Blue gourami in 20 gal?

[cowgirluntamed]

I still keep going back and forth on stocking ideas for my 20 high. I will be planting it with a sword, lots of crypts, dwarf sag or pygmy chain sword, maybe wisteria, and a floating plant either frogbit or water lettuce (probably the latter).

My pH is 8.2, gh and kh around 12-13 ish (number of drops from the test kit).

Anyway, I just looked up the blue gourami again as I've always loved this fish. I think it would do well in my water but could I do more than one in a 20? Or would just sticking with one be best? I plan on also having 6 peppered cories as well with some nerite snails and Malaysian trumpet snails.

Any other tank mate suggestions or would one (or two) of them be it with the cories?

 

[Byron]

This is not a small fish, capable of attaining 6 inches (15 cm) though most get to around 5 inches (12.5 cm). And they are sedate, so not active swimmers. So while one could exist in a 20g tank, certainly no more of this species. It is one of the more aggressive gourami; while individual fish can vary in this, it is still a feisty gourami. It would need considerably more space for more than one. Males are very territorial. Even females have been known to suddenly take a dislike to other fish (other species as well as their own) and kill them.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Thanks Byron. I figured it would be only one but thought I'd ask to be sure. Do you think the cories might be OK though since they are more bottom dwelling fish than the gourami? I would get them first and then the gourami later.

 

[Byron]

Thanks Byron. I figured it would be only one but thought I'd ask to be sure. Do you think the cories might be OK though since they are more bottom dwelling fish than the gourami? I would get them first and then the gourami later.

One would think that cories would be OK, but the factor of the small tank becomes more significant. Small spaces have been shown to increase aggression in fish, and that brings us back to the individual fish temperament.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Thanks again. I can always have a ten gallon set up on standby in case of aggression. Would 6 cories be OK in a ten for a while by themselves? If the gourami couldn't handle them I can always put the cories in the ten until my 55 was ready. But it could take a while for that.

 

[Byron]

Thanks again. I can always have a ten gallon set up on standby in case of aggression. Would 6 cories be OK in a ten for a while by themselves? If the gourami couldn't handle them I can always put the cories in the ten until my 55 was ready. But it could take a while for that.

Yes, I would think so.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Thanks!

 

[cowgirluntamed]

One more question....I was researching more on the gourami and it seems like it may need higher temps? Like 78 or so? I was reading the other post on the cories and peppered cories might not be best at that temp. What do you think of sterbai instead? Seems they like better parameters than the peppered at least from what I can see on seriously fish. I was looking on aquabid and there are quite a few people with tank raised ones that wouldn't be much more than getting peppered cories from petsmart. What do you think?

 

[Byron]

One more question....I was researching more on the gourami and it seems like it may need higher temps? Like 78 or so? I was reading the other post on the cories and peppered cories might not be best at that temp. What do you think of sterbai instead? Seems they like better parameters than the peppered at least from what I can see on seriously fish. I was looking on aquabid and there are quite a few people with tank raised ones that wouldn't be much more than getting peppered cories from petsmart. What do you think?

The temperature range for Trichopodus trichopterus (Blue or Gold Gourami) is 75-86F (24-30C) and as usual we avoid the extremes so it would be fine around 78-79F. This is high for many cory species. But not Corydoras sterbai which is a warmer water species, or more correctly, one that does very well in warmer tanks. They are often used with discus, blue rams and wild angelfish for this reason.

C. sterbai is more often available in stores now because it is one of the species being farmed commercially. Corydoras paleatus, C. aeneus, and C.panda (including their respective "albino" forms) are three others I know of, and there are likely a few more.

Byron.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Thanks again Byron! I do believe I will try these then as I want them to be as happy as possible. I will cross my fingers in hope that whatever blue gourami I end up with that it won't bother them. Lol. But if it does....in my 55 that I plan to keep glow light tetras and harlequin rasboras, I am going to (I think) have it be around 76 degrees. Would they do fine in there if I had to move them or would that be a bit on the too low side? The sterbai cories that is.

 

[Byron]

Thanks again Byron! I do believe I will try these then as I want them to be as happy as possible. I will cross my fingers in hope that whatever blue gourami I end up with that it won't bother them. Lol. But if it does....in my 55 that I plan to keep glow light tetras and harlequin rasboras, I am going to (I think) have it be around 76 degrees. Would they do fine in there if I had to move them or would that be a bit on the too low side? The sterbai cories that is.

I have had my group of C. sterbai in my Amazon stream tank for 8+ years now, at a temperature of 75-76F (24-24.5C). Planet Catfish gives the range for this species as 24-28C (75-82F). Given my fish's general behaviours and spawning activities, I must conclude they are OK.

C. sterbai is native to the Rio Mamore, Rio Madeira and Rio Guapore rivers in the Madeira basin, an area extending into portions of Brazil, Peru and Bolivia, somewhat the "core" of South America. Surface water temperature in the Rio Madre de Dios which drains into the Rio Mamore averages between 24.2 and 26.8 C year-round, which is about 4 dC cooler than the central Amazon surface waters (Goulding, et al, 2003). In their description of the new species Apistogramma erythrura from the Rio Mamore, Staeck and Schindler (2008) give water temperature data varying between 25C and 31C with readings taken in July, August or September of differing years. Keep in mind that most sterbai will be commercially raised fish.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Awesome! Thanks so much Byron! You've helped me out tons so I hope my tanks can be successful when I get them set up! I plan on getting my 20 cleaned out soon and I will set it up with plants for a bit before getting fish. I just hope I can be successful with the plants. Lol. Thanks again! You're amazing!