2 Pearl Gourami Questions. Compatibility And Calming Them Down!

[StaniFish]

Basically i have 2 pearl gourami's in my 11 gallon tank which i think are both male :

Here's my compatibility question:

They seem happy in the tank with my 2 golden danios who also seem fine. Occasionally the gourami's nip each other although it is usually one who is aggressive, they still don't seemed to be stressed out or ill and swim around ok without any obvious damage but i would like them to calm down a bit, they spend most of their time together in a pair swimming around exploiring but sometimes there can be aggressive chases and brawls. I know boys will be boys and always have an argument but i was wondering if i could calm them down a bit more and improve the tank by maybe adding a few more males or female gouramis. I DO NOT WANT THEM TO BREED RIGHT NOW. I really like blue gouramis and would like to put these in but would they be ok in with my males and would i need them in a certain number or gender. Basically going onto my next question.

The gouramis get on well with my catfish and danios. I want more fish in the tank. So what other species and genders of fish can i put in the tank with them.

This has probably been answered before, but any advice is welcome!

Thanks!

 

[Ragtatter]

Basically i have 2 pearl gourami's in my 11 gallon tank which i think are both male :

Here's my compatibility question:

They seem happy in the tank with my 2 golden danios who also seem fine. Occasionally the gourami's nip each other although it is usually one who is aggressive, they still don't seemed to be stressed out or ill and swim around ok without any obvious damage but i would like them to calm down a bit, they spend most of their time together in a pair swimming around exploiring but sometimes there can be aggressive chases and brawls. I know boys will be boys and always have an argument but i was wondering if i could calm them down a bit more and improve the tank by maybe adding a few more males or female gouramis. I DO NOT WANT THEM TO BREED RIGHT NOW. I really like blue gouramis and would like to put these in but would they be ok in with my males and would i need them in a certain number or gender. Basically going onto my next question.

The gouramis get on well with my catfish and danios. I want more fish in the tank. So what other species and genders of fish can i put in the tank with them.

This has probably been answered before, but any advice is welcome!

Thanks!

Honestly, the best way to calm them down, in my experience, is to get rid of one of the males and replace him with two females. Otherwise the bullying behavior will just get worse. And if you provide the remaining male with two females to court, he won't spend as much time harrassing either individual female, so he won't stress them out. Gouramis aren't guppies, just because you have both genders doesn't mean you'll get fry. If you don't want to breed, just make sure there's a good water flow in your tank to prevent the male from building a bubble nest.

As for wanting more fish in the tank, it's overstocked as is. A good rule of thumb for tropical fish is that you need one gallon of water per one inch of full grown fish. If you have 11 gallons of water, you can have 11 inches of fish.

Pearl Gourami maximum size: Approx 4 inches, times 2 fish = 8 inches.

You didn't say what species of catfish you have, but many species will grow to huge sizes (such as the ever-popular "iridescent shark" catfish Pangassius hypopthalmus, which in the wild can reach lengths of over 4 feet). Even if you assume you got one of the smaller species of catfish, those still tend to reach 3-4 inches. Add that to the 8, and you're at 11 or 12. Meaning you're at the limit.

And then adding the "golden danios" (which I assume are simply albino zebras) which can reach 2 1/2 inches, the number of fish in your tank would require a full 17 to 18 gallons, and that's assuming that you happened to get a species of catfish that will stay small. Most do not.

If you really do want to get more fish, the first thing you need to get is a bigger tank. Honestly, you should get a bigger tank anyway.


(P.S. In my experience, blue gouramis will harass the heck out of your pearls)

 

[StaniFish]

the gouramis are not very large only about 1 inch and a half each, the danios are an inch each and the catfish is an upside down catfish who is about 2 inches

That is only about 7 inches, i am planning to get a 20 gallon tank soon anyway, they are ok on their own, but also can someone tell me their compatibility with other types of fish. Thanks!

 

[sylvia]

2 male gouramies should never be kept in a small tank together. Your tank is too small for pearl gouramies even if they are young because it's not just about stocking but also about physical space needed for building territories and activity levels. Take both of those gouramies back.

Blue gouramies (Trichogaster trishopterus - gold, platinum, opaline and lavender are other color morphs of these) are one of the most aggressive gourami species and not a good option for most community tanks.

I would suggest you return your fish - all of them. As danios are also too active for an 11 gallon tank and need to be in a group since they are schooling fish. Then read this: http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...or-A-10-Gallon/
I wrote it a while ago and it contains lots of 10 gallon tank suggestions. Some of the suggestions are gourami species. If you try and follow that approximately, you can fit many more, but smaller, fish in and they'll be equally happy in a larger tank if/when you get one.

 

[Ragtatter]

the gouramis are not very large only about 1 inch and a half each, the danios are an inch each and the catfish is an upside down catfish who is about 2 inches

That is only about 7 inches, i am planning to get a 20 gallon tank soon anyway, they are ok on their own, but also can someone tell me their compatibility with other types of fish. Thanks!

I said one gallon of water per inch of FULL GROWN fish. Your fish are not full grown, but any responsible fish keeper needs to plan out tank space as if they were, and I repeat that the very last thing you should do is buy more fish for this tank.

 

[StaniFish]

As i said, i'm getting a 20 gallon hopefully soon, the fish in the tank will be fine as they are while i can get a larger tank. I will buy more fish when i have a larger fish tank.

I will probably give my gourami's to a friend, it depends as they are nice looking fish and would be sad to lose them although if they overgrew then i would have no choice!