Might Be Getting Some Gouramis, Need Advice Please

[BLASK]

I have two 20gal tanks. Both are heavy planted. They are currently overstocked since my platies are having the best of it if you know what I mean.

Anyway I might be able to trade a large amount of my platies away for some 1-2 month old baby gouramis.

I have kept the easy fish: platies, mollies, guppies.

And I also have kept the medium fish: khuli loaches, oto cats, cory cats, neon tetras.

And I have been keeping a hard fish, my cichlid blue ram pair.

I consider myself well experienced and up for a task of handling this new species (the gouramis), however I have never owned any so I am asking for advice here.

I do not know the species of the gouramis but the person sent me pictures of the parents and the babies so prehaps you could identify them for me:

Currently my tank fish load is in my signature.

Please let me know if these are suitable for a 20gal tank and if they are non-agressive, at least towards my occupants.

Thank you soo much in advance!!

 

[babybell911]

They're opaline or 3 spot gourmai's they need about 10 gallons each but shouldnt really bekept in two's as there is usually a bully. So you either need one male and two females(to spread out agression) which you don't have room for or you could just have one male or female. I have one female in my community.
You would be overstocked but if your filteration is ok and your swapping a fair amount of platies that should free up the room for gouramis hope this helps

 

[sylvia]

Three-spot gouramies (of which opaline is one of several color morphs) are on of the most aggressive gourami species. They don't normaly work well with fish like guppies but should be ok with everything else. Mollies tend to annoy gouramies - not just three-spots - but, whereas other species might ignore them or avoid them, three-spots tend to 'bite back'. This is more of an issue when you are keeping a mixed-sex group of gouramies though. Similarly, breeding rams get very territorial and might provoke a retalliation on the gourami's part.

In terms of keeping them in a 20 gallon, it would be best to go for only one. They do best kept in large female-only groups where aggression can be devided amongst all the indivduals or just one male with 2-3 females. However, they also do fine singly. In a 20 gallon, only keeping one singly is realy an option. You see three-spots are territorial so need plenty of room in the upper water layers (males are more territorial than females but then females also preffer to have some company) and, as was said, keeping two is a bad idea as one will dominate over the other.

Fights between three-spot males, and occasionaly between females, can result in death. They are, however, relatively well-behaved when it comes to urnelated species. If I were you, I'd go for a different species altogether (namely pearl gouramies and I'd get a trio) but, if you want this type, go for just one. You still need to watch carefuly and see how your other fish deal with it (particularly the guppies). A male would do better on his own but your other fish might preffer it if you were to go with a female because they are less aggressive. It realy is up to you in the end - both sexes are alright on their own.

If you've been put off by the three-spot's 'evil streak', you may like to hear that they are also one of the hardiest gouramies. They can survive almost anything and have long lifespans (7 years is typical). They also have great characters and aren't quite as shy as some other species. Many of mine will eat out of my hand. If you should ever want to breed some, they are one of, if not the, easiest species to spawn. The males grow to about 6" with females about an inch smaller (another consideration if you decide to get one).

 

[vancouver]

Don't they get to around 5'' ?

I don't know if I'd keep a 5'' fish in a 20g tank with other fish.. especially not something that has the ability to be aggressive..

I cant see your signature so I don't know what fish you have in the tank currently

 

[BLASK]

Thank you babybell911 and sylvia.

I will keep an update here if I do get them.

vancouver, how can you not see my sig? Are you on cell or pda?

Here it is:
20 gallon (heavy planted w/ crater rock): 14 platies, 3 guppies, 2 otos, 2 spotted cory cats

20 gallon (heavy planted w/ driftwood): 14 platies, 2 black khuli loaches, 8 neon tetras, 2 otos, 2 (pair) German Blue rams

Thanks again everyone.