Are There Any Gouramis Peaceful Enough For Fancy Guppies?

[Jeremy180]

I'm currently doing livestock selection for a 29 gal (110 litre) aquarium.
 
My sister insists on fancy guppies, and I Really want a Gourami.
 
Are there any gouramis that can be trusted with fancy guppies, or is one of us going to be dissapointed?

 

[TallTree01]

Honey gouramis. Pearl gouramis if you're looking for something bigger. 
Both very peaceful the pearls get to 10-12 cm and the honeys to about 6-8

 

[NeonBlueLeon]

There's also dwarf gouramis.  Beware the iridovirus.

 

[rolo0151]

I had a dwarf with guppies. No issues at all.

 

[KittyKat]

I used to keep a breeding group of 20-30 sparkling gouramis in a 110 litre 4 ft tank with an overbreeding group of guppies.

 

[Jeremy180]

DOH! forgot to mention I'd also like some ghost and red cherry shrimp.
From What I've seen online, the pearls and Dwarves are a definite no-go for shrimp, and the honeys are borderline.
 
Are there any smaller Gourami that are fairly easy care?
I like the look of licorice gourami, but they seem to be a bit on the delicate side.

 

[DreamertK]

My opaline gourami is too lazy to try and chase shrimp around, though the shrimp didn't show too much of themselves around the tank. Sometimes right when I turn the lights on I see them swimming about together.

 

[Jeremy180]

The api test kit just arrived in the mail today, and it hows that the tap PH is about 8.2
and the aquarium, (which has a good-sized hunk of driftwood) is about 8.0
...
While there are a few Gouramis that would survive in PH like that, I don't know of any smallish ones that would be happy with it.

 

[DreamertK]

What about adding some peat in there?
 
Smaller gouramis do tend to like more acidic PH. You can still go with one of the larger ones and give the shrimp something the gourami cant get into, though I still doubt a 3spot will have any interest in them.

 

[Jeremy180]

Thanks everybody, but I think both the fish and I would be better off if I choose fish that like the water paremeters I have rather than trying to change them.

 

[paradiddle]

Id personally go with something other than Gourami, i find them very... weak.

 

[DreamertK]

@Jeremy, Good thinking. Cichlids would be perfect for ph 8, though some of them like really hard water while others like soft water.
 
@paradiddle, Are you sure you're not thinking of DG's with their DGD? Three spot gourami are notorious for their ability to survive in most any condition.

 

[fm1978]

What about some dwarf cichlids instead? A few rams perhaps?

 

[Jeremy180]

From what I've heard dwarf cichlids are both more aggressive and less tolerant of hard water than dwarf Gourami.
 
I've decded it will be a single male honey dwarf or nothing.
 
I read a couple sites that said that honeys can toerate up to 8.0 ph, has anyone had success in keeping thm in water this hard?

 

[GetItSahn]

From what I've heard dwarf cichlids are both more aggressive and less tolerant of hard water than dwarf Gourami.
 
I've decded it will be a single male honey dwarf or nothing.
 
I read a couple sites that said that honeys can toerate up to 8.0 ph, has anyone had success in keeping thm in water this hard?

While I agree that the honey gourami is an excellent choice (i have one myself). The rams really aren't aggressive. I know so many people who have hept them with guppies, neons, cardinals, and even shrimp. 
I understand if you don't want the rams but I'd hate to see you rule them out because you have the wrong impression about their temperament