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Moonlight,Pearl,Dwarf or Opaline.

If you need other measurements I will put them up.

And those who answers if you have one of these species what are thier personalities like.

I am after something that will happily live in a community of

Rams, Neons, Bristlenose and Cories

earmarked the moonlight but i have heard conflicting info about them.

Any of those would do really good in that tank. The opaline tend to be alittle aggressive. And the dwarfs tend to be really shy and hide alot. I would go with the pearls.

How many would be recommended? I'd like two of the the same species. Or would i be safer to just get one.

I would recamend a pair of any of them. They tend to do very well in pairs or trios,

I would not choose the Moonlight Gouramis for that tank. It's too small. Moonlight Gouramis can reach 10 inches as adults, and so, you'll need a minimum of a 6ft tank to keep those happy long term.

Of the choices you've specified, I'd go with either one of the smaller Colisa species (Honey Gourami or Dwarf Gourami, either will do nicely), or the Pearl Gouramis. If you find them, and want something a little different, you could go with Colisa fasciata, the Indian Gourami, if you find it in your pet store.

One word of caution that I will issue here is this: you might find that your dealer stocks some of the more exotic smaller gouramis, such as Malpulutta ketseri and Sphaerichthys vaillanti. Do NOT fall prey to the temptation to buy these, as they are difficult fishes to keep alive in captivity, and are ONLY suitable for advanced aquarists.

Oh, and if your aquarium set up is capable of supporting floating plants, get some. Gouramis love aquaria with floating plants in, because many Gourami species use floating plants to build their bubble nests under during breeding. A mixture of live plant thickets, some open space, and some floating plants will make for very happy Gouramis.

By the way, if you opt for one of the smaller Colisa species, either the Honey Gourami or the Dwarf Gourami, try and get the natural colour variety, as opposed to the assorted man-made colour varieties. First, they'll be somewhat hardier, and second, it's easier to tell male and female apart, so you can start arranging your stock to contain, say, a male and three females, which will set you up very nicely for your first foray into Gourami breeding.

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002