Which Gourami?
- Thread starter Shadowkat
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What species of tetras and danios and how big is the tank?
Dwarf gouramies are one of the most fragile of the common gourami species because they are very disease-prone. In general, danios do not make good tankmates for gouramies because they occupy the upper water layers and so compete with the gouramies for space. They can also be too active for more nervous species. Tetras vary in size and behaviour but many are nippy and so can only be kept with certain gourami species. Remember that most have elongated, hair-like ventral fins which many nippy species will damage. Though they grow back, gouramies with nipped fins are prone to infection and the situation is stressful for them - just another way for a fish to get ill quickly.
If you have a relatively small tank (say 20 gallons), and the danios and tetras you have are not nippy species, I would suggest a single banded gourami male (Colisa fasciata) or thick-lipped gourami male (Colisa labiosa). Alternatively, a trio of honey gouramies would work well if your plant is reasonably planted so that the danios do not stress them. Make sure not to confuse honeys (Colisa chunae/sota) with the various color morphs of the dwarf gourami which can often resemble them. Note that you must get at least 2 females to accompany the male.
If you are not too conserned about having a brightly colored 'centerpiece' fish, the croaking gourami is an interesting option for a tank with non-nippy tankmates. You should try to get one male and several females and plant the tank quite heavily. They can be tricky to sex as juveniles so be prepaired to buy more than you actually want and remove extra males later.
If your tank is larger, you may be able to get a trio of pearl gouramies. They can also be kept in a 20 gallon but do not appreciate zippy danios and, because they are quite social but get to a relatively large 5", would be a little cramped. The larger the tank the better with pearls and they enjoy being in large groups if possible with more females than males. Moonlight gouramies are also an option in tanks of at least 30 gallons. In a tank this size, I'd stick to just one. However, if you have a bigger tank, try a trio. Moonlights do not look that impressive in fish shops but they have a lovely subtle purplish tinge under good lghting and bright ventral fins which are reddish-orange in males and yellow in females.
If you, in fact, have a very small tank (e.g. 10 gallons), you shouldn't really have danios in there in the first place and I would suggest returning them and then taking a look at some smaller fish species such as 4 pygmy cories or a small group of male endler's livebearers.
Dwarf gouramies are one of the most fragile of the common gourami species because they are very disease-prone. In general, danios do not make good tankmates for gouramies because they occupy the upper water layers and so compete with the gouramies for space. They can also be too active for more nervous species. Tetras vary in size and behaviour but many are nippy and so can only be kept with certain gourami species. Remember that most have elongated, hair-like ventral fins which many nippy species will damage. Though they grow back, gouramies with nipped fins are prone to infection and the situation is stressful for them - just another way for a fish to get ill quickly.
If you have a relatively small tank (say 20 gallons), and the danios and tetras you have are not nippy species, I would suggest a single banded gourami male (Colisa fasciata) or thick-lipped gourami male (Colisa labiosa). Alternatively, a trio of honey gouramies would work well if your plant is reasonably planted so that the danios do not stress them. Make sure not to confuse honeys (Colisa chunae/sota) with the various color morphs of the dwarf gourami which can often resemble them. Note that you must get at least 2 females to accompany the male.
If you are not too conserned about having a brightly colored 'centerpiece' fish, the croaking gourami is an interesting option for a tank with non-nippy tankmates. You should try to get one male and several females and plant the tank quite heavily. They can be tricky to sex as juveniles so be prepaired to buy more than you actually want and remove extra males later.
If your tank is larger, you may be able to get a trio of pearl gouramies. They can also be kept in a 20 gallon but do not appreciate zippy danios and, because they are quite social but get to a relatively large 5", would be a little cramped. The larger the tank the better with pearls and they enjoy being in large groups if possible with more females than males. Moonlight gouramies are also an option in tanks of at least 30 gallons. In a tank this size, I'd stick to just one. However, if you have a bigger tank, try a trio. Moonlights do not look that impressive in fish shops but they have a lovely subtle purplish tinge under good lghting and bright ventral fins which are reddish-orange in males and yellow in females.
If you, in fact, have a very small tank (e.g. 10 gallons), you shouldn't really have danios in there in the first place and I would suggest returning them and then taking a look at some smaller fish species such as 4 pygmy cories or a small group of male endler's livebearers.
Ace Of Spades
Fish Gatherer
I like the Opaline Gourami's and the Sparkling Blue Gouarmi's 
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