3-spot Or Cobalt Blue Gourami's

[starsatnight]

hi there - i'm fairly new to the hobby and have had my tank up and running since february 2007.

all levels are where they should be, i do weekly water changes and have had a few fatalities, but i think it was due to a "bad batch" of cherry barbs.

i have a 25US Gallon heated tank with 3 pearl gourami's, 3 golden zebra loaches and 2 mini-golden barbs. i would like to add a shot of blue to my tank and am just head over heels with my pearls. i thought i'd like to add either two 3-spot blue's or two cobalt blue gourami's.

however, i've read loads of conflicting inforamtion on these fish. some say peaceable & some say aggressive and disease carrying.

does anyone have any suggestions or insight on these fish and how they'd get along in my very peaceful community tank?

thanks so much!

 

[Biulu]

I would not add anymore gouramis to this tank, as it is too small to sustain more territorial fish. If you are looking to adding some more colour to your tank, and your tank is at least 75 cm long, what about a school of dwarf rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecox)? They are active, and sociable fish with a beautiful blue metallic colour.

 

[SouthernCross]

I agree, no more gouramis, but I will make a recommendation too...

Cardinal Tetras. There's no comparing how brilliant these guys look in a tank, especially under lights, and they won't bother anybody. They're only small, so you could have a fair few (the more, the better they look! ) Their blue colour is beautiful, and you get the gorgeous red as well. Don't know how anyone could have neons with cardinals available! They look SO much better IMO.

I've got 10 of them in with my pearl gouramis, cories, and platies - so most of my tank colour comes from the cardinals, and my platies who are all different colours.

Especially if you've got a black background they look fantastic.

 

[starsatnight]

I agree, no more gouramis, but I will make a recommendation too...

Cardinal Tetras. There's no comparing how brilliant these guys look in a tank, especially under lights, and they won't bother anybody. They're only small, so you could have a fair few (the more, the better they look! ) Their blue colour is beautiful, and you get the gorgeous red as well. Don't know how anyone could have neons with cardinals available! They look SO much better IMO.

I've got 10 of them in with my pearl gouramis, cories, and platies - so most of my tank colour comes from the cardinals, and my platies who are all different colours.

Especially if you've got a black background they look fantastic.

thanks for the advice to you both. my modem died for a few weeks (right after i posted this) and ended up going to the store and the manager there suggested that a trio of 3-spot blues would be fine. i went on his recommendation and hope that was the right thing to do.

they've all been together for a few weeks now and i haven't seen any signs of aggressive behaviour on anyone's part. the pearls (3 females, i believe) are all larger than the largest 3-spot (i believe i have 2 males and 1 female, based on dorsal fin shape). if i see territorial activity, i will take the blues back to the store. or would you advise i take them back now, just in case? i've posted in another thread that one of the 3-spots seems to have his spots 'fading' away. could that perhaps be a sign of stress?

thanks in advance

 

[SouthernCross]

You might be okay now, but have trouble when those males grow up and become sexually mature. Having two males to only one female - they will fight with each other for dominance, and not to mention will be harassing the female constantly, which will stress her out. Stress = increased susceptibility to illness. If you wanted to keep your blues, I'd swap one of those males for a female.

Also, blues are known to be more aggressive than pearls. Once everybody settles in - that's when your turf wars might start and your pearls might start copping a beating. But since the pearls are larger at the moment, you might not see this yet. Also if your pearls are all females, it mightn't be TOO bad. Another option might be getting ALL blue females - this may reduce the aggression problems.

I don't know, having all those larger gouramis in only a 25gal seems a bit crowded to me...if I was you, I would have gone for a shoal of little peaceful fish, but its your tank, and therefore what you like and in the end it your decision.
I think most of us have learnt to not trust the recommendations of LFS workers - in the end, they're out to make money. Some of the recommendations I've read people have been given on this board are beyond ridiculous. IMO it's always best to do your research first before making an informed decision.

I think you have two choice - play it safe, take them back. And perhaps get a male pearl and something else if you're sure you have all females already. Post some pics if you're unsure. The way male pearls colour up in the presence of females is stunning.

Or alternatively, you can leave things and see what happens. You may be a lucky one - sometimes it comes down to the temperament of individual fish (you might get a nasty bugger, or a pleasant fish) as to whether different species get along. On the other hand, when the growing is done you might run into some of the problems I've outlined above. IMO if you really want to keep the blues, I'd recommend you fix up your sex ratios - either all females, or M/F/F.

So really, it's up to you. Good luck!

 

[starsatnight]

thanks for the advice SouthernCross - i really appreciate it. i'm so in love with my graceful pearls and would hate to see them beaten on or chased. of course, i adore the blues too - but they haven't been around as long!!

i'll try to post up some pictures tonight to see if i can get some help sexing both the blues and the pearls. perhaps my first indication was that the LFS manager wasn't able to sex them either. when i purchased my pearls, i wanted a M/F/F, but don't think that's what i ended up with - no one has the brilliant red throat like i've seen in your profile pic.

i do hope that all is ok - but i'll keep a close eye on how it all develops. i have noticed that one of the blues is quite bold and comes up to see me right away, while the other two are more shy. that one may evolve into the 'nasty bugger' you warned me about! i may need to just buy a second 25Gallon to accommodate the blues - i seem to have a gourami fixation....

thanks again & pics will come soon

 

[SouthernCross]

Haha excellent excuse to get another tank, and you get to keep everybody! I like that idea!

Honestly, at my LFS, I had more trouble getting a hold of girls - and picking one out in a tank full of males! Females seem to be harder to come by out here.
If the pearls are a decent size, it is not hard to tell at all if its a male. Orange throat, longer fins (especially dorsal) and fin ray extensions are a dead giveaway. The males had orange throats in my LFS too (often fish are less coloured at shops cos theyre stressed being so crowded) but for me it was easy to tell.

I say yeah, move your blues into their own tank - and try and get a male pearl. They're soooooooooo pretty. I love my boy, and yes that's him in my profile pic! If you search this forum (gourami) for pearl gourami there should be 2 or 3 threads started by me in the last 2 months or so about my pearl gouramis and full of pictures I've taken of them if you're interested. There's one about how my male has developed his fins and colours over a bit of time.

Looking forward to seeing your pictures.

 

[starsatnight]

ok - i couldn't post my pics on this site using the img tool (didn't like the URL format), so i've done the next best thing and will include links to my fish photos in my online album!

the first link is a 2-for-1 deal, i got two chilling together

the second is one on it's own with a golden barb for good measure!

any clues on gender? i'm pretty sure they're female.

i tried to get the blues as well, but they're so obnoxious! they came up way too close to the glass to see what i was doing and they just ended up being silvery/blue blurs.

and i'll go looking for your pearl threads. they really are such lovely fish. i did a lot of research on them before i picked them up and am just so charmed by them. what wonderful personalities they have.

 

[Biulu]

Yes, they are all almost certainly females. The only one that could still develop into a male, depending upon the age, would be the upper one in your first picture. The dorsal fin looks somewhat more pointy and extended as the other ones.

 

[SouthernCross]

Yep, I agree with Biulu, you've got all females.

 

[starsatnight]

thanks to you both! after i'm able to move the blues into a new tank - i'll be on the hunt for a male pearl.

they seem to be hard to come by up here... i've only seen pearls in one shop - and i've been to loads.... the search is on!