Shoaling Fish To Go With Pearl Gouramis

[dwarfgourami]

My mind is made up: I am getting a 55 gallon this year! I didn't get one for my birthday and I didn't get one for Christmas, and I was more disappointed than I could ever have expected, I really felt let down. 2 weeks spent with the extended family has given me an opportunity to study how disappointments like that can fester and cause all sorts of relational problems later on- so I thought I'd do the decent thing by my family and save them from my resentment in years to come. Sheer kindness, as I am sure you will understand... I love them and I want what is best for them... So at some stage during this year I will be setting up a 55 gallon in the living room.


I don't want to rush into stocking it, as this will definitely be my last tank (famous last words...). So I thought I would take a few months to plan it and then do a fishless cycle (helped by cloning). In the meantime I can bore you with all sorts of different stocking plans and questions.

I though I would plan the new tank with a trio of pearl gouramis as centrefish. Then I'll want some bottom dwellers, possibly a pair of bristlies.

Then I would want a school of something. What do you think would go with pearl gouramis? My first thought was pearl danios, but I wondered if they might be a bit fast and nippy. What do you reckon?

The obvious choice would perhaps be harlequin rasboras. But I think I'd like a few alternatives.

Tetras are a possibility. Don't fancy neons or cardinals, as I've kept them before, would like something new. I thought about black neons- anyone got any opinions? Or maybe black phantoms?

I'm thinking in terms of a school of at least 8-10 individuals. Any suggestions gratefully received.

Then I thought

 

[Durbkat]

You should get 6 to 8 black widow tetras right now I have about 7 in my 55g and they look awesome because since I have alot of plants in my tank to make them feel secure they all come out and they look cool as for bottom dwellers how about 5 or 6 corys to eat the uneaten food the other fish leave behind and a couple ottos to control algae. Then (someone correct me if I'm wrong) maybe you could add about 4 really small angels then once a pair forms return the other 2 or put the other 2 in different tank and that should cover it.

 

[dwarfgourami]

You should get 6 to 8 black widow tetras right now I have about 7 in my 55g and they look awesome because since I have alot of plants in my tank to make them feel secure they all come out and they look cool as for bottom dwellers how about 5 or 6 corys to eat the uneaten food the other fish leave behind and a couple ottos to control algae. Then (someone correct me if I'm wrong) maybe you could add about 4 really small angels then once a pair forms return the other 2 or put the other 2 in different tank and that should cover it.

Thanks for the suggestions. Actually I don't fancy angels that much, so I think I'll give them a miss. Have kept them in the past, thought I'd try something new this time, hence the idea of pearl gouramis. I did think about corys, but I've already got a school in one of my present tanks and the daughter really fancies the bristlies.

 

[Durbkat]

So why don't you get a male and 1 or 2 female bristlenose plecos.

 

[sylvia]

I applaud you on your choice of pearl gouramies - undoubtedly the best fish in the world A trio would be perfect.

I'd avoid anything else that's top dwelling so don't go for danios. Pearl danios don't nip (actualy, none except giants seem to realy nip) but they'd be competing with the gouramies for space so they're best given a miss.

Similarly, I'd avoid angels (though a pair could work) because they occupy the same area as the gouramies. Plus I'm somewhat biased against them because they feel too - what's the word? Mainstream maybe? You get my point anyway.

Harlequin rasboras, black phantom tetras or cories would all work perfectly with the pearls.

In the case of the cories, if you're getting a pair of bristlenoses, you still have room for more bottom-dwellers. However, since cories are pretty common, perhaps you'll consider a small group of loaches - something small and non-nippy but active like, for example, the dwarf chained loach.

Harlequin rasboras are wonderful schoolers - the best IMO - but, like you said, not all that unusual. Black phantom tetras are wonderful fish - my favourite tetra coincidentaly. Avoid black skirt/widow tetras - they nip. I'd probably reccomend something more colorful than these afformentioned species though - perhaps, if you're after tetras - a school of emperors though they don't school particularly or, if you don't mind the size, clown rasboras. Alternatively, there are barbs you could try - checkers come to mind first and foremost. there are plenty fo others that are colorful, small, won't nip and don't generaly go near the upper layers anyway.

Actualy, I'd reccomend some threadfin rainbowfish. They are small but beautiful, different and good shoalers.

If I were you, I'd also throw in a trio of swordtails or american-flag fish or platies or cherry barbs for extra color. Or, if the schooling fish I chose weren't too small, perhaps a pair of my favourite cichlids - keyholes.

edit: to refine some of the grammar/punctuation/spelling

 

[diademhill]

Why not stick with Asian fish? - get 4 or 5 Botia kubotai and a handful of peaceful barbs - Black ruby or narayani would be my choice. These mainly patrol the lower levels leaving the top of the tank for the gouramis and they wouldn't bother bristlenoses.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Thanks, lots of good suggestions to be thinking about here. For the schoolers, I think it's between the black neons and the black phantoms. I haven't decided yet whether some of my platys from my other tank will be going into this one or not, but they might. The Sidthimunki is a nice idea; I like the look of them. The bristlies I think we're settled on. Another fish I had been thinking about is the peacock goby, maybe a pair; they could either go in this tank or one of my old ones. Do you think they would be a problem compatibility-wise? I had also thought of one of the more unusual livebearer species, like the black-bellied limia or endlers, again either here or in one of the smaller tanks.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Why not stick with Asian fish? - get 4 or 5 Botia kubotai and a handful of peaceful barbs - Black ruby or narayani would be my choice. These mainly patrol the lower levels leaving the top of the tank for the gouramis and they wouldn't bother bristlenoses.

Of course the ideal solution would be to get TWO 55 gallons. One Asian: gouramis, botias, khuulie loaches,r rasboras, maybe some barbs. Then another South American: bristlenoses, school of corys, platys, tetras and maybe some limias. And then I could turn the 60 ltrs into a Tanganyikan shelldwellers tank. I might have a job sneakin that one past the family, though...

 

[sylvia]

lol... limias or endler's would work as well. The peacock gudgeon idea should also work. Just be careful you don't put anything in this tank that could eat very small fish - both the gobies and endler's could be at risk.