EMG w/ fishes

[yimmy]

I know this is a saltwater forum but fish are fish. In my FW tank (eclipse 6 gal) I have one groumi which has had its own tank for three years, I got the new 6 3 days ago and I put a new Groumi in cuz I had a lot of room and ammonia was low. I put in the Groumi and I floated the bag in the tank for half an hour and I put some tank water into the bag and then 10min later put the fish into the tank. I monitored it for a while and they were fine ignoring each other, and then out of nowhere my old fish starts attacking the new fish, Groumis have attenas on them and my old one bit of a piece of the new one. I am getting a specimen box to put into the tank which the old fish will go to. Is three years to long to introduce a fish in again? also will the new fish die.
Thanks for anyhelp and sorry it wasn't involving sw so mods don't delete this because this is full of the most knowlegable people
Jimmy :help:

 

[tscuda]

By chance is the older one a Turquise groumi? I had one that terrorized my Dwarf to death. Then started on the other fish till he took a nap in the freezer. He was in a 90 gal.

 

[yimmy]

The new one is a turqiuose one, I put the old Groumi(the one which was biting) into a container which had holes and what not in it bet would prevent it from biting the other fish while it was claiming its territory. Today I let the old one out and the new one bit the old one,(the old one wasn't going to bite but the new one bit) since that happened it undid the restriction on the old fish, I just let them be and hope it will end, I also moved the decor around to. Thanks
Jimmy

 

[wonderwit]

I've had gouramis for years and feel your pain. Most gouramis are territorial, but you can usually get away with mixing them. If you have a male and a female, let the female be alone in the tank for a few days, then introduce the male. If you have any floating substrate, they will soon be reproducing (very often). If you have two males, you're basically screwed unless you've got a really large tank, with lots of other fish to chase around. One WILL kill the other. Two females will likely ignore each other (so it sounds as though you've got either two males, or a male/female pair).
FYI -- those aren't antennaes, they are actually modified pelvic fins.

 

[yimmy]

Did not know that they are pelvic fins, How can you tell if they are male or female, They stopped fighting but chase each other and nip once and a while, the tank is 6 gallons and there is only 2 in there and that's all I plan. Should I take the new Groumi out?

 

[wonderwit]

Its pretty easy to tell sexes in the older fish, young fish can be difficult if they are still developing. Females will have a rather short, lobed dorsal fin, while males will have a long pointy dorsal fin. google it, I'm sure you'll be able to find some pics on the web.

 

[yimmy]

I have a male & a female....they aren't going to breed or anything? I'm thinking the won't if they were biting each other. They're doing fine now.. Thanks for the help
Jimmy

 

[yimmy]

Screw them....I absolutely hate them I was going to flush the new one since I have had the old one for a almost 4 years. I was about to flush it and my sister was like wait I want it. I gave it to her and she has it in a 2 gallon hex w/ undergravel filter. I wanna get another fish to go with my old Groumi so he'll have a friend, i just don't want another friend that will try to eat him. My groumi has a bit of a ripped tailfin but that will grow back. Any suggestions. I have a 6 gallon tank

 

[mikeyjer]

There isn't much you can put in there with such a small tank, even for a FW. I don't really like the type of fish you have. We had one in our tank, but it just disappeared one day. I think the algae eaters ate it. Never replaced it cause I think it's junk fish. I used to catch them in streams when I was a child. It was in there before I moved in, it's my partner's tank. We have since added Bosmani Rainbows and Bleeding Heart Tetras in there. Everyone is happy in there!!! :happyfish

 

[yimmy]

Would a small catfish be fine?

 

[mikeyjer]

I have to say no! Catfish needs room to swim. There's not enough room for that fish. They tend to steal all the food too! :happyfish

 

[yimmy]

O, I wanna flush the new one :joy: (I absolutely hate him...I was adjusting the heater and he bit at a blister on my hand and it hurt like a mother) Put the old Groumi back into his 2 gal hex and get some BETTER fish for the 6 gallon. I really like the Old Groumi, my mom loves him and would cry if he died. The 6 is in the kitchen and he always hides then when someone walks into the kitchen he swims in the front. He also plays around in the current.

 

[yimmy]

I brought the new Groumi back to the LFS and got a bucn of neon tetras

 

[danedodger]

The tank I like best at work has a few bosemani rainbows, a school of white cloud minnows, and some albino cory cats. They all seem to get along wonderfully and look nice!