20 Gallon Stocking Ideas

[hannahbatts]

I would not suggest another gourami unless you know the gender of the ones you have now. If one of these is a male, and assuming the three/four get/got along OK, you should not add any more.

How can I tell? Is it a difference in body size/coloring or something else to look for?

 

[Byron]

How can I tell? Is it a difference in body size/coloring or something else to look for?

Males are colourful, females are a drab brownish, at least the original species are, photo below with male above and female below. I've no idea if this carries over to any colour varieties.

 

[hannahbatts]

Males are colourful, females are a drab brownish, at least the original species are, photo below with male above and female below. I've no idea if this carries over to any colour varieties.

All three of my honeys have a yellow body with red coloring on their fins. One is slightly smaller than the other two, but I'm not sure if that has something to do with maturity.

My honeys look like the one on the left:

 

[Essjay]

In that photo, the left one is female, the right one could also be either.

The one on the left has a bit of a dark band on its side near the tail. This says female to me.
The one on the right does look more like a male, except that it too looks as though it has a hint of a line, though that could just be the photo. The pale throat suggests male - when settled, that whitish throat will turn darker, but not as dark as with the natural coloured honey (like in Byron's photo)

These are honey gouramis I had a few years ago:

Male


Female

 

[hannahbatts]

In that photo, the left one is female, the right one could also be either.

The one on the left has a bit of a dark band on its side near the tail. This says female to me.
The one on the right does look more like a male, except that it too looks as though it has a hint of a line, though that could just be the photo. The pale throat suggests male - when settled, that whitish throat will turn darker, but not as dark as with the natural coloured honey (like in Byron's photo)

These are honey gouramis I had a few years ago:

Male
View attachment 105324

Female
View attachment 105325

Thank you! They're so pretty. I just checked, and I'm pretty sure all of mine are female. I know my LFS separates guppies by gender, so there's a possibility I chose my gourami from an all female tank.

That being said, would it be ok to add a fourth female?

 

[Essjay]

I think I would leave it as just three of them if they get on together.

 

[dmpfishlover]

I would agree with essjay. I had Dwarf Gouramis in the past, and it can be "hit or miss" with them as to whether or not they get along well together in a group of two or more. I had to move fish out and into another tank until I found the right balance of personalities. I would feel lucky that your group of 3 get along well and wouldn't mess with the "balance", especially considering you are not 100% positive that yours are all females, and you probably will not have 100% confidence in the gender of a fish you purchase and add.

 

[hannahbatts]

I think I would leave it as just three of them if they get on together.

Thank you. I ended up losing another honey today, but I think I'm just going to leave it with my two honeys because they get along really well. I'll probably end up adding a bigger school of tetras since my stock is so low now.

 

[dmpfishlover]

Thank you. I ended up losing another honey today, but I think I'm just going to leave it with my two honeys because they get along really well. I'll probably end up adding a bigger school of tetras since my stock is so low now.

"Like" that you will add a school of bigger Tetras... NOT "Like" that you lost another Honey Sorry....

Another suggestion, that is not a Tetra... Harlequin Rasboras. They are a shoaling fish so they should be kept in groups of 6 or more, much like most Tetras. Although they don't come from South America like Tetras do (they come from Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim), they require basically the same water parameters as Tetras do (i.e... softer water). I think a shoal of Neons and Rasboras would look nice together.

 

[hannahbatts]

"Like" that you will add a school of bigger Tetras... NOT "Like" that you lost another Honey Sorry....

Another suggestion, that is not a Tetra... Harlequin Rasboras. They are a shoaling fish so they should be kept in groups of 6 or more, much like most Tetras. Although they don't come from South America like Tetras do (they come from Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim), they require basically the same water parameters as Tetras do (i.e... softer water). I think a shoal of Neons and Rasboras would look nice together.

Thank you!!! I'll definitely look into that.

 

[Retired Viking]

"Like" that you will add a school of bigger Tetras... NOT "Like" that you lost another Honey Sorry....

Another suggestion, that is not a Tetra... Harlequin Rasboras. They are a shoaling fish so they should be kept in groups of 6 or more, much like most Tetras. Although they don't come from South America like Tetras do (they come from Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim), they require basically the same water parameters as Tetras do (i.e... softer water). I think a shoal of Neons and Rasboras would look nice together.

I have been looking into have a shoal of Rasboras in my tetra tank and your right they would look nice together and I like the size.

 

[thelonerasbora]

Do white clouds prefer hard or soft water?

 

[Colin_T]

soft