Buying new fish

DragonFyre14

So after plenty of research, I've decided I would like to add a dwarf gourami and a bristlenose pleco to my 29 gallon tank. My tank currently only has about 6 guppies (2 males 4 females)
so my question is can I buy both of this fish at the same time? do you think the store will put them in the same bag or two different ones?

Can I/Should I quarantine the gourami and pleco in the 2.5 gallon I've been using to quarantine my guppies in? (I actually have 2 or 3 2.5 gallons) or should I just add them to my tank?

Finally do you think the Dwarf Gourami will be aggressive towards the pleco or guppies? will he help control the population a bit more than the guppies already do? I've heard they often have Dwarf Gourami Disease. Is that contagious? Is there a cure?

Any help would be much appreciated Thank you. :)

Tigris

I would quarantine them just for safety reasons
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DragonFyre14

I agree that it would be the best thing to do. however would the 2.5 gallon be big enough to quarantine the fish in for a little while? or will the quarantine do more bad than good?

AndrewM21

Quarantine is always the best option for new fish. It's always best to quarantine new fish to prevent spreading disease to your main tank which could potentially kill your fish. A 2.5G tank is not the ideal QT tank but if it's what you got then it's what you have to work with.

I would suggest investing in a cheap 10 Gallon QT tank in the future which you can get really cheap from yard sales for a couple of bucks (I picked up 2 10 Gallon tanks for $15 at a yard sale that I use for fry/QT).

Dwarf's are generally really passive fish so I wouldn't worry too much but caution would be suggested with guppies. DGIV is contagious to other dwarf's and it's possible regular gouramis can be susceptible to the disease as well. To my knowledge there is no cure for the disease.
Best of luck!

DragonFyre14

Okay. Yeah I can't really afford/don't have the space for a bigger quarantine tank. I was simply worried that the one I have wouldn't be big enough for the gourami or pleco. However you don't think it will be a problem to have them in there short term?

AndrewM21

With DGIV it can take up to a year to kill the host but to my knowledge it's not contagious to guppies so I suppose it would be fine. I leave fish in QT for atleast 30 days before placing them in my primary tanks because I've had outbreaks in the past that killed a lot of my fish and really disrupted my biological system in the tank due to high frequency of PWC and cleaning I had to perform.

I would just have to say use caution and give your new fish a lot of TLC to keep them from stressing more than necessary. If possible purchase them one at a time and QT them alone to prevent further stress.

DragonFyre14

I try to give them the best care possible. I've been doing about a 25% water change daily on the 2.5 gallon (doesn't have a filter, just an air bubbler) and about a 5% daily on my 29 gallon with larger water changes on Sunday. I guess if I need to I can set up one of the other 2.5 gallons so they each have their own space. thanks for your help.

waters

You shouldn't have any problems with the dwarf getting along with the guppies. In my experience, they only harass other dwarf gouramis....they leave most other fish alone. Mine gets along fine with guppies and neons.

DragonFyre14

Okay good. I decided not to get one tonight. I bought a bristlenose pleco and one more guppy. that way my quarantine isn't too crowded (still have 1 or two from a previous purchase) I put the pleco into my tank and he immediately disappeared. hoping once he adjusts he'll come out. He's a cute little thing :)

AndrewM21

I have 3 BN plecos in my tank that are absolutely beautiful but it's only once in a blue moon that I see them out in the tank doing their business, there's a huge piece of drift wood as a center piece and they call that home until I shut the lights off.

My generic pleco is a busy-bee though and is always up and about. :)

Good luck to you and your new fish!