Female Dwarf Gourami attaced by Male

[Prototype]

Hi Guys

I have a 20 Gallon Tank, 9 Neons, 5 glow light tetras, 2 Brisslenose cat fish 1 cory cat and 1 Male 1 Female Dwarf Gourami.
As well as a thick covering of both fake and real plants,

Some might say that my tank is over crowdard but really over all the fish seem to get on really well together, Apart from the Gouramis.

I have had this setup for the past couple of months, at first the Male Gourami seemed interested in the female kept swiming up to her and trying to touch her with his feeler, and she kept swiming away. Then after a day or 2 he started charging at her. This went on for a while, and then she started giving it back to him and charging/nipping at him, for a while there they actually seemed to be getting on not to bad. up untill now there hasn't been any physicall damage to either fish so i wasn't too worried. However today I noticed she had been attaced quite badly with a few scales missing and quite red on one side. Also she was just chilling towards the bottom of the tank only swiming up for food. All I'm thinking i can really do is give her away?

The Male gourami gets on fine with all the other fish, neons often swim up past him and they don't effect each other one bit, but as soon as he see's the female even if shes on the other side of the tank) he will full on chrage at her. Any ideas guys?

Apart from this they are quite interesting and smart fish. normally He doesn't mind me interacting with the tank (Ie at feed time he will often rub up agenst my hand) but today he was sort of hiding from me as if he knew he was in the wrong, haha

[Gayle]

Your tank is overcrowded. It is way too small for all those fish, I would say it is too small for 2 Gouramis. Are you sure they are male and female? He is probably defending his turf, that is why the tank really needs to be bigger for Gouramis, they can be very aggressive.
You will have to get a larger tank, or yes rehome her, and probably a few others.
I doubt he was hiding from you because he felt like he was in trouble.....it may be a sign that he is getting sick. How often do you do w/c's? What is the water like?

[Prototype]

the 2 gourami's have been hostile twards each other since the start when there was only 2 of them and 9 neons.

I do water changes around every 2 -3 weeks changing about 1/3 of the water. PH is around 6.9,

[jaysee]

Most of us change up to 40% every week. I do 2 25% a week on my heavier stocked tanks.

A python makes it easy.

[Prototype]

I don't think either of the fish are sick, Apart from the female seeming alot more timid than useual and her psyicall Marks.

reading on other sites with People who have the same problem with their Male and female gourami's it has been recomended that they Get a couple more females.

While I really don't think the tank is over crowded now I fear it would be with more fish added. I really don't want to have to get rid of either of the gourami's but i'd prefer to do that than have the poor darling killed. The tetra's Mostly sort of hang round towards the bottom of the tank and the gouarmi's seem to just go where ever they feel like. with the cat fish sort of chilling inbetween.

[jaysee]

Your tetras would like to just go where ever they feel like too...:goldfish:

[Prototype]

They pretty much do, I had the tetra's for a good month before i got the gourami's. The tetras allways sort of chilled towards the bottom 1/3 of the tank, theres the odd one that swims up further.

Thats the thing, The Tetra's / gouarmis don't seem to bother each other one bit. The only two fish that don't get on are the two gouarmi's.

[thrakuarium]

You mentioned the gouramis had been in the tank with the 9 neons to start. Does that mean the glow lights (additional 7.5 inches of fish) were added later? At this point the 2 gourami, which are anabantid surface breathers;similar to bettas, may have felt crowded. Did the increased aggression start around this time? Even if they don't bother the rest of the fish, it may have been the trigger to the situation. Definately keep up your tank maintenance, including water changes, but you might want to consider a population adjustment of some kind, bigger tank, additional tank, a good aquarist needing a few fish etc.

[jaysee]

Female dwarves are REALLY hard to find. Are you sure you don't have two males? What method did you use to sex them?

[Algenco]

he wants to spawn and she doesn't, that will cause a fight everytime

[jaysee]

he wants to spawn and she doesn't, that will cause a fight everytime

women.....

[Gayle]

Yes getting more females can help if it is a matter of him pestering her because he is in the mood. It gives him more girls to bother, and gives them each a break. But that is not the case here. He is being territorial from your discription of the problem. All Gouramis, esp males are very aggressive when it comes to thier turf..........and there is just not enough room in your tank for them both to feel cozy. Are you certain you have a female? Do you have pics? There is no way you can add a few more females in to that tank. The water changes you are doing is not enough IMO, esp for how many fish you have in there. When I asked about the water I meant more along the lines of nitrates, ammonia..........

[Prototype]

Glow lights were added after the gourami's yes atleast good month or so after. This was atleast a couple of months ago. The aggresion didn't change one bit once the glow lights were added, It was up untill just the last couple of days what i would call mild agression as described above.

I am tending to agree with Algenco about it being a spawning thing. As when they were both added he was very interested in her, kept just trying to touch her but she was very uninterested and kept swiming away, He then changed from trying to swim up to her nicly to charging at her.

yes you are right females are rare, I had to wait a couple of weeks for the store to order her in for me. She is a fair bit smaller than the male, and just a plain yellowy colour, finns arn't as flambouant as the very hansome looking male, haha, She is most deffanilty a female.

[Prototype]

Thinking about it Gayle, My take on it (correct me if I am wrong because I most likley am) What might of started out as Pestering for spawning turned into aggression for territory once he got used to the idea of pestering her and got no where. I know I'd probbaly get like that after quite a few months,. haha

[Gayle]

That is possible. Just like anything when there is something new you are curious, maybe he was trying to get her in the mood.

When I first got my lavender gouramis the male almost killed female, broke one of her "feelers" took the scales off a patch on her side. And when I had mollies in with them, he did kill one Molly and beat another so severely it came very close to death. It was just space, when I moved them to the larger tank they got along great. Too great actually, I ended up with them in different tanks as they made way too many lil gouramis!