Gourami with territorial problems?

Question
I own a tall 20 gallon tank in which I have: 3 neon tetras, an x-ray tetra, a rummy nose tetra, a molly, a 6" Pleco, a spotted Raphael catfish, a male beta, and a 3"-4" blue Gourami. A large majority of these fish have been living in harmony for 6-7 months now. In that time I added the molly and a few tetras with no problems. This week I decided to purchase a second Gourami, this one is a pearl and is about an inch and a half long. Almost immediately after I put it in the tank, the larger blue Gourami started chasing it/biting it's fins. I had expected a little aggression, but after two hours of this with no sign of an end, I put the smaller Gourami in one of those plastic containers that hangs on the inside of the tank. It has been in there for almost two days now. The Blue Gourami still seems interested in it. Is there any way to safely acclimate the smaller Gourami to the tank?

Answer
Hello Cheryl,

First off, I would like to thank you for asking me this question.  I have had success with gourami's, and I have learned that gourami's can be very territorial when they have reign of a tank for a period of time prior to another gourami coming into the tank.  It becomes their territory, and when you introduce another gourami, the first one thinks the other one is moving in on its territory.  The best way to acclimate a gourami is, unfortunately, in pairs.  The two will face off, and then claim one section of the tank as theirs.  The other reason the "blue" may have shown such aggression as it is the larger of the two fish.  You might be able to return the pearl for a larger one, however, I still think there would be conflict.  Another way that may help is to give the smaller gourami plenty of places to hide in or under until it can grow to defend itself.  Lots of plants would help.  Another possibility would be to get another blue that is similar in size to the other blue.  They will leave the pearl alone, as they most likely would be in a power struggle over territory with themselves.  I hope this help you in your situation.  If you have any other questions, feel free to do so.

Sincerely,

Adrian