URGENT FEMALE DWARF GOURAMI ADVICE

[stirfry]

Hi about a week ago I brought a pair of dwarf gourami.
The male is being aggressive bih time, her fin is nipped, she also have what looks like scales missing on her head.
She is hiding not swimming around, looking scared.
I've added 2 more females but the male is just attacking that one.

Is there anything I can do? will it settle. I have lots of live plants & hide outs


Thanks

[Diana]

Gouramis are not social fish. Male and female do not live together in the wild.

Male Gouramis chose their territory and build a bubblenest. Then they wait for receptive females to swim into their territory. The pair breeds, then the female is chased away. They do not live together either before or after breeding.

Your male is chasing intruders out of the tank. This behavior will not settle down. The females will stay so stressed they will not put on weight or come into breeding condition.

Remove the females to a separate tank. Feed them well. When one is getting big with eggs, and the male has a bubble nest add the female to his tank. Watch them. Do not let him harass her. If they are not ready to breed, but he is not chasing her off they may be OK for a short time (a few hours or a day or so).

Research how to breed Betta splendens. The concepts are similar.

[stirfry]

Hi thanks for replying.
This is very new to me, did a lot of research before buying these fish.
I have been told from several aquatic stores that dwarf gourami are good community fish, & most are sold in pairs.
eg male & female, or 1male & 3 females, so I am puzzled by that.
thanks

[Diana]

Some individuals are even meaner than the average Betta, and can only be kept in a tank by itself.

I think a lot of stores will tell you just about anything to get you to buy more. Never mind that today's bad advise catches up with you and you start to doubt anything they say.