# Gouramis Are Smart & Funny



## sohankpatel (Jul 10, 2015)

They aren't funny to me, one of my dwarfs murdered the other. Then that one proceeded to try to kill a kribensis, and that didn't end well for the gourami.


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

sohankpatel said:


> They aren't funny to me, one of my dwarfs murdered the other. Then that one proceeded to try to kill a kribensis, and that didn't end well for the gourami.


Total bummer! :crying: They do kick a**. But, female Bettas are bad A** too, so in my tank, it all works. I'm a bit surprised they went after your Krib, however. I thought Kribs were pretty fierce too, if need be. But it happens. I have had the simple, sweet...ha, neons, kill and feast on shrimp, and ride my male betta's tail. So, we never really know, do we.?


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## sohankpatel (Jul 10, 2015)

AWolf said:


> Total bummer! :crying: They do kick a**. But, female Bettas are bad A** too, so in my tank, it all works. I'm a bit surprised they went after your Krib, however. I thought Kribs were pretty fierce too, if need be. But it happens. I have had the simple, sweet...ha, neons, kill and feast on shrimp, and ride my male betta's tail. So, we never really know, do we.?


It definitely depends of the fish's personality, the kribensis actually tried to kill the gourami, and got pretty darn close before i removed him. I have rams now, and they beat the crap out of each other, but never do damage, and they don't bully one individual, so I don't really mind that, they never touch another fish, that gourami though, would try to smack around any fish in that tank, even corys


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Those buggers used to uproot even plants I tied down with lead weights. Be ready for about 3 months of having your tank molested. Once they start breeding,they get on a roll. Get some liquifry no1 or start an infusoria culture so long if you want to raise fry. They are really tiny.


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

Have you seen them do that cute thing where they reach out with their feelers and poke at whatever they find interesting? It's adorable.


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## goodbytes (Aug 18, 2014)

Yeah, I've got a Sunset Thick-Lipped that I call Fatso that I've had for a year and a half now. He's always somewhat shy when I come around the tank but when its feeding time he knows it and hangs around at the surface waiting for me to feed him. His shyness magically vanishes.


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## Grah the great (Jul 3, 2013)

My paradise fish have been real characters...I have three males in a 20 long (originally 4, but one picked up ich, became very pale, and died a few days after I put him in quarantine). Even though they are supposed to be carnivorous, all three will willingly eat duckweed (which they have developed a taste for), and two of them have taken flakes from my fingers with almost no training. Very intelligent fish...if only they weren't so predatory (I have found they cannot be trusted with anything smaller than a zebra danio...with larger animals they are fine, but smaller animals will be viewed as prey and will sooner or later be killed even if they do not fit in the PF's mouths...not pretty).


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

Grah the great said:


> My paradise fish have been real characters...I have three males in a 20 long (originally 4, but one picked up ich, became very pale, and died a few days after I put him in quarantine). Even though they are supposed to be carnivorous, all three will willingly eat duckweed (which they have developed a taste for), and two of them have taken flakes from my fingers with almost no training. Very intelligent fish...if only they weren't so predatory (I have found they cannot be trusted with anything smaller than a zebra danio...with larger animals they are fine, but smaller animals will be viewed as prey and will sooner or later be killed even if they do not fit in the PF's mouths...not pretty).


Paradise fish are one of the first aquaruim fish kept in China. Really beautiful fish, I assume you have barriers between each of the males? I've heard males can't be kept with other males.


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## Grah the great (Jul 3, 2013)

Nope...no barriers  They do argue a lot, but no interest in killing each other. They were together in the store, which may have helped.


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## daMooseCaboose (Dec 16, 2015)

For some reason my gourami refuses to touch flake food, or mini pellets. He will only go after frozen brine shrimp that I feed him after he refuses all else and I worry that he'll starve himself to death.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

He was probably raised by someone who uses live food.
Unless he is sick, he won't starve, he will eat flakes eventually if he sees other fish do it.

I found one could go above recommendations for keeping sexes together or apart if tanks are planted densely.


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

Grah the great said:


> Nope...no barriers  They do argue a lot, but no interest in killing each other. They were together in the store, which may have helped.


That's really interesting. I'd love to own one, or two, or four. I don't buy fish online, so I guess until my LFS should get them in, I won't really get a chance to enjoy that fish.


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## Grah the great (Jul 3, 2013)

Also, they are more quarrelsome - with themselves and tank mates - for the first few weeks, and heavily planted tanks (or tanks which otherwise have a lot of cover) is a huge boon. The three share a 20 long with some danios and platies (previously some white clouds were included, but a PF unexpectedly tried to eat one that did not fit in its mouth...the resulting white cloud with its skull exposed prompted me to remove the remaining clouds to another tank). Wouldn't try just two personally...I think they need to distribute their aggression between multiple rivals.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

I used to keep a male and two females.... they'd get up to threesomes when breeding.
They shared the tank with six angels that just got to breeding age and some SAEs.


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## sakanajanai (Jan 5, 2016)

I love gouramis, especially honey ones! They have such interesting and varied personalities! 

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