Gourami?

I was thinking about buying some gouramis. What should I look for in a Gourami? What types of fish can they live with/tolerate? Is there a way to tell between the sex of the fish? If anyone can tell me this and any other information they have on this breed of fish, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

Peaceful fish with other species, aggresive with their own kind.
If you got a planted tank, go for dwarf gouramis as they are not strong enough to take the plants apart. (Moonlights destroyed 3 of my plants before i changed them for gouramis) There are many different types, males in dwarf gouramis are more colorful while females are plain. On the other species i am not so sure. They breed by making a bubble nest and lying eggs.

 

What size tank do yo plan on putting them in?

-Chelle

 

I currently have a twenty gallon tank. Would I be able to keep them with the fish I have now (listed in my signiture) or would I have to put them in a different tank? I have a different tank, if not and I know guppies can be put in a bowl but i'm not sure about tetras. Is a twenty gallon ok? I think I have a twenty five from when my brother had fish I'm not sure about its size though. If I used that tank, I would have to get another stand and find room for the tank. What are your thoughts?

 

A gourami should do just fine in there. If you get some of the more peaceful species like the pearls you could have two or three but if you do get that many be sure there are places that they can claim as their own territory so their won't be any fighting. Stay away from gold/three spot gouramis and kissing gouramis as they get too large and can be very aggressive ( I know this from experience).

 

Places they can claim as their territory? Like rock tunnels and things, is that what you mean? Would I be able to mix the pearl Gouramis with my current fish? Are you saying I could have two or three gouramis in additon to my current fish? Do you know about blue Gouramis? Those were the kind I was thinking about getting.

 

Yes I mean in addition to your current fish. I've learned it is best to keep gouramis in odd number so if you want more than one you should probably get three. I love pearl gouramis, look them up they are gorgeous and stay smaller and are less aggressive than some other gouramis. Blue gouramis, I think, are just a color variation of the gold gouramis. The golds are mean s.o.b.'s so I'd stay away from the blues too just out of caution. I had one gold that got to be about 5 inches long and killed about 4 fish in my 20 gallon before I gave him away. Look into dwarf gouramis too, they're very pretty and not nearly as aggressive.

By territory I mean large plants, rocks, caves etc. One dwarf I had lived inside a sunken ship ornament and all the other fish I had knew to never enter that ship because it was his. The other dwarf hung out by a large plant all the time. If they all have enough stuff in the tank to claim you won't run into as many aggression problems. Also, try to get some females to help make your gouramis more social. They can be hard to find though.

 

Alright, thank you very much. I'll stay away from the golds and (just in case) the blues. How can you tell the difference between a female and male pearl gourami? Is it the same way as you find out with mollies and guppies?

 

A few dwarf gouramis would be okay.

I don't know about the pearl gouramis, but with dwarf gouramis males have a pointed dorsal fin and females have a rounded one.

-Chelle

 

I would go for the dwarf gouramis too if I were you just to be safe with the smaller fish you currently have. I have had an opaline gourami for a few years now and I used to have a blue in with him (a tankmate) but the opaline killed it! I guess he didn't want a mate. :roll: The opaline dosen't really care about the other fish though. Just the ones that look like him.

 

Alright. I think I'll be going with the dwarfs then. How many do you suggest? 2 or 3 like Tina1 suggests? And you're sure they'll be fine with my current fish right?? Sorry, I just want to be 100% sure... Do they eat tropical food? I dont know much about these fish.... I just saw them in a store and thought they looked cool... This is my research now, lol. Ok, well tell me all you know!

 

I just looked at your fish list again. Cory cats really need to be in groups, otherwise they can get really stressed. So I recommend getting 2 dwarf gouramis and 2 more cory cats. That should put you right at the bioload limit of your tank. Actually, it will be slightly above the limit, but if you keep up with your water changes and/or put the guppies in a different tank, you should be fine.

EDIT: And here's some links to start your research:
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/anaba ... ourami.htm
http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pag ... uramis.htm
http://tropical-fish.net/Gourami/dwarf_gourami.htm
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/glalia.html
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod ... pCatId=974

-Chelle

 

I just went and bought three Neon Blue Dwarf Gouramis today. I'm thinking about putting the guppies in a bowl, but I want to see how they interact first.

Wow, thankyou. I didnt know that cats stressed out. I once had two but we moved and my mum made me give one away. I'll get two more the next time we go to a store.

If anyone else wants to tell me anything about the fish I have, feel free! Thank you all for your help with my choice!

 

Guppies need a cycled, aerated, & heated aquarium, not a bowl.

-Chelle

 

Ok, I have another tank too. My mistake, I shall not put them in a bowl. Thank you.