FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I'm thinking of adding some gouramis to my 55 gallon. It now has a large pleco, 4 yoyo loaches and 8 lemon tetras. Temp is mid to upper 70's F,PH is slightly alkaline. I wanted some colorful fish around 2-5" for the mid region because it is pretty dead looking with only the lemon tetras. I thought a pair of gouramis might be a good idea. What gouramis (or other similar fish) would be peaceful enough not to fight eachother or bother the tetras, but also not be bothered by the active yoyo loaches?

I was looking at:
1.Dwarf Gouramis (had one before and he was territorial with other fish, but that might have been a fluke)
2.Gold Gouramis
3.Blue/Opaline Gouramis
4.Sparkling Gouramis (although I have never seen them in the stores)
5.Pearl Gouramis (also have never seen in stores)

I think 3.Blue/Opaline Gouramis would be a nice addition to the tank

I have all Male Opaline Gourami in my tank you can see more info in my profile.
They do chase each other a bit but never aggressive though.

Have a look in [link=My Profile]http://
www.fishprofiles.com/interactive/forums/profile.asp?userid=6741" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link] for my tank info

[link=My Betta Desktop tank photos]http://photobucket.com/albums/b209/keithgh/" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link]


Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

Aside from the paradise fish I've had my blue gourami is one of my most agressive fish. I have had more luck keeping blue gouramis and their color varieties together than dwarf gouramis but they are still far more agressive than the smaller gouramis like sparkling, licorice, or croaking. While small these guys still take care of themselves but would do that better the more company they have. I've never even seen a pearl gourami so I can't comment on them.
I would suggest either 1-2 blue/gold/opaline.. gourami or 3-5 of the smallest gouramis if you can find them. It's not uncommon to be able to keep several blue gouramis together but it does require a slight bit of luck that personalities don't clash and I think 1 looks plenty big enough in a 55g tank with a school of larger tetras. Gouramis don't really stay at the very top anyway. My current blue gourami spends more time slowly swimming through the plants at the mid-lower levels of the tank than hanging around at the surface. The sparkling gouramis are much more active and spend more time swimming around in the open areas of the tank so long as you provide them with an environment they feel safe in. They can be shy depending on your tank setup and the amount of traffic it gets.

I only had a blue gourami once but of all the gouramis I've kept he was the most aggressive.

If you can't find smaller sparkling gouramis I'd suggest pearls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Pearl Gouramis tend to be the least aggressive and smallest of the "medium/large" gouramis reaching only 3-4 inches instead of the possible 6 inches of the blue and opaline gouramis. I also find it hard to believe you've never seen them in stores near you, as they are quite popular lately. Sparkling gouramis are very tiny and you can get quite a few of them without problems. They are very curious fish, though, and they may nip other fishes fins, but rarely do any damage. They are spunky for their size. :%)


Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

It definitely seems like from everyone's comments both the dwarf and blue gouramis can be aggressive but are not always. It also seems like people are saying that the sparkling and pearl gouramis are a safer bet as far as aggression goes. I'll have to see if I can find them locally. I don't remember ever seeing them, but I wasn't really looking for them at the time. I just know that I regularly see the gold, blue, opaline, kissing, and all the dwarf varieties.

If I can find either the pearl or sparkling, how many should I get? I know alot of people keep the larger gouramis in pairs only. I figure that the sparkling can be in a larger group because they are alot smaller though.

I currently have a trio (one male and two females) of Pearls and 8 sparkling gouramis in a 30 gal. It took a while (about 4-6 weeks) for the Pearl gouramis to sort out their aggression, but now they all hang out together, and there was never any fin damage, though there was lots of chasing (which still happens sometimes, but not very often and still no damage).
Have you ever ordered fish online throught he mail, and would you be willing to pay for shipping? I have had very good luck finding great fish that aren't at my LFS through AquaBid and online fish sellers. It is more expensive, but it's an alternative.
You should also be able to ask the people at your lfs (try to talk to a manager) about ordering, or at least keeping an eye out for the specific fish you want. Sometimes it doesn't work out because they simply order what their supplier has available, but some people are more discerning about what kinds of fish they order and know more suppliers.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

I have powder blue dwarf gouramis who seem very peaceful. One chases one a little but nothing more than that.

I have a male Dwarf Gourami and he's very friendly with my platys, as well as the cat. Much of the research I did on Gouramis suggested that they can have any of a wide variety of personalities.

Get some Pearl Gourami's as they are the most colourful & peaceful of all the Gourami's.



http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos
http://www.geocities.com/s8xi5heh/classic_blue.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buzaqq/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com