Nipping issue

[EverKi]

As per suggestions on another post, I went a head and picked up a pearl gourami and 6 bleeding heart tetras.. But now the tetras are nipping at my gourami's fins

any suggestions to help fix the issue? Or is my only choice to return one or the other? The only other tanks I have running at the moment are my kids 5.5 gal tanks in their room so I can't really shift any fish around (one houses a Betta with ghost shrimp, the other has a single male guppy who is also rather nippy)
I just sold a spare 25 gal tank too and gave my sister a 10 for her daughter

 

[fishorama]

Any tetras can be nippy with long finned fish IME (bettas, gouramis, angels, male guppies, "long finned" fish of many kinds etc) if the size &/or aggression of the long fin victim is not enough to intimidate the tetras. Is the pearl smaller than almost adult size? How big are the tetras?

We used to buy tiny "feeder size" neons @ 6/$1 for our small betta tank (10g?). The betta would eat a couple tiny neons until they grew beyond bite size. Then the table would turn & the now bigger neons would nip the beta's fins. We moved the neons at that point...& bought more tiny neons.

I haven't kept bleeding hearts, they have a better reputation than some tetras like serpaes, but, yes, you may have to choose if the nipping continues. SOMETIMES adding more tetras can help if your tank is big enough. Some plants, real or fake, to break up sight lines can help. What size tank?

 

[EverKi]

The gourami is about 2" so still small and the tetras are between 1-1.5". It's a 37 gal tank and has the 1 gourami, the 6 tetras, 4 platies and 1 bn pleco. The only one getting picked on it the gourami. I will try adding in more plants/taller ones.

 

[fishorama]

Some floating "plants" might help too, to give the gourami a chance to grow up, it's quite small...but even full grown they have tempting fins to determined nippers. If the damage gets severe you'll have to choose, smaller tetras might be safer, gouramis have smaller mouths so even smallish tetras or (my favored, no front facing teeth: they can't nip like tetras) rasboras!

If the tetras were truly trouble they'd probably bother the platys too by now. It "could" just be a matter of letting the pearl get bigger. Good luck, a 30 inch tank is the smallest I try a pearl gourami in but I might work!

 

[EverKi]

Yea I wanted rasboras but my 7 year old really wanted the tetras so I went a head and got them lol .. I plan to upgrade my tank not long from now I just didn't want it to look empty until I got the new one lol. So I'll keep a close eye on them and if it get worse I'll either return or try to get the new tank a bit earlier then planned and just keep both running. I'll pick up some floating plants as soon as I can get out to grab some!

 

[tanker]

I have kept Bleeding Hearts with Pearl Gouramis without any issue. I had over 12 Bleeding Hearts, maybe that would make a difference. My tank was also a 120, so lots of room too. Also, lastly, not all fishes are the same, What works for me, may not work for others. Sorry, may have to remove, return the Gouramis.

 

[fishorama]

Yeah, like Jessica said, size of tank & number of potentially nippy & nipped fish can make a significant difference. Gourami or tetras, that may be the crux of the issue.

Apparently my rasbora suggestion of very cute but less bitey fish vs tetras got lost in my post but you caught my drift...harlequins or red tailed rasboras are very nice, always...they just can't nip! Their teeth are way back in the throat vs tetras front of the mouth (piranha-like) teeth.

That's why keeping similar habitat fish (Asian w/Asian; SA with South American) is often easier for the most part...not that other combos "can't" work together, it just takes some research & thinking about what fish you really, really would like in your current tank long term. Sometimes that's the hardest part, just which fish are most important for you (& your family members, lol).

Let us know what you decide for the future...with pics! We'd love to see! & probably make more suggestions, we love to help...or just be bossy, tempered by experience, lol. But I'm sure that's why you asked, isn't it?

 

[EverKi]

I'm keeping a close eye on them for now, but it's so far looking like I might have to take the gourami back they have him hiding in one small area of the tank

 

[EverKi]

Poor Gourami has been returned, exchanged him for a few more tetras.

 

[fishorama]

I'm sorry it came to that but sometimes it's the best way...My next suggestion is to go with corys & maybe a BN pleco or an apisto or ram...or pair of either. You are very good to help your dad! Keep up the good suggestions to him.