[Sylverclaws]

I got a young gold gourami about a month ago, he's grown maybe a little more than a quarter inch since then, or right at. When I got him he was a tad smaller an adult dwarf gourami and now he's a bit bigger lengthwise.

I have him in a 55 gallon community tank, well planted though not what I would call DENSE...yet. lol I add in a new plant or three about once a month. Haha. Most are fairly young but I do have some larger older ones in there. That should be plenty of space for him. No he's not alone, I have cories, one dwarf gourami, mollies, platies, swordtails and guppies in there. I initially got him for my twenty gallon to have with cories...and then I realized they get too big. LOL He's done fine in my community tank, no aggression whatsoever. I keep an eye out about 24/7 anyways.
Anywho, I feed him on fresh or frozen veggies(The occasional Fresh green beans softened up with the seeds all dug out, peas, and for frozen foods the emerald Entree you can buy at most shops and spinach), as well as brine shrimp, daphnia and tubifix worms(all are from the frozen selections), and also Aqueon Color Enhancing Tropical Fish Flakes and once a week or so betta pellets. The plant-matter foods are fed far more often than protein foods. Is this a satisfactory diet for him?

So how fast are they supposed to grow? I know they CAN reach six inches, but usually stay around four inches in home aquaria. And also, care tips are welcome! This is my first of the larger gourami species, I've had a neon blue dwarf for about a year or so and they are quite different indeed. =) My gold one hasn't caught on to the feeding area yet like Capone has(Capone is my blue dwarf), and occasionally over-eats. If I don't have them in a specific area to eat, they eat everything. x.x;

I DID Have blue gourami's before MANY years ago(well, my aunt did but I helped out with care...I was only about six years old though) and I hear these are the same fish just a different color, so I'm not completely in the dark here, I did do some research, I just wanna know a few things extra if anyone is willing to share tips and info. I'd really like to know how fast they grow so I can make sure he's not stunted or anything, I recently had an albino BN pleco that seemingly died from stunting and I would like to avoid it if it's in my hands(my pleco was in bad shape when I got her, tiny with super big head and completely severed pectoral fins in the back which regrew fully, but she lived for nearly a year with me in a proper home before dying).

Yes, I'm a paranoid fish keeper and I need tips to be sure I'm doing it right. xD

This is my little red-eyed gem. =) He's very hard to get shots of, always moving...pausing to make you think you'll get a good shot and moving just as you click!

 

[Josh7]

That diet sounds good except I would recommend going 50/50 with protein and non protein food. I would just go throw in the occasional frozen brine shrimp or blood work cub. Btw he looks great I used to have one and I love these guys he got pretty big about 5 inches but it took about a year and a half.

 

[Olympia]

I would be worried about the dwarf gourami with him, maybe someone else can chime in on that.

 

[Sylverclaws]

I would be worried about the dwarf gourami with him, maybe someone else can chime in on that.

Oh yes, I heard they do not make the best tank mates, I was worried about that too. Still am even though they have been together quite a while and seem to have buddied up instead. Well, not buddy buddy like cories get, but they seem to be fine together. I intended to have them separate. It was never my intent to have them together in the first place. lol He started out in another tank, but did not get along with my other critters in there, that was almost a disaster so I had to think of something. I keep a constant eye out for any aggression signs or nicked fins in ANYONE.
Once I have my twenty gallon not full of babies, the dwarf will get the twenty gallon with whatever I choose to put in that will go well with him. Regardless of them getting along NOW, they may not later. He is just a juvenil at this point, his temperament may change soon. My initial intent was to have the gold gourami in the twenty. When I was reading up on them, I heard they only got three inches long! Bad info it was, but how to feed and care for them was apparently mostly spot on. I hear they CAN be in a twenty gallon, but I wouldn't have a fish that got over four inches in one personally. It has been so far so good, and I hope it stays that way until I get the twenty back from the two hundred fry I have. LOL

Once that is settled, I will be looking for good tank mates aside from the types of fish I already have that go well with dwarves. I have many ideas but am still undecided. ;D I may just push my luck and see if those two keep doing well...but I probably wont. I like the idea of having Capone(My dwarf Gourami) as my centerpiece in another tank. He likes being the center of attention and gets on well with everyone. =) He's a pretty peaceful guy even for a dwarf, who are peaceful anyways. I am thinking Panda Cories or Julii cories and some type of tetras may be nice with him...but I hear they can be nippy, and Capone is a big softie. x.x