[helene schoubye]

I think what you describe sounds like what we have been discussing before with chokolate gouramies, that to have a small ‘flock’ is good in order for agression to be dispersed, or maybe more to keep a natural hieraki, – so at least bringing back the couple of males was good in order to make the pair ‘bond’ – as I understand it.
Arent fish always more ‘agressive’ around feeding ? When I had the bigger gouramies – gold, pearl – I learned that it seemed that the dominant male would ‘allow’ the females to feed when food was there, but then after he would have to ‘re-affirm’ his dominant role and would chase them a bit extra, so they didnt ‘forget’ that he was dominant.