Gourami Stocking Help

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Flash_Fire

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Hey there! I am setting up a 70g tank to cycle which I plan on heavily planting. Once it's ready we want to stock gouramis in it, We've done many tanks before, but this will be our first time with that breed. My question for you guys is, what types I can stock together with low risk to the health of the fish and how many can I get? If multiple gouramis is out of the question, what fish go well with them?
 
Hi! What are the dimensions of your tank? Honey gourami are probably the most peaceful but may be smaller than what you'd want for that size tank.
Pearls can also be pretty peaceful. Something bigger but a bit more aggressive would be 3-spot gouramis, my favorite color variant of those being the golden. :)
 
Ninjouzata said:
Hi! What are the dimensions of your tank?
48"L x 18"W x 20"H
It's a bit more than 70g, closer to 75, but I figure after water displacement from substrate and decor it will be closer to 70. Not enough to make a huge difference though.
 
Oh, and if it helps with breed choice, my husand likes bright colors on fish, especially blues.
 
I'd go with a group of pearl gouramis. You can have a whole group of them schooling around without much troubles. With 3spot gourami (opaline/blue), you could probably only have M:3F group in there without any fighting.
 
There is the Blue Gourami, though not what I would call "bright" blue.  The Dwarf Gourami has been selectively bred to give a blue variety.  And there may be a "blue" variety of Honey Gourami, not sure but I think I've seen this somewhere.  There is some blue in other species but not overly blue, depending upon what you are intending by bright blue.
 
With a four-foot 70/75 gallon tank you could manage any of those mentioned, but not together.  Male gourami are very territorial, much like cichlids, and they can be as rough.  The Honey is relatively docile.  The Dwarf is risky due to disease unless you get them direct from a reliable breeder.  The Blue Gourami is the species Trichogaster trichopterus, sometimes seen under the former name Trichopodus trichopterus, and occurs in a variety of variations including the Blue Gourami, Gold Gourami, Three-Spot Gourami, Opaline Gourami, Cosby Gourami, and Marbled Gourami.  There may be more.  Being the same species, they should not be combined as the males will consider each other as rivals.
 
Most gourami are best kept in a small group with more females than males to allow the females some rest from the attentions of the male.  One male with two or three females works well, or two males with four or five females (depending upon the species).
 
Although not especially "blue," one of the most beautiful gourami is the Pearl, Trichopodus leerii, and a group of these in your tank would be a beautiful sight indeed.  Here I would go with two males and four or five females.
 
I would not add other gourami with T. trichopterus as this species can be quite nasty defending their tank.  T. leerii is probably best on its own (as gourami) too.  I have found that the smaller gourami species sometimes work well together, thinking here of the more rare species like the pygmy sparkling, chocolate, eyespot, licorice, etc.  These are very delicate fish though (except perhaps for the pygmy sparkling).  I had two species of chocolate in small groups, a trio of eyespot gourami, and a small group of pygmy sparkling in a 70g very heavily planted aquarium a few years back, and they all spawned regularly and managed to remain out of each other's way in the thick plants.  And it was thick; no "swimming" room at all, which is ideal for gourami.  But a group of Pearls or Blue are different, so long as there are floating plants.
 
Suitable tankmates include many of the rasbora species.  These are more sedate fish (as opposed to active swimmers), and very peaceful.  Barbs and danio are not good choices as they are all active swimmers and this will annoy the quiet gourami.  For the lower level, some of the loaches work well.  The smaller species, like the Dwarf Chain Loach, Dwarf Banded Loach, Angelicus Loach (Botia kubotai) or Zebra Loach (Botia strigata), in a group of five or six of one species.  These do not get too large, and while they are somewhat active they are not up in the space of the gourami.  Just avoid upper level fish that are active.
 
Byron.
 
I was planning on planting somewheres along the lines of this thick
http://fish-etc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Planted-tanks-no-hardscape.jpg
Of course the plants will take time to grow in though.
 
I like the pearls a lot, husband likes the ones in the following pictures, not sure of some of these breeds,
http://www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/gourami_neon_blue_male.jpg
http://www.whatiscalled.com/content_images/combtail_gourami_963759840.jpg
http://aquaanimania.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/blue-gourami-trichogaster-trichopterus.jpg
 
Can they live peacefully with smaller schooling fish like tetras?
 
Headed out to the best LFS in a reasonable drive tonight to see what they have and get ideas and plants.
 
In order of the pictures you posted I believe that is a dwarf gourami, paradise gourami, and a blue form (maybe opaline?) of the 3 spot gourami (trichopodus trichopterus).
 
It depends on what tetras I think, like you wouldn't want nippy ones such as the black phantoms with them, but ones like rummynose tetras may do well.
 
I've kept Pearls, Gold, Opaline & 3 spot in a 90gal with little problems. Tank also had angels in it. Very very heavily planted tank though
 
But isn't it more beautiful to have a large group of one species than a few small groups of different species? Just on the aesthetic standpoint. I wouldn't put more than two males in a tank together. Not anymore..... But personally I like opaline the best since they wear their hearts on their skin, I would think pearls would do best since you can get a big group of them together here unlike with 3spots. Not sure if you had all females or all males or a combo, but males can be merciless and search to the ends of the tank to terrorize other males.
 
No large tetras, no nippy tetras, no tiny tiny tetras. But my gourami don't bother any other fish except other gourami (even shrimps).
 
I personally wouldn't do dwarfs. There's just too much risk for DGD.
 
DreamertK said:
But isn't it more beautiful to have a large group of one species than a few small groups of different species? Just on the aesthetic standpoint. I wouldn't put more than two males in a tank together. Not anymore..... But personally I like opaline the best since they wear their hearts on their skin, I would think pearls would do best since you can get a big group of them together here unlike with 3spots. Not sure if you had all females or all males or a combo, but males can be merciless and search to the ends of the tank to terrorize other males.
 
No large tetras, no nippy tetras, no tiny tiny tetras. But my gourami don't bother any other fish except other gourami (even shrimps).
 
I personally wouldn't do dwarfs. There's just too much risk for DGD.
 
DGD?
 
I have a few of each, males and females, gave nice colour to the tank.....they really didnt bother each other at all
 
Flash_Fire said:
 
But isn't it more beautiful to have a large group of one species than a few small groups of different species? Just on the aesthetic standpoint. I wouldn't put more than two males in a tank together. Not anymore..... But personally I like opaline the best since they wear their hearts on their skin, I would think pearls would do best since you can get a big group of them together here unlike with 3spots. Not sure if you had all females or all males or a combo, but males can be merciless and search to the ends of the tank to terrorize other males.
 
No large tetras, no nippy tetras, no tiny tiny tetras. But my gourami don't bother any other fish except other gourami (even shrimps).
 
I personally wouldn't do dwarfs. There's just too much risk for DGD.
 
DGD?
 
 
 
Dwarf gourami disease. The incurable disease that a lot of dwarf gouramis come already infected with when you buy them.
 
Ninjouzata correctly identified the gourami in the photo links.  And other's caution over dwarf gourami is very well founded; the disease is iridovirus, which cannot be cured, and may pass to other fish.  Dwarf gourami can carry it and pass it along without themselves showing any external symptoms.  Unless you know the breeder from whom the fish come, I would not risk this species.
 
Just to clarify, the suggestions several of us have been making about not mixing species and male/female ratio is based upon the normal behaviours for these fish.  Just as with any animal, there will be individuals that do not adhere to the norm, for whatever reason.  But one learns after many years in this hobby that it is far wiser to assume the "norm" for a species.  Not everyone has multiple tanks to be able to move problem fish around, and I can assure you that I have done this a few times to maintain the health of the fish in my several tanks.  Taking a risk is not responsible for the fish, so do your research, ask questions, and plan before you start acquiring fish; it is not always easy to get rid of them.
 
Byron.
 
My gouramis were as normal as the next, i've kept multiple type together over multiple years.....and just because i have multiple tanks does not mean i can move fish willy nilly.  You are taking a risk putting any fish in a tank.........dismissing the possible is limiting.
I wouldnt keep them together if i wasnt confident that they would be fine and at limited or no risk. And before anyone jumps on the limited part of that, a bit of push and shove is normal behaviour, even amongst a male/female pair
 
Thanks everyone! i'll probably just get some pearls and peaceful shooling fish based off of this information.
 

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