Iām cycling my 55 gallon and have a few ideas of things to stock it, but Iām not sure. I was thinking for sure some pearl or dwarf gourami. I do enjoy angel fish and barbs as well. I was wondering how many I should stock along with finding male/females to help keep the aggression down. Iām having trouble finding the two genders online and the Petco and petsmarts near me seem to not know a difference. Would a few cories be okay to put in or should I go for plecos? Iām fairly new to the hobby. I have 2 ten gallon tanks doing well at the moment.
Gourami tank mates and numbers
- Thread starter Amaray
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If I haven't welcomed you already, or even if I have...welcome to TFF. 
Some general comments to start. Cichlids and gourami are best not combined, and with a few exceptions, species within these two groups are best not combined.
What are your source (tap) water parameters? GH and pH here. I will continue with comments on the mentioned fish but this could be affected by parameters.
Of the two mentioned gourami, in a tank with the space as here, the Pearl would be spectacular in a group of five or seven (I like odd numbers visually, sometimes it makes a difference with the fish and sometimes not), more females than males so something like three males and four females, or two males and three females. The Dwarf Gourami is still a serious risk for the iridovirus which is non-treatable.
Barbs are not good tankmates for any sedate fish such as gourami and angelfish. The barbs tend to be active swimmers (this annoys sedate fish), and they are more prone to fin nip that less active shoaling fish, though there are always exceptions. If you decide on Pearls, you have the rasboras to consider for tankmates, and/or some of the peaceful and less active tetras. Rasbora tend to be mid water fish, while many of the suitable tetras are mid to lower level, which is a nice balance with the upper water gourami.
Corydoras for the substrate are fine with either the gourami or angelfish; shoaling species, they need groups and I would suggest around 12-15 for a 55g which I assume is 4-feet in length.
With the angelfish, you might want a surface fish to balance, such as one of the hatchetfish. You won't need this with the gourami as they will tend to be active in the upper half/third.
Plecos are fine; males are territorial among their own, but with several chunks of wood for "homes" you could have two or three. Some species get huge, up to 18 inches, others max out around 4 inches, so you need to be careful. They can produce a lot of waste so fewer is better.
Some general comments to start. Cichlids and gourami are best not combined, and with a few exceptions, species within these two groups are best not combined.
What are your source (tap) water parameters? GH and pH here. I will continue with comments on the mentioned fish but this could be affected by parameters.
Of the two mentioned gourami, in a tank with the space as here, the Pearl would be spectacular in a group of five or seven (I like odd numbers visually, sometimes it makes a difference with the fish and sometimes not), more females than males so something like three males and four females, or two males and three females. The Dwarf Gourami is still a serious risk for the iridovirus which is non-treatable.
Barbs are not good tankmates for any sedate fish such as gourami and angelfish. The barbs tend to be active swimmers (this annoys sedate fish), and they are more prone to fin nip that less active shoaling fish, though there are always exceptions. If you decide on Pearls, you have the rasboras to consider for tankmates, and/or some of the peaceful and less active tetras. Rasbora tend to be mid water fish, while many of the suitable tetras are mid to lower level, which is a nice balance with the upper water gourami.
Corydoras for the substrate are fine with either the gourami or angelfish; shoaling species, they need groups and I would suggest around 12-15 for a 55g which I assume is 4-feet in length.
With the angelfish, you might want a surface fish to balance, such as one of the hatchetfish. You won't need this with the gourami as they will tend to be active in the upper half/third.
Plecos are fine; males are territorial among their own, but with several chunks of wood for "homes" you could have two or three. Some species get huge, up to 18 inches, others max out around 4 inches, so you need to be careful. They can produce a lot of waste so fewer is better.
The PH of my tap water is 7.6-7.8 and there is no ammonia present. Iām not sure about the rest, I can test it tonight. Do you know anywhere online to specifically get female and male groups? Every where Iāve seen is either just labeled male, or just says pearl gourami. My LFS dont really have much of a selection past mollies, glofish, and cichlids.
You'll have to tell us where you are and perhaps other members can advise of online retailers in your neck of the woods. I doubt I would know...the only one I do know of is The Wet Spot in Portland, Oregon, western USA. I'm up in Canada.
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