Honey Gourami Compatibility Question

[Noidstradamus]

Hello everyone,

I currently have a 10 Gallon moderately planted aquarium with a male Honey Gourami, 2 female guppies, and 2 Oto Catfish (yes I know, weird mix). Everyone gets along great. My friend is giving me a 20g high and obv I'd like to get some more fish. I'm thinking of getting a couple more Otos and some chili rasboras. My wife saw a powder blue dwarf gourami in the store and wants to get one as a "friend" to the honey. I've read mixed things about how dwarf gouramis treat each other. Is there a gender combination that will work? Male honey, male blue? Male honey, female blue? Get two female blues? No other gouramis?? I'm not sure what to do lol.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Sometimes 2 will work, sometimes not...IME, 2 males is better than a M/F pair, because the male constantly harassed the female (again, my experience).

Do be aware that dwarf gouramis can be afflicted with this, especially mass-bred ones, like the powder blues: https://helpusfish.com/1/17/dwarf-gourami-disease-guide.html

 

[Colin_T]

Don't mix different species of Gourami because they fight.

Dwarf gouramis (Colisa lalius) and all its colour forms regularly carry Fish TB and the Gourami Iridovirus, neither of which can be treated and have a 100% kill rate.

If your wife wants a powder blue dwarf gourami, set up the new tank and move your current fishes into that. Set up the old 10 gallon and put a pr of powder blue dwarf gouramis in the 10 gallon by themselves, or with a couple of shrimp or snails. Then if the gouramis have TB or the Iridovirus, it will be in the 10 gallon tank and won't affect the other fishes you have.

You will have to use separate gravel cleaners, buckets and nets for each tank but it would allow her to have the powder blues and you can stay with your current stock.

With gouramis, have 1 male and 1 or 2 females. In small tanks, just have 1 male and 1 female.

--------------------
A 20 gallon high tank isn't going to have much more surface area than a 10 gallon tank so you won't be able to have many more fish in it.

With fish tanks, longer and wider are better than tall and skinny because the longer wider tanks have more surface area and more swimming room. Fish swim left to right, not up and down.