Are you considering buying female dwarf gourami for your tank? If so, you may be wondering if these fish are aggressive. In this post, we’ll take a look at the behavior of female dwarf gouramis and give you some tips on how to keep them happy and healthy in your tank.
Is Female Dwarf Gourami Aggressive?
Female dwarf gouramis are not usually aggressive, and they will rarely attack any other fish in the tank. However, you must keep a close eye on new additions to your tank for the first few days after placing them in their new home.
Don’t be surprised if you see some chasing behavior when another fish gets close to the dwarf gourami. This is normal and nothing to worry about, but it’s a good idea to make sure your tank provides plenty of hiding spots where she can get away from any pestering tankmates.
If the other fish in the tank are not bothering your female dwarf gourami, then you shouldn’t worry about aggression. Females can be just as peaceful as males in this respect.
Tank Mates for Female Dwarf Gouramis
There are several different species of fish that make good tank mates for female dwarf gouramis. Barbs like the neon tetra, the tiger barb, the red-tailed black shark, and the gold barb make great tank mates.
Other good tank mates include Zebra Danios, White Cloud Mountain Minnows, Corydoras Catfish, GlassFish, rasbora, gourami (not dwarf), and swordtails. In general, you want to avoid keeping gouramis with female dwarf gourami. Keeping more than one gourami in an aquarium is usually asking for trouble, but the same is true of multiple females.
If you already have a tank full of fish and would like to add another female dwarf gourami, then you need to be careful about what other fish are living there now.
These are some of the most peaceful species that work well with female dwarf gouramis:
- Neon Tetra
- Glowlight Rasbora
- Corydoras Catfish
- White Cloud Mountain Minnow
If you have a male associated with any of these fish, then your water chemistry should be fine for adding another female. You’ll have to watch out for male/male aggression, but this is only a problem if you have multiple males.
Aquarium Size
Female dwarf gouramis are not the best at swimming long distances, so they really don’t need a huge aquarium. In fact, 50 gallons is large enough for these fish. Just make sure there are plenty of places for the female to hide and retreat when she wants a break from all that chasing and nipping.
If you’re keeping Dwarf Gourami with larger fish, such as Angelfish or Arowana, then 50 gallons isn’t going to be enough either. You need at least 100 gallons of water per gourami. Females are more likely to be aggressive toward each other, so the same rules apply as with multiple males.
Height of the Tank
There is no need to keep your tank any higher than normal for this species. Female dwarf gouramis are not very good at jumping, so you don’t have to worry about them getting out of the tank.
Will Females Dwarf Gouramis Fight With Other Fish?
No, female dwarf gouramis are not aggressive toward other fish. They’re very passive and get along beautifully with just about any tank mates. If you buy a group of 6 or more females, however, the dominant ones might sometimes nip at the others’ fins. This is just a sign of dominance, though; it’s nothing to worry about.
There are three varieties of dwarf gouramis that you may see in the fish store: the blue variety, gold variety, and green/pink/red variety. Female blue dwarves tend to be more peaceful than the other types, but all females are generally peaceful.
Female dwarf gourami will sometimes pick on other tank mates, which is more of a dominance behavior than an actual attack. If you plan to keep your dwarf gourami with larger fish, then make sure to provide plenty of hiding spots for the dwarf so she can get away from her aggressive tank mates.
If you are trying to breed dwarf gouramis, then you’ll need to keep the fish in a tank that is at least 10 gallons. Eggs will usually cloud the water, so if you have any other fish in the tank they may become ill.