More Then One Opaline Male

[jcabs100]

i wanted to know if i can have more then one blue male gourami i have a gold one and i was looking to get a blue one i have a 55 gallon tank my stock is 3 bolivian rams 20 neon tetras 4 mollies and im caring for some sick corys opinions what can i do also how would a female opaline look like if this is not possible for me to have another male its not planted at all im looking to also plant my tank but thats later on

 

[onidrase]

Opaline, Blue, And Gold Gouramis are all color morphs of the same species of fish. Honestly, I'm surprised your blue and gold are not at each other's throats right now. Males don't get along well without the ratio of 1 male for every 2 females.

I wouldn't upset the balance by throwing a female in the picture, and I wouldn't throw in a male either just because that might cause issues. And I don't think you'd have room to buy 6 females to get another male.

I might have misread your post, but this is what I got out of it.

 

[KittyKat]

What are the dimensions of the tank? Territory is all about area, the volume almost doesn't matter.

 

[jcabs100]

Yeah you misread I have a blue gourami but instead of blue its gold

My dimensions are 48x13x21

Again I only have one gourami and I am looking to add another

Im probably getting rid of my sick corys to some one who could care for them so I want to restock honestly my rams arent bothered by my gourami sometimes I see them hang out together which is pretty cool but I would like to add another but instead of gold a blue gourami

 

[KittyKat]

My dimensions are 48x13x21

I would personally not keep more than one Trichopodus trichopterus in a tank of those dimensions.

Yeah you misread I have a blue gourami but instead of blue its gold

…the common name for a gold T. trichopterus is "gold gourami" and the common name for a blue T. trichopterus is "blue gourami". The most common name for this species is "three spot gourami". Regardless of the colour morph, the fish is the same species, unless you are actually talking about one of the other half dozen species which are sometimes called "blue gourami" or "gold gourami".

Again I only have one gourami and I am looking to add another

If your existing gourami is a T. trichopterus (the colour morph doesn't matter at all for most fish, gouramis included), then "no", we recommend against adding a second one due to territorial aggression. If you add another T. trichopterus, then there is a reasonable chance that one will kill the other and be damaged enough in the process that it will die of injuries.

If your fish is not a T. trichopterus, then we need to know what species it is and what species you want to add.

 

[jcabs100]

My dimensions are 48x13x21

I would personally not keep more than one Trichopodus trichopterus in a tank of those dimensions.

Yeah you misread I have a blue gourami but instead of blue its gold

…the common name for a gold T. trichopterus is "gold gourami" and the common name for a blue T. trichopterus is "blue gourami". The most common name for this species is "three spot gourami". Regardless of the colour morph, the fish is the same species, unless you are actually talking about one of the other half dozen species which are sometimes called "blue gourami" or "gold gourami".

Again I only have one gourami and I am looking to add another

If your existing gourami is a T. trichopterus (the colour morph doesn't matter at all for most fish, gouramis included), then "no", we recommend against adding a second one due to territorial aggression. If you add another T. trichopterus, then there is a reasonable chance that one will kill the other and be damaged enough in the process that it will die of injuries.

If your fish is not a T. trichopterus, then we need to know what species it is and what species you want to add.

Im going to go on the safe side and say its a t. Trichopterus so I can only add 2 females...dang the gold one is beautiful because hes gold but has some blue on all of his fins how can I tell the difference between a male and female

 

[KittyKat]

Im going to go on the safe side and say its a t. Trichopterus so I can only add 2 females...dang the gold one is beautiful because hes gold but has some blue on all of his fins how can I tell the difference between a male and female

With young and mature fish, it's very, very difficult. Young adult males tend to have pointier dorsal fins, but it's still very difficult.

 

[jcabs100]

Could I get a picture on how a female would look just so I can get an idea of when I got to my lfs

 

[Ruskull]

Yeah you misread I have a blue gourami but instead of blue its gold

My dimensions are 48x13x21

Again I only have one gourami and I am looking to add another

Im probably getting rid of my sick corys to some one who could care for them so I want to restock honestly my rams arent bothered by my gourami sometimes I see them hang out together which is pretty cool but I would like to add another but instead of gold a blue gourami

Just add 2 females of whatever color you want, Gold, Opaline, Blue, Platinum, etc. The females are awesome fish themselves.

 

[Ruskull]

Could I get a picture on how a female would look just so I can get an idea of when I got to my lfs

Feamles have rounded fins & bodies that are less tall but longer & fatter in the middle. Here's a picture of my Oplaine female:

 

[jcabs100]

Could I get a picture on how a female would look just so I can get an idea of when I got to my lfs

Feamles have rounded fins & bodies that are less tall but longer & fatter in the middle. Here's a picture of my Oplaine female:

would females have those 2 long whickers im sorry for the ignorance under the head or body they look like feelers almost because i dont see it in the picture you showed me and your female opaline is beautiful i saw one just like that in my lfs and i hesitated on getting it because i didnt know if it was female or male

 

[Liquid skills]

yeh they all have antennae the one in ur pic looks to me like a female not a male its dorsal fin is too rounded imo

oops didnt read the whole post sorry thought it was op's one lol

 

[Ruskull]

yeh they all have antennae the one in ur pic looks to me like a female not a male its dorsal fin is too rounded imo

oops didnt read the whole post sorry thought it was op's one lol

Yes, she's a female and she rules the Pearl pair with an iron fin! For now at least anyway. Lately the male Pearl has been chasing her back sometimes.

I wish I could get better pictures of these fish, I swear the camera doesn't do them justice. They don't stay still & even if one does, some other fish will move & blur the pic.

 

[jcabs100]

My gourami isnt shy he's starting to eat out of my hand and its awesome...im definitely going to get some females to give my tank a little more color also i'm going to get plants...this is going to be my first experience with plants any suggestions on how to care for them... i'm not going to run any co2 just a simple heater and filter any pointers

 

[Ruskull]

My gourami isnt shy he's starting to eat out of my hand and its awesome...im definitely going to get some females to give my tank a little more color also i'm going to get plants...this is going to be my first experience with plants any suggestions on how to care for them... i'm not going to run any co2 just a simple heater and filter any pointers

I would get some Anubias plants. They are very hardy, don't require a lot of light & they grow pretty fast. Don't put them in the gravel or sand though, they do best tied to a piece of driftwood.

You could also try Bacopa Caroliniana, also known as Lemon Bacopa. I bought one plant, split it into five & planted it directly into the substrate just like you would a plant in your yard. Mine grew very well even with the regular bulb that came with the tank.

I would add fertilzer though, I don't have any plans for CO2. Just a week ago I did get a much better light fixture but my Lemon Bacopa, Anubias & Wisteria plants were all doing pretty good without it. The main reason for the new light was to get the Amazon SWord to grow better.