Please help me decide which gourami

[KatNor21]

Hey, I'm posting about my tank again. It's a 30 gallon long, planted. I have 20 neon tetras (10 are neon greens) and 4 endlers. Because of my last thread, I've decided to add gouramis, but trying to decide between 3-4 honey gouramis or 2 female pearl gouramis. I have a fluval 50 filter. My pH is 6.5, temp 78, hardness 150ppm.

I'm leaning pearl...Could I make this work? I know pearls get kinda big, so if I need to remove some fish, I'd be okay with that.

 

[Colin_T]

what are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

 

[KatNor21]

what are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

36" long, 12" depth, 17" height

 

[Avel1896]

My pH is 6.5, temp 78, hardness 150ppm.

for any gourami

3-4 honey gouramis

You mean 1 male and 3 females I guess of these ?

 

[KatNor21]

I decided on honey

 

[Avel1896]

Yellow-golden variety is nice, BUT, keep in mind it is very hard to sex these fishes. 90% of sellers do not know how to. If you end up with 2 males you're heading for problems even in 30 gal.

 

[KatNor21]

Yellow-golden variety is nice, BUT, keep in mind it is very hard to sex these fishes. 90% of sellers do not know how to. If you end up with 2 males you're heading for problems even in 30 gal.

Noted. I'll keep an eye on them. The staff member got some bigger ones for me and they look to be sexed correctly but I'll be aware if they aren't. Also this was a small, quality pet store, not just a petco, so I have more trust in them.

 

[Avel1896]

Trichogaster "honey gourami" Chuna shows a yelllow edging on dorsal fin.
If edging is (light) blue it is a Trichogaster "dawarf gourami" Lalius.

 

[The_Labyrinth]

Don't worry about the Gouramis sex so much, sounds like you are going for a community tank and not concerned about breeding. I've never had any issues with dominance with Gourami breeds in my community tanks. Your mentioned choices of Pearl or Honey Gouramis should do just fine with the others in that tank size. If you do want to breed, get a 10 gallon or 15H with a sponge filter, add a pair of whatever Gourami and have fun.

 

[Avel1896]

I've never had any issues with dominance with Gourami breeds in my community tanks

Probably because tou always kept 1 male and 1 or several females. If you had kept 2 males you would have noticed it : more or less strong quarrels ending with a boss and a dominated that hides itself, losses its male characteristics to look alike female, as neutral as possible.

 

[Boundava]

Agree with above advise re: male honeys. I had a 75 with 12 honeys and there were three males. One was always in nuptial colors (very handsome, called him Don Draper, lol). The other two had a lot of hiding spaces within plants to get away from the aggressor-though it was only chasing, never fin nipping or biting.
I wound up adding a group of females (the plain silver) when I found them in a LFS. Many don't stock the ladies as they are plain janes, but I think they are very pretty.

Trichogaster chuna – Honey Gourami (Colisa chuna, Trichopodus sota) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

 

[Avel1896]

Boudava, in fact, same problem with every territorial fishes.

 

[Boundava]

Yes but unlike some other territorial fish these don't kill each other. That I have seen.

 

[Avel1896]

I agree, Gouramis do not kill each other, but stress generated by this behavior leads to diseases which for some are fatal. This is what happens when the parameters are correct but the dominated one is still sick....
Fishes, like other animals are very sensible to stress.

 

[Byron]

Males of all gourami species are territorial, this is part of their genetic makeup. The degree to which a species exerts its aggressiveness/dominance varies. For instance, Trichopodus trichopterus, which is the species for the blue, gold, marble, cosby, opaline, and 3-spot varieties, is particularly aggressive. Even here, some individuals are more so than others, but there is an overwhelming aggressive nature in this species. Others are by comparison very docile. The tank size plays into this too. Given adequate space in which to exhibit the normal behaviours and interactions, little harm may occur as the fish play out their natural interactive behaviours. The problem is when the wrong species is stuffed into too small a tank, and/or combined with inappropriate tankmates.