Some Gourami Advice Please ....

[ponyperil]

Hi,

I have a 300 litre (4ft) tank that I've run down and now want to re-stock. All I have kept is my two bristlenose plecos (m & f about 3in long). I've had all sorts of different fish over the years but now I want to try something new, and I really like the look of gouramis. I've researched a bit on the internet but there seems to be a lot of conflicting advice, so I was hoping you could help.

At the moment I'm thinking of getting some pearl gouramis - probably 1 male and 3 or 4 females (if I can tell the sex at my lfs!), I've added some new plants as I know they like a well planted tank, but I'm not sure what else to get, so I have a few questions ...

Can I keep more than one type of gourami?
Would either cherry or rosy barbs be ok as tankmates, and if so how many do you think?
Any suggestions for anything else?

Many thanks, Sara x

 

[Ruskull]

Pearl G's are a great choice, you can easily fit a male and 2 or 3 females. You could also add a male Dwarf Gourami and 2 female Dwarfs. You may have a hard time finding females because they aren't as brightly colored so local fish stores don't usually stock them.

Distinguishing male from female in Pearls & Dwarfs is very easy, here's a picture of a female on the left & a male on the right. Notice the females taller body and the male's pointed dorsal fin:

Here's the male, notice how long and pointed the dorsal is:

Here's the female with her diamond shaped body & shorter, rounded tipped dorsal fin:

 

[ponyperil]

That's great, thanks Ruskull and your photo's are lovely .... can I just ask - are the differences between males and females that clear in juveniles, which I think is all my lfs will have. Oh, and you're right, I'm almost certain they don't have female dwarfs

I see from your tank lists that you have cherry barbs and tetras with your gouramis - do you find this to work well?

Thanks again

 

[Ruskull]

That's great, thanks Ruskull and your photo's are lovely .... can I just ask - are the differences between males and females that clear in juveniles, which I think is all my lfs will have. Oh, and you're right, I'm almost certain they don't have female dwarfs

I see from your tank lists that you have cherry barbs and tetras with your gouramis - do you find this to work well?

Thanks again

Thanks! Yes it is harder to tell the younger they are. All you can do is try your best I guess. I knew what mine were when I first got them though, with Pearls it's easier than Honey's for instance.

Also the Tetras I have are perfect for Pearls and/or female Three Spots. I'm don't know if the male Three Spots would be too aggressive toward the tetras.................

If I could do it all again, I'd probably only stock that tank with 2 Pair of Cherry Barbs and pick 1 of the other Tetras & make it a larger group like 12 or so.

 

[ponyperil]

Thanks again. I think I've decided on getting 4 pearl gouramis (1male + 3 female) and a school of penguin tetras, not sure how many but probaby 12 or 15ish. Just having second thoughts about the cherry barbs ... wondering whether to get rainbows instead ... what does anyone think? Oh and maybe some glass shrimps too

 

[Ruskull]

Thanks again. I think I've decided on getting 4 pearl gouramis (1male + 3 female) and a school of penguin tetras, not sure how many but probaby 12 or 15ish. Just having second thoughts about the cherry barbs ... wondering whether to get rainbows instead ... what does anyone think? Oh and maybe some glass shrimps too

I got my Cherry Barbs to add red to the overall color of the tank. They are fun to watch but they do chase each other relentlessly, which kinda kills the tank vibe if you know what I mean.