[Nick]

Hey everyone. I couldnt find a spot for this under the Freshwater Fish forum. But I was thinking I would like to add a nice set of gourami's to my aquarium. Something like a couple blue gourami's or rainbow gourami's. I'm not sure what my LFS has right now but im willing to check it out. I'm just making sure with the stock I have in my tank if they are suitable for it.
Thanks

Nick

 

[Lupin]

Hmmm...Nothing wrong with your stocking list otherwise if your tank is below 30 gallons with the angelfish, I wouldn't recommend mixing the gourami with the angelfish.
What gourami were you planning to get? I would get Honey Gourami and Pearl Gourami rather than the Blue Gourami and its other strains, Dwarf Gourami and other anabantids.

P.S. Your thread is moved to Anabantids.

 

[Nick]

Thanks for the move
I knew the only problem would be the anglefish thats why i was asking. I also knew my tank was big enough. I will have to check the LFS to see what type the have. Thanks

Nick

 

[joeshmoe]

i would say dwarfs would be fine but i would stay away from the blue gouramis

 

[love_my_fish]

Oh, I looked up honey gourami, and that is what I have, I think it was sold as sunset gourami -- and I found out that it is normal for male to get blue on the front -- I didn't know what was going on! However, that was maybe 3 years ago and I only have one now. The only fish that could handle living with a red-tailed-black shark (I had no idea back then that it could be so mean!) This is the friendliest fish I've ever had. I should get it a mate... Anyway, I think they would be nice to have if you have only a few angels.

 

[Lupin]

i would say dwarfs would be fine but i would stay away from the blue gouramis

Not even the dwarves.:shake: Males have a tendency to build a bubblenest even without a female and will become very aggressive.
Honey gouramis get my vote.:thumbsup:

 

[joeshmoe]

i dont like the honys i have a female and it calm

 

[Lupin]

i dont like the honys i have a female and it calm

Well, not the males though.:shake: Unless you have lots of plants, males will still attack other fish in the attempt to guard their territories.

 

[bettababy]

I wouldn't mix the gouramis with the angels in a 55 gallon tank. In a 125, ok... but as angels get 6 - 8 inches in diameter, they'll likely pick on dwarf gouramis, and battle with any of the larger ones for territory.
I'd say that's really risky. Angels get quite nasty.

 

[Nick]

Okay. So I could just get the Honey Gourami. My angels ATM are ( just estimating ) about 4 inches from there nose to the very end of there viel tails. There getting pretty big! And they are NEVER aggressive to any of my fish. Especially the neons. They are very very calm and just kinda relax in the tank side by side untill i walk into the room Then its feeding time lol. I dont want to risk anything with have aggressive fish towards eachother so it may not be a good idea...

Nick

 

[bettababy]

I would still expect your angels to pick on a honey gourami. The big difference between the gouramis and your other fish is territory. Gouramis will need to "share" territory with the angels, thus there will be issues. The bigger usually wins. Unless that tank is so full of tall plants and decorations you can't see the opposite glass wall, I would never mix any of the dwarf gourmais into a 55 with even 1 angelfish.
There are a lot of other kinds of fish you could add that wouldn't invade the space of the angels. Does it have to be a gourami?

 

[smilin_joe_cool]

You're probably not looking any longer however I can offer this. Our 55 has four angels (pearlscale veiltail) and two blue gouramis. One is gold and the other is natural ('Three Spot') blue. (You probably already know that Blue, Gold, and several other varieties are all hybridized color variations of the same species. The original is blue and is often referred to as a Three Spot gourami; they have two black spots on either flank - the third 'spot' is the eye. Alright, I'm interested in stuff like that) At any rate they haven't minded the angels over the years and vice versa.

The blue, Bertha is a female while the gold (Goldie G.) is a male. Goldie G. will chase Bertha on occasion but not to seriously and no nipping has gone on - both remain fat and happy. (Okay, not fat but you get my drift) If you haven't picked up a gourami yet I hope this might be helpful.

 

[bettababy]

A 55 gallon tank with 4 angels is only temporary.... and with gourami's too, then more temperorary. A 55 gallon tank simply isn't big enough to hold all of those fish once they are approaching full grown.

 

[joeshmoe]

ya dont mix them my gold ripped up my pearl angel the day i got it

 

[Nick]

No it isnt the only fish I could get. I was just thinking it would look nice in my tank. Has anyone got any other options/idea's for me that are pretty common, my LFS doesnt usually stock anything other then most of the common stuff...

Nick

 

[bettababy]

Nick, after reviewing your stock in that tank, I wouldn't suggest adding any more fish. The fish you have now are going to need space to grow, and that tank will eventually be too small just for the fish in it. Bala sharks average 14 inches full grown, angelfish average 8, and clown loaches can get to 12 inches, though the average in an aquarium tends to be 5 - 7.
Are you planning a larger tank in the next year or 2?

 

[Nick]

Hi. Yeah I have realized that. I just want some BAM fish to the tank. Yes I know the clown loaches will get bigger, also the angels That is why I was IFY on whether to add a couple more neat features to the tank. I'm not sure if I plan an upgrade. The bala shark hasnt been growing to fast. I think I am going to move him out of the tank maybe after christmas or aways because I dont want to stunt his growth and he doesnt have any friends... . But I dont know about upgrading in the tank right now...I just didnt know if there was ANY possible way of just getting a couple of those neat looking fish. Thanks.

Nick 8)

 

[Lupin]

Well, Nick, I'm happy for you that you finally decide to move your bala.:welldone:

 

[bettababy]

I know how hard it can be when we want a specific kind of fish, but if I were you, I personally wouldn't add anything more to that tank. The fish in there now will need room to grow, and as the angels get larger they tend to get very aggressive and territorial.
Balas are a bit slower growing, but a good thing you've decided to move it out... before a problem happens.
The approach I guess I would suggest for you would be to think about an upgrade, and once that is done, then either make it a big enough tank to hold more fish, or use the 55 for the other smaller fish that you want.
When I describe this sort of thing to a customer, I usually compare it to a child outgrowing their clothing... and it can happen just that fast.
I'm sorry if that isn't the advice you wanted to hear, but I am honest... it really isn't worth the problems that will come from an overstocked tank once the fish start to grow more. If you can't afford to upgrade within the next 6 - 8 months, the tank is best left as is until the upgrade happens. To add more fish now would be inviting a world of issues.

 

[KishFeeper]

55 Gallon:1 Baby Bristlienose,1 Common Pleco, 1 Ablino Barb, 1 Bala Shark, 2 Clown Loaches, 2 angel fish, 1 Swordtail's, 2 Guppy's, 4 Long-finned Gold Zebra Danios, 4 Cardinal Jumbo Tetra's,7 neon tetra's

Be carfull not to add to many in there i mean you already got alot. remember 1 inch = 1 gal and you have to think ahead.

hmm lets see.
Bristlienose = 6 inchs +
Common Pleco = 12-16 inchs +++
Ablino Barb = 3-4 inchs
Bala Shark = 12-14 inchs +
Clown Loach x2 = 10-12 x 2 = 20-24 inchs
Angel fish x2 = 8-10 inchs = 16-20 inchs
(My Personal Fav) Swordtails = 3-4 inchs
(Also my Fav) Guppys x2 = 1-2 inchs
Zebra Danio = 2-4 inch x 4 = 8-16 inchs
Cardinal jumbo tetras = 1-2 inch x 4 = 4-8 inchs
Neon Tetras = 1/2-1 inchs x 7 3.5-7 inchs

Ok lets add this up...

= 99
Ok so basicly i wouldnt get anymore fish untill you get another 55 or a bigger aquarium. unless you have one.