What Gourami?

[Man of fish]

Well now I'm looking for a centerpiece fish and am mainly looking at gouramis. I'll share what will eventually be stocked, then suggestions on a kind of gourami are welcomed. Also how many of any species you suggest would be great.
29 gallon tank
3 Molly
6 platy
8-10 cardinal tetra
3 otoclinus
Gouramis? Maybe a betta would be a good centerpiece?

All suggestions welcome
2 species of gourami I like are flame dwarf and honey.

 

[Ruskull]

Dwarf Gouarmis are awesome but they aren't nearly are hardy as the Three Spot varieties. Unfortunately Three Spots aren't a good mix for the rest of the fish in your tank.

I always liked the Flame, Red, Blue & Neon Blue Dwarfs, the hard part is finding a female or two for him. The good looking Dwarf Gouramis are the males, the females are a much more gray, short bodied version of the males.

A Dwarf may get lonely if he was on his own.

 

[Fishy friend2]

A dwarf gourami or a Betta, are always good centerpiece fish for small community tank but I would go for the dwarf gourami because the mix of fish you have in their might intimidate the Betta because of their colors and size
I disagree woth you, A gourami will not get lonely on his one

 

[Man of fish]

Ok. How many would you suggest? Is there a certain ratio? I hear honeys are more peaceful but are they good choices?

 

[Ruskull]

Ok. How many would you suggest? Is there a certain ratio? I hear honeys are more peaceful but are they good choices?

Generally speaking all Gouramis, Three Spots, Pearl & Dwarf varieties all do better with company. The best ratio is 2 or more females per male.

Of course they are examples of very aggressive, or very timid individuals that might actually do better on their own. Just saying......

Having more than one female per male spreads the attention out between them. This reduces stress.

I don't have any personal experience with the Honey Gourami, Sparkling, Banded, Paradise, etc. varieties so I can't comment on them.

 

[Ruskull]

A dwarf gourami or a Betta, are always good centerpiece fish for small community tank but I would go for the dwarf gourami because the mix of fish you have in their might intimidate the Betta because of their colors and size
I disagree woth you, A gourami will not get lonely on his one

Every fish has it's own personality, especially Gouramis, but most prefer the company of their own kind. At least that's been my experience. I wouldn't keep 2 barracudas together though...........

 

[Man of fish]

Could I get one or 2 flames? Are they peaceful? How large do you think they'll grow?

 

[trianglekitty]

Just speaking for myself, I won't own any of the dwarf gourami varieties. They are terribly inbred and many are infected with dwarf gourami disease. It is an iso virus that is incurable and always lethal. Estimates vary pretty widely on how many are infected, but it may be between 25%-50% percent of pet store gouramis.

The worst part is they are great fish...mine had a big personality and was a great little companion. That just made it all the more heartbreaking to watch him die and not be able to do anything to help him.

Also, by not purchasing more, I'm doing at least a tiny bit to discourage the sale of such fish. It is irresponsible to breed fish for color and not for health, and to continue to breed when the iso virus is a known issue.

Sorry, soapbox ramp over. I would suggest either a betta or a honey gourami. Honey gourami also come in different colors, but are not affected by the disease.

 

[Man of fish]

If I do decide on a betta does the type matter? Honeys are nice. I'm gonna do some research on them real fast. How many should I get a pair or 3?

 

[trianglekitty]

If I do decide on a betta does the type matter? Honeys are nice. I'm gonna do some research on them real fast. How many should I get a pair or 3?

I think a male or female would probably be fine, or two females and a male...but someone else may know more I. I would give a lot of cover with plants and such though to make them feel more secure.

 

[thereverendturtle]

I wouldn't add a betta, it will probably end up with shredded fins. The honey gouramis would be a good choice, a pair or trio would be just fine. If it were my aquarium I would add a pair of pearl gouramis. Personally I think they are the most beautiful ones. They get a little bigger than the dwarf gouramis but are generally very peaceful. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Liquid skills]

In some way i agree no bettas with gouramis
I had luck with my dwarfd and an old betta but thats was pure luck

I love opaline gouramis (blue, 3 spot) mine have suck strong colours and they are both laid back i have in with them 20 platy fry and all are still there they dont even pay attention to them but again proberly just luck lol

Oh yeh i recomend only having one type of labrymph fish( air breathers) as multible species dont get on eg gouramis and bettas or snake heads

 

[Man of fish]

I'm thinking people think I want to get a gourami AND a betta. I just want either one.

 

[thereverendturtle]

I should clarify, the betta will get beaten up by the other fish. I wasn't even thinking of doing both. I tried a betta in my community tank and my mollies shredded his fins. Just my experience.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

A dwarf gourami or a Betta, are always good centerpiece fish for small community tank but I would go for the dwarf gourami because the mix of fish you have in their might intimidate the Betta because of their colors and size
I disagree woth you, A gourami will not get lonely on his one

Every fish has it's own personality, especially Gouramis, but most prefer the company of their own kind. At least that's been my experience. I wouldn't keep 2 barracudas together though...........

I strongly disagree as well, and I consider your theory to be a widely spread gourami myth. Gouramis do not get along with company of their own species or similar species. Unless you have intentions of breeding, there is no reason to keep more than one. Doing so will only increase stress and aggression.