# Are my opal gouramis fighting or a couple?



## Caitri (Feb 2, 2008)

I have a 20 gallon tank with 3 bleeding heart tetras, 2 corys, 1 pleco, 6 zebra danios, and a pair of recently purchased opal gouramis

The other day I went to the store to buy a pair of opal gouramis. There were about ten of them in a tank and they seemed calm and not aggressive. I bought 2 of them and introduced them into my community tank at home. They swam around joyfully and seemed to enjoy their new surroundings. Not even an hour later, they started circling each other and took turns nipping at each other's sides. The larger and darker colored one of the 2 sometimes will swim sideways and curve it's body into a crescent shape in front of the other one and other times it's spitting out bubbles on the surface (without any particular pattern, my whole tank on the edges is lined with bubbles) whereas the other one hasen't done so, only comes to the surface every once in awhile to breathe.

Help! I can't tell if they're fighting and establishing dominance or mating! I don't see any physical differences between them, so I can't really tell if one's a male and the other is a female.

If you have any advice or knowledge about gouramis please give me your input, I would gladly appreciate it!


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## FishHead (Nov 16, 2006)

i have 4 gouramis (2 opal, 2 blue). I see them do that circle arch body thing sometimes, but than they stop. i know they come to the surface alot for air. mine arent aggressive at all toward each other, but ARE aggressive to my minor serpae tetras. I had to move them out of there.


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## Guest (Feb 2, 2008)

I'd say they are fighting. Gouramis almost always fight if you don't keep them in groups, unless you have a female/male pair and even then they can be aggressive towards each other. Also, a 20g is not big enough for 2 Opaline Gouramis. They can get 4-5". I would return one of them and just keep one. If you had a larger tank, I'd suggest getting more and having a group, but you don't have the room in a 20g.


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## Caitri (Feb 2, 2008)

Thanks for the input guys, I really appreciate it! The gouramis I have are not aggressive toward the other fish, only each other. I asked the people at the pet store if they were an aggrressive type of fish and if they would do ok in a community tank, they said they would do fine (I guess they aren't really fish enthusiasts). I thik I'll return both of them, seeing as how if they are to get up to 5" I don't want them picking off my smaller fish. I'm kinda embarassed to go back there though, I've been there five times in the past week due to issues with sickly fish I bought from them and returned within the next hour! They probably think I am the biggest pain in the ass!


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2008)

Aww...don't be embarrassed! Really, they are good community fish, but don't always get along with each other (majority of the time they don't). Also, I think it is kind of irresponsible of the pet store to sell you 2 of them for a 20g. The tank just isn't big enough for both of them.


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