Gourami Obsession! Gotta have one/some!

small fry

Hello!

I really love gouramis. I have several questions about them that I will number for your convinience.

1.) Can you have more than 1 type of gourami in 1 tank?
2.) If gouramis can breathe from the surface, why can't they be kept in small tanks (like bettas)?
3.) What is the minimum recommended size for a/a group of gourami?
4.) Can I have a non-planted 55g gourami-only tank (w/ multiple species)?
5.) What kind of filteration do I need for a non-planted gourami tank?
6.) What is the recommended m/f ratio for gourami?
7.) What gouramis would you recommend for a (gourami) beginer?

If you can answer 1 or all of them that would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Thanks!

Christople

I am fairly sure that you can keep more than 1 species in a tank and they cant be kept in a small tank because they produce a large amount of turds

Mikaila31

Small tank is a no-no because of their sensitivity and activity level. Betta can be kept that way, simply because they are hard to kill. Gouramis have a habit of dying due to minor water quality issues. You can keep more then one species/type just be aware they need to be about the same size as adults and need to be in groups of each species. They are a fish that is much better suited to the planted tank. They are territorial so with most species their will be a lot of chasing and such. It is important that the line of sight is broken up as much as possible. The more it is the more gouramis you can keep. This is why a densely plant tank is best. Group is 4-5 fish at least. They do not school, this is simply to disperse aggression. There are recommend m/f ratio, but they are very difficult to sex if you have not stared at them for hours >.> Even then I consider the sexing rules to be more like guidelines, only confirmed by the behavior of the fish. IMO I see lots of issues with a non-planted gourami only type tank....

small fry

I already know how to sex them. I have spent a long time researching them (can't you tell? lol). I will look into species later (when I get some free time), but in the meantime, if there is a gourami that anyone would like to suggest I would be happy to research it.

No garantees this will be a gourami tank, though. I am looking at other possibilities also (why not for a 55g tank?). Just a heads-up. I would still like to get as much help as I can with gouramis, though. The more I know about the species, the better I can make my deciesion.

I am working on my South American Amazon/Tetra tank, so hopefully I can get some experience with planted tanks. I figured gouramis need planted, just seeing what I can get by with.

Thanks for the help!

Christople

dwarf gouramis are cool and make noises. they need at least 15 gallons. they are peceful. Anotherfish is the pearl gouramis and get around 5 inches each

Christople

I would check the fish profiles

small fry

I love Opaline, what about those? All the pictures I found, they are blue. Isn't there an orange gourami that looks like an opaline with maybe red eyes (or no red eyes)? Those are the coolest! I have seen them before, but I forgot what they are called.

Dwarf Gourami comes in Blue and Orange, right? Do they care what color they are to group or pair or whatever they do? I love dwarfs. Are sparkling gouramis unsuitable for a 55g gourami tank, I mean, will the be beaten up by the bigger gourami? What about chocolate gourami? Are they too hard to care for?

Would I need to use RO or Distilled water? I know that gouramis are softwater fish. My tap is hard w/ a pH of 7.5. I have heard of people useing peat moss, will that work?

Sorry for all the questions, I am trying to learn all that I can.

Mikaila31

You need ones that stay the same size. You have gold gouramis, opaline gouramis, 3 spot gouramis, kissing gouramis, dwarf goruamis, sparkling gouramis. Some of these could eat the latter species. Also from my experience only sparklers and other small Trichopsis sp. make noise.

I would keep gold, blue, and opaline together. Another option is the dwarf variants. 55 is a bit big for sparklers IMO, these guys also IMO NEED dense plants. They are very tiny skittish fish and are only bold when they know they have lots of cover to retreat too. They are my one of my favorite gouramis.

small fry

Is this a species of Opaline?
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...MkTiwiG7w2vf-Y

Can I keep Opalines and Dwarfs together? What about a Paradise Gourami? I have heard those are pretty aggressive, though.

Byron

All of these are in our profiles, and all the info to answer the questions raised is there for each species.