Gourami For A Community Tank?

[triliaeris]

I have a new tank that I've setup... it's all cycled, and has some fish living in it already (corys, pleco, tetras, danios) and I've planned to have a gourami in there, but I'm having troubles finding one that would work.

I want a breed that is peaceful, but isn't too afraid to come out. I want him to be able to swim around without being afraid of the other fish, but at the same time I don't want him snacking on them!

I've tried a Pearl, but he just sat in the corner surrounded by leaves just hiding. He would come out now and then and almost instantly be scared and go back to hiding! He never even came out to eat!! I don't know if this is how the breed normally is or if it was just this particular fish. I have plenty of plants and caves and such, so that shouldn't be an issue.

So can anyone suggest me a Gourami? Another Pearl? Maybe a Moonlight? Will they be okay if they're the only Gourami in the tank? I won't be adding any other fish than the types named, so the gourami will have to be okay with them (not scared of them, but not wanting to eat them).

Thanks in advance!

 

[juwelfan]

I have 2 Dwarf Gourami, one male, one female. The male is blue with some red. They get along great with all the fish in my tank. They only seem to bother each other. They are always active too.

Do i would suggest Dwarf Gourami.

 

[triliaeris]

I have 2 Dwarf Gourami, one male, one female. The male is blue with some red. They get along great with all the fish in my tank. They only seem to bother each other. They are always active too.

Do i would suggest Dwarf Gourami.

I had a pair of Dwarfs a few years ago, and if I recall they were quite mean (poking and nipping most other fish)... I'm not to sure about that breed.

 

[sylvia]

I feel a clarification is called for - the different gouramies you can keep are not 'breeds' but different 'species'. I know this is nit-picky but it's important to appreciate that, as they are not just varieties of the same species (that might be a breed in the way that dalmatians and chihuahuas are dog breeds), different gouramies will have very different requirements, habits and behaviours.

How large is your tank? This is the first consideration in deciding which gourami to choose (though, since you have a common plec, I expect it's *pretty* big ). Similarly, how many of each of the fish you mentioned do you own? Could you also be more specific - what species of tetra and what species of danio?

Some tetras are nippy and all danios are active surface-dwellers. The problem with the former is obvious - in the case of the latter the issue is competition for space as gouramies also like to claim territory in the upper layers.

Pearl gouramies make excellent community gouramies but they do better in groups. A single male works only if he has plenty of plants (especialy tall and floating plants) for cover. This actualy means he'll hide less as he'll feel more secure. A gentle current is also important and they cannot deal with nippy tankmates as they develop extended fin rays that make them prone to nipping.

A moonlight gourami migt work but this'll depend on the size of your tank as they get quite large. They are similar to pearls in terms of behaviour (though not as social) so will also appreciate a planted tank. If the tetras you have are a particularly small species, a fully grown male moonlight might just be able to swallow them. It's not that this gourami is deliberately predatory but, as with most fish, they'll grab whatever moves and can fit in their mouths

An alternative species to try is Colisa fasciata (often called the banded, indian or giant gourami but learn the scientific name or you risk major confusion - true giants grow to 30"). These look similar to dwarfs but are far hardier and grow to 4". They can be shy at first but, once settled, are friendly. A similar species is the thick-lipped gourami (Colisa labiosa). Again, these look simialr to dwarfs but are hardier and grow to 3.5". They are often mis-labelled as honey gourami variants so take care.

I wouldn't keep any of these species as pairs but, if you have the room, a trio (1 male, 2 females) would be great. This also encourages more activity and works wonders on pearl gouramies as well (which happen to be my favourites ). Single males work fine also. Only the moonlight is tricky to sex but it matters less in this case anyway. With all the others, the males have longer fins and are more brightly colored.

 

[kev350d]

Providing the tank is large enough i would honestly go for a trio of pearls (also my favourite) as for being shy i cant say ive witnessed it as mine will feed readily from your fingertips, the male can chase other fish from his terratory but never inflicts any injury and certainly doesnt harrass. I keep 3 pearls (1 male 2 female) and the same with golden gouramis (though these do sometimes squabble amongst themselves but only a kinda fast hide and seek.. tag like scenario) tankmates for the gouramis include a huge shoal of cardinals and neons, 2 bristlenose plecs, 1 L001 plec, 4 albino cory, 7 glowlight tetras, 4 clown loach and a bubble ram ohh and a couple ghost shrimp. All get along perfect apart from the plecs when one moves into anothers hole (chase occurs and my plants end up everywhere) lol


If your tank is big enough go for 3 pearls (you wont regret them)..