[Inga]

Yes, it is my understanding that males tend to be more aggressive though individuals of either sex can be more or less. Mine is a very peaceful fish and though I had hoped she would help to keep the number of fry down, she had zero interest in doing that. Turns out she is more of a Nanny fish. lol She is truly beautiful in color too. I personally prefer the Opaline to the Blue.

[Byron]

The Blue and Opaline are exactly the same species. So is the Gold, Cosby, Three-Spot. These are simply colour varieties, as is explained in our profile of the species, Trichopodus trichopterus. There are even photos of the varieties included.

As for aggression, it is more likely just the fish. The species as a whole exhibits normal gourami behaviour, and that means the males will be territorial and thus somewhat aggressive to other males, sometimes to females, sometimes to other fish they take a dislike too for some reason.

Byron.

[coolcar24th]

I actually had to put my Blue Gourami in a separate tank yesterday. He kept picking on the 5 cichlids in the 75gal tank I had them in. At first I had him in a 35gal with a red tail shark and some danios and he kept chasing them and then I put him in a larger tank thinking he would be fine. Instead he picks on the even meaner fish. Is a mean little sucker. So IMO I would not stick a gourami in a tank with guppies. I know the Honey Gourami are quite peaceful though. Ive a few of those before and they tend to stay quite small in comparison to the blue/gold/pearl gouramis.

[GwenInNM]

Originally Posted by coolcar24th

I actually had to put my Blue Gourami in a separate tank yesterday. He kept picking on the 5 cichlids in the 75gal tank I had them in. At first I had him in a 35gal with a red tail shark and some danios and he kept chasing them and then I put him in a larger tank thinking he would be fine. Instead he picks on the even meaner fish. Is a mean little sucker. So IMO I would not stick a gourami in a tank with guppies. I know the Honey Gourami are quite peaceful though. Ive a few of those before and they tend to stay quite small in comparison to the blue/gold/pearl gouramis.

I have this exact problem. I posted to give my male Blue away on Craigslist, being truthful that he needs to be kept alone, and I'm not having any luck placing him. I feel like I'm stuck with a fish that has to be by himself, and it's frustrating. I don't have the heart to take him back, because he'll probably end up in a home where he'll attack over tank mates and who knows what someone would do with him.

Gwen

[Inga]

Originally Posted by Byron

The Blue and Opaline are exactly the same species. So is the Gold, Cosby, Three-Spot. These are simply colour varieties, as is explained in our profile of the species, Trichopodus trichopterus. There are even photos of the varieties included.

As for aggression, it is more likely just the fish. The species as a whole exhibits normal gourami behaviour, and that means the males will be territorial and thus somewhat aggressive to other males, sometimes to females, sometimes to other fish they take a dislike too for some reason.

Byron.

Those darn males. Lucky I got a female, I guess. She is a doll and makes me appreciate the species all the more. Might not feel the same if the only one I have had was aggressive like my Gold one was. I just like everyone to get along.