Gouramis

[Barracuda518]

I have a 30 gallon tank and I recently bought 4 Blue Gouramis (3 spotted Gouramis) that are about 2" long and 2 Gold Gouramis that are about 1" long. I have noticed that the Blue Gouramis are very territorial. They seem to chace each other around. I have 7 Zebra Danios, a Red Tail Shark, and 5 small cory cats and they dont bother them. I read some where that if you have more fish in the tank, the Gouramis will calm down and not be so territorial. If this is true, anyone know what would be the best fish to get for this situation? I plan on getting a school of Clown Loaches soon. I just started the tank about a month ago. Any help would be greatly appreicated.


Thanks

Jason

 

[fish_keeper2]

i beilieve this tank is over stocked. ive herd that the gouramis get 6 inches and u have 6 making 36 inches plus 6 for the shark, 2.5 for each cory and 2 -2.5 for each danio.....if my calculations are correct then u have 2.4 inches per gal(asumming its 30 us gal)i would remove all but one gourami.....a while a go i tried to introduce(i even took out the shark and the gourami and moved everything around before introduceing the new one) a gourami with my gold one and a rainbow shark. the shark didnt care but gourami was pissed and started attacking the new gourami and the shark(and they even used sleep next to my shark at night) so i had to take him back

 

[clunkster]

i would also say this tank is overstocked & would be well overstocked with a school of clown loaches as they have the potential to reach 12" plus sorry

 

[Teelie]

I would say no more than three 3 Spot Gouramis in a 30 gallon heavily planted alone or one only with other fish of a similar temperment. They can and do get territorial and fight with one another. I have tried to keep 3 at once myself but found that two would gang up on the third and push them to a corner and stress it to death.

Clowns get too large for a 30g unless you plan on moving them to a larger tank eventually and the shark will get territorial as it grows older and harass the cories.

I would say remove all but two of the gourami and probably the shark unless you have a lot of caves and hiding spaces for it but then you'd still want to watch for hostility.

 

[Barracuda518]

I know the Gouramis get 6" long, but that takes a long time, so I figured it would be fine until I get a bigger tank. The Danios are no where near 2-2.5", they are about an inch, most smaller then that. I bought them to get the tank started. The Red Tail Shark is very small and they only get very aggressive when there are 5 or less in the tank. The biggest red tail will make the smaller ones miserable. With just one in the tank, he shouldnt get too aggresive. There are caves for him to hide in as well. At some point I plan on getting a bigger tank, I just dont know when.

 

[Teelie]

He will get territorial with other fish that invade his terrirtory however. Especially as they get older. Call it grumpy old age syndrome if you like but they do get more aggressive.

 

[Barracuda518]

Ok...Let me ask you this. You said a 30 gallon tank is not big enough for clown loaches. How long can you keep them in the 30 gallon tank?...Im going to take all the Gouramis out of the tank, seeing as how I want to go another route now with the fish. You seem to know a lot about fish, what type of fish would you recommend for a 30 gallon tank? I have had a fish tank for most of life, but never really have gotten serious with the hobby until recently.

Thanks

 

[fish_keeper2]

the 1 inch guidline applies to the adult size of fish not thier current size(what do u think would happen to a 2 inch baby common plec in a 10 gal after a year or so) with out the gouramis u have 36 inches of fish(if i counted right and i have the sizes right) so u might be able to squeze in some smaller fish....maybe a few ottos but im sure that would be all u can get in that tank....watch out with the shark though cuzz they will get aggressive when older(ive only her this so i dont have experiece with it, i didnt believe it either as mine is a pussy cat but that can all change in a few years) as far as the clown loaches they require lots of hidding spaces which could lead to aggression with the shark and they have to be in groups(ive herd 3 min) so i doubt can sqeeze in 3 of them unless they r very small and young and even then u will have to get a larger tank or remove them in a few years.....but i wouldnt add anymore fish except maybe a few ottos unless u remove some of the other ones along with the gouramis

 

[Barracuda518]

I knew how big the fish would get before I got them. I read that if you keep the gouramis in groups of 4 or more, then they wouldnt be as aggressive. Ive learned that this isnt true, so my plan is to remove them. As for the clown loaches, I know that they get big, but rarely do they get bigger them 6" in an aquarium. The clown loaches ive seen around here arent very big, which means it would take a long time for them to get to that size. Ive been looking into getting yoyo loaches instead, seeing as how they dont get as big. I know the clown loaches like to school in groups of 6 or more, so if I did get a school, I would have to move them to a bigger aquarium in a couple of years. On the other hand, yoyo loaches are happy in groups of 3 or more, but are hard to find around here. As for the sharks, Ive had them before and never really had problems. But like I said earlier, Im still learning...

Thanks

 

[Isis_Nebthet]

To me the goal of keeping any large fish is to see it hit full potential size. If you don't buy them with the intent of keeping them to full size for life you may subjecting them to a poor life. Say you get three clowns grow them up to 6" return them to the store and somone buys them all and puts them in a ten gallon aquarium....You've just put all your effort in for someone else to kill them....

 

[Barracuda518]

To me the goal of keeping any large fish is to see it hit full potential size. If you don't buy them with the intent of keeping them to full size for life you may subjecting them to a poor life. Say you get three clowns grow them up to 6" return them to the store and somone buys them all and puts them in a ten gallon aquarium....You've just put all your effort in for someone else to kill them....

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I agree, that is why Im taking the gouramis to a pet store that wont sell them to someone with an aquarium too small for them. Right now my tank is big enough for them, but they are growing fast and I wont be putting any clown loaches in this tank for that very reason.