Gold's Vs. Pearls

[bloatedguppy]

Well I'm starting a new 30 gallon community tank meaning "new fish" its 4 years old but I was wondering some specifics of gold and pearls. Recently I went to my specialized aquarium store. I got 2 med golds that first seemed like male and female, I had them for a week and everything seemed fine until after they where getting pop eye but where recovering but still acting weird, then I found out they where both male and one was more aggresive then the other so I took them back. The store was nice when I took them back and gave me full-credit but I saw they had a big tank full of Healthy med Pearl gouramis. Now I waiting a week to make sure my water is fine instead of rushing and getting new fish but I know some gouramis are more prone to parasites and disease and was wondering should a Pearl gourami be more hardy then a gold?, Cause I was shock to see my gouramis starting to have pop-eye! Anyway if I got some they would be the dominant fish in my tank I got loachs and neons right now so would they be aggresive to my fish or would they get along? Also my main question is, are pearls hardy? My nitrates are low, my ph is around 7.0-2 and my other fish are quite healthy. So any oppions?

 

[Ragtatter]

In my personal experience, three-spot (gold) gouramis and pearls tend to be roughly about the same as far as hardiness goes, and pearls aren't too fussy about pH so long as it stays consistant.

As far as appearance and temperament, I would recommend Pearls over three-spots a thousand times over. Once they get settled into a tank and start to color up, pearls are absolutely spectacular in appearance. Temperament-wise, they are absolutely ideal for community tanks, and I've never seen one with really severe aggression problems (nothing like some of the trouble that three-spots would cause). Although I wouldn't recommend it, I've seen people keep even pairs or trios of males together with no aggression problems.

 

[bloatedguppy]

I went to the store and got a nice young pair today. I like their temperment alot. My rainbows like to shoal with them even though they where just added. My store was very nice and gave me a male and a female this time. They seem to be wimpy right now but that just cause their new right now.

 

[Ragtatter]

They seem to be wimpy right now but that just cause their new right now.

Yeah, that's pretty typical. My big male spent the first month or so hiding behind the plants in the back of the tank, but now he parades back and forth across the front.

 

[MarkM]

They seem to be wimpy right now but that just cause their new right now.

Yeah, that's pretty typical. My big male spent the first month or so hiding behind the plants in the back of the tank, but now he parades back and forth across the front.

My Gold did exactly this....hid for weeks after being introduced...and now doesnt move from the front of the tank...looking out for me about to feed!!

 

[bloatedguppy]

Ya there getting better now and the female is a bit bossier but not aggressive. The male's feeler fin is a bit shorter then the other but I heard they regenerate, How long does it take? Also when I saw all of them, do most male fins seem a little shredded at the end?, meaning "not perfectly round like the females".

 

[Ragtatter]

Ya there getting better now and the female is a bit bossier but not aggressive. The male's feeler fin is a bit shorter then the other but I heard they regenerate, How long does it take? Also when I saw all of them, do most male fins seem a little shredded at the end?, meaning "not perfectly round like the females".

Yeah, the "fringe" on the fins is completely normal for males.

 

[bloatedguppy]

Is it normal for my male to be hiding at the bottom and then swiming up and down the glass slowly?, Cause my female acts like she's a queen while my male just does what I discribed earlier. I know its only been like a day and sometimes for fish it take a week or 2 to get settled in. It just worries me cause he didn't eat tonight but he did this morning. The only thing I can think of is temp or maybe the other fish are moving all the time but heres my condition of my tank. 30 gal, very low nitrates, 7.2 ph, no amonia, temp is 80-78F, med current, and everybody is doing fine. Does this sound normal or should I watch him carefully? btw he still has good coloring. And last night the temperarture drop like to 75F but this morning hes not eating again and he's mostly at the top instead of the bottom. All but his dorsal is erected and he's just still swimming slowly so I turn the temp up a little to 81F.

 

[Ragtatter]

Is it normal for my male to be hiding at the bottom and then swiming up and down the glass slowly?, Cause my female acts like she's a queen while my male just does what I discribed earlier. I know its only been like a day and sometimes for fish it take a week or 2 to get settled in. It just worries me cause he didn't eat tonight but he did this morning. The only thing I can think of is temp or maybe the other fish are moving all the time but heres my condition of my tank. 30 gal, very low nitrates, 7.2 ph, no amonia, temp is 80-78F, med current, and everybody is doing fine. Does this sound normal or should I watch him carefully? btw he still has good coloring. And last night the temperarture drop like to 75F but this morning hes not eating again and he's mostly at the top instead of the bottom. All but his dorsal is erected and he's just still swimming slowly so I turn the temp up a little to 81F.

Honestly, it might be a bit too hot for him. Mine tend to do best when I keep the temp around 75 degrees. Otherwise, it just might be that he's still not comfortable. For some reason, I've found females tend to get confident faster than the males. I'd keep an eye on him, but so long as his color is still good and he's still eating a little bit, I wouldn't get too worried about it.

 

[bloatedguppy]

Well I put some warm water on him today and he seemed a bit better and more active after that. Hes still at the top but his color is good. The thing that bothers me is hes not eating like the day I got him but hes not skinny. I guess I should turn the temp down instead of up. The reason I fear easy are these are the fish I've been wanting to get for awhile and the others seem to be so active and great besides him not eating. Anyway if you could let me know about there normal behavior that be great.

 

[bloatedguppy]

Well I might of found out why hes not eating! In 1 of his eyes unforchantly he has cloudy eye
I've already tested them for parasites and proazons also my water is all good. All I can think of is stress, bacteria, or irratation. I do recall the first day that he was scatching the same eye on a smooth rock once or twice thinking maybe he had ick. Anyway I've done a water change and added a little salt but besides that should I get some meds or just see how it turns out? His color has improoved but he's still not eating and he's now out instead of hiding but he sits and swims slowly in the mid water of the tank.

 

[bloatedguppy]

Well he R.I.P.'d last night unforchantly so I'm gonna watch my female a couple of weeks before getting another male.