gal guppy frytank 40 Gal Pond with 10 female guppies, 1 male tons of fry. On various pieces of furniture, 6 cats!

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11-06-2003, 11:54 AM	#1 (permalink)
Mori Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,180	Would anyone know of a gourami site or know what to do when good gouramis go bad? my ~3 yr old kissing gouramis have started dancing with each other (picture a dog chasing its tail with an extra dog in there) and to pick on another fish. i'm becoming suspicious that they aren't both males like i thought they were... if i turn off the tank lights, they stop chasing the other fish, even though the ambient lighting seems to be enough for everyone to do their normal thing. They're too large and active to move to a spare tank, and so is their victim. anyone know what pink gourami spawning behavior looks like? or what might induce it? thanks!

11-06-2003, 05:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
Mori Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,180	thanks--i'll look it up. i used to think these fish were males because they do the kissing thing, which is reported to be a male territorial behavior. of course these reports all come from sources that say it's impossible to sex them without having a breeding pair, so...... but they aren't fighting with each other. they're ganging up on someone else. joint defense of territory. :evil: bad fishies. when they play ring-around-the-rosie with each other, it's not aggressive--they don't even open their mouths. neat fish. underappreciated i think! i bet you could get past 10" in a tank. mine are pushing 9 and it's only a 75 gallon (no wonder they're getting crabby!). on a completely unrelated topic, santa had better bring me a bigger tank this year. or a gourami pond!

11-06-2003, 06:14 PM	#5 (permalink)
Mori Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,180	evil gourami fry. wouldn't THAT be a nightmare? i think i'm safe from baby fishes due to other tank inhabitants and strong filtration. and i refuse to eat my pets for misbehavior. otherwise, my cat would be long gone. i've never noticed these guys eating plants, by the way, although they're supposed to (they didn't read the manual). i've had tasty plants with them before as well as all sorts of vegetables and algae wafers. they do clean surfaces of leaves, though. gah! giant pink fish. it wasn't supposed to be like this.

11-17-2003, 01:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
Mori Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,180	hey! my fish AREN'T FOOD! don't think of them as food! put down that skillet!!! i haven't noticed my gouramis as being particularily astute but i don't really know how to judge fish intelligence. they aren't extremely easy to catch, but i've had some fish that were more crafty in eluding capture (the 4-inch long chinese algae eater that stays beneath a moving 14-inch pleco when you're trying to catch the CAE is a good example). anyway, kissers grow on you (and grow and grow). i stupidly got mine for biological control. well, they did eat the hydra. and i don't have snails or algae in that tank. i just have a pair of giant pink fish in a tank that isn't supposed to have anything like gouramis. i turned down the heater. they are no longer interested in romance or harassing their tank mates. everyone should have pink gouramis.

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