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the little one died. I think it was just run tooo ragged by the larger one.

I'm sorry for your loss. That's disappointing. Maybe it was a bad batch of pearl gouramies. I've heard that they can get a bit beat up in transit and maybe that's what happened to yours. It certainly sounds like you did all you could to provide a good home for them. Don't give up on them: they are very nice fish!

Well, again, LFS said no...they didn't get any pearl gouramies in.

Also, my pearl gourami died. I don't get it. Everyone else in tank is doing great, water is perfect, even the color of this gourami was gorgeous!

maybe only do females cuz the males will get very aggresive when breeding and if you ended up with 2 males 1 might be killed.. so yea try to get females... the males have an orange chest.. females are plain on the chest..

Good luck with finding a nice size pearl I am looking for one also and I have a 46 gallon bow front. Great minds think alike!!!!!

Well, I still have the one pearl gourami. LFS got their shipment in this week, but no new pearl gouramies.

Meanwhile, this one is doing ok...it is only 1 1/2-2" long but pretty much stays by itself on the upper level in a favored corner. Doesn't really do much besides swimming out to eat.

I'll try again this wed or thurs when LFS gets their weekly shipment to see if they'll get another 2 pearl gouramies of similar size to the one I have.

I think pearl gouramies are fish where there's a lot of variability: some individuals are pretty peaceful; others are more aggressive. I'm sorry to hear about your troubles and I hope that your replacement gourami gets along better with the one in the tank.

Thanks. Well, I returned the large gourami to LFS.

When I called, LFS said they had 4 small pearl gouramies to choose from, but when I got there, they said they were mistaken...they didn't have any.

So, I need to wait until next Thursday when they receive their shipment & check to see if they get any in.

Meanwhile, the one smaller one I have left is doing fine...even eats food from my fingers/hand now!!! It is so beautiful (don't know yet if male or female).

If LFS gets any in Thursday & they are of similar size to the one I have left, will that be toooo long before introducing another 2 to the one I have now or would you recommend I just stop & keep this one the solo gourami in my tank. It is a 46gal bowfront with tons of tetras & cories, and now one pearl gourami.

i would keep it solo like i have in my tank.. although they do look and perform much better in pairs..
if you were to get another i would suggest one more.. but make sure it is not smaller then the one already in there.. keep the sizes around the same.. and if u can ask the person at the lfs to try get u a female.. its worth a try..

r0b3y

Thank you to BOTH of you. I called the LFS & they'll take the big one back...I'd like to know...they have smaller ones...should I try to get two more (total 3) or should I just keep it solo???

Yeah, they say pearls are peaceful, but in my experience they have a streak of gourami aggression in them. I have one that picks on the other two, but it's more just chasing -- he's never actually hurt them.

Sorry about your loss ...

oww RIP lil one.. i would seperate asap..
very sad to hear about your loss..
r0b3y

I'm considering getting one and just want to be sure of something...I should either have just one (solo) or 3 correct? Preferably 2 females to 1 male?

But, 1 will be ok without 2 other gouramies right? It would be the centerpiece fish in my 46gal with tetras & cories (established 2yr old tank)

I just want to be sure it wouldn't be lonely.

in my experience it wont stop.. so i would remove it and give it back to your lfs..do the other 2 pearls seem to be okay together??
what you think is a female could actully be a male.. it takes awhile to show true signs of gender imo..
i only have one in my tank cause he is quite agressive to other pearls that i have tried to put him with..
i would keep those 2 together and see how u go .. just hope that they both arnt male

r0b3y

I have a problem....Ok, I got 3 pearl gouramies as I stated above. One is about 2-3 inches long while the other 2 were only about 1 1/2 inches. I'm pretty sure the largest is a female since the dorsal fin is rounded.

Well, this large gourami has gone from being timid & shy the 1st 2 days (as expected while new) to being quite the bully in the whole tank!!!!!!!! She chases the other 2 gouramies relentlessly as well as the tetras & ottos & cories I have in the tank!

Is this normal? Will it stop? I'm not talking a little chase, I'm talking I'm out to get everyone chase!!!

Now, one of the little gouramies was just floating at the surface and the big one keeps terrorizing it so I separated the little one in a large net enclosure within the tank but I don't think it will survive.

What do I do?????

I have 2 females in my 126 litre tank. They are quite peaceful and very pretty. Mine were about 5cm when I got them and after about 2 1/2 months, they are about 7cm, they grow pretty quickly!

Good Luck with them!

Two of the three are VERY TIMID. The one is a bit braver. It is too soon to sex them yet (for me anyway) as they are still small. Time will tell.

Thank you everyone for your help...I appreciate it.

all three have ventured out to explore & all 3 have eaten already.

Both very good signs. I was under the impression that they were somehwat timid and shy, but nothing is further from the truth. They get right in there at feeding time and have done so from day one (unlike most other fish when they're new to the tank). Excellent choice and I'm sure you will enjoy them.

3 Pearls will be fine together. Males have a pointed dorsal fin, while the females have a more rounded dorsal fin.

They are quite peaceful & with good food, their colours will be superb. Just give them some time & you'll see some difference.


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I have three also. I thought I was getting a male and two females but they were juvenile and when they grew, it turned out that two were males.

They quarrel a bit, and one is clearly dominant over the other and very territorial. But I've had them a year and a half now, and they don't try to hurt each other -- just chase each other around.

In other words, even if you end up with more than one male, it will probably be fine as long as they have a way to escape one another. (I have a lot of fake plants.)