Community Fish

[Annastasia]

Hi all!
I have a 30 gallon tank with
2 kissing gouramis
1 golden gourami
1 neon blue dwarf gourami

I also have guppies in the tank ,but I am going to be moving them to a different tank. So my question is, I want to make the 30 gallon a community tank.
So what can I put in there, that will be compatible with each other and the gouramis? And be a good balance of fish, like top swimmers, middle swimmers.....

I have live plants and driftwood in the tank right now. I am goin to be making a few caves too.

Any ideas?

 

[Cheese Specialist]

How about some bottom dwellers like loaches or cories? I don't think you should add to muany more middle swimmers as kissing gouramis get pretty big.

 

[Annastasia]

I know kissing gouramis get big. one of the ones I have is already around 5", but I know they can grow to 12"
I am thinking of getting clown loaches. I had them before, and they were so cute.
Would some tetras or danios go well in the tank?

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I don't know if your tank would be too small for clown loaches as they get quite big and should be in groups. I know of people keeping 2 in a smaller tank though and they have been ok. They grow slowly after 4".

12" is a massive fish!! I can't imagine mine that size, mine is only about 3 1/2" now. A massive kissing monster!! lol

What kind of tetras were you thinking of? I am not sure about danios as I have never kept them, but as you kissing gourami are small now I don't see why not but I don't know what the gouramis get like as they get bigger.

 

[Annastasia]

Well, my 9 1/2" kissing gourami,is the sweetest fish. They are supposed to be semi-agressive, but mine have never grown up to be like that, thank goodness.
I have had clown loaches in a smaller tank, and they never got bigger then 3"
The tetras I am thinking about are either Rummy-nosed or Glowlight.
I have personally never had danios, but my best friend, who is also into fish, has them and loves them. So I am htinking about giving them a try.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Well, my 9 1/2" kissing gourami,is the sweetest fish. They are supposed to be semi-agressive, but mine have never grown up to be like that, thank goodness.
I have had clown loaches in a smaller tank, and they never got bigger then 3"
The tetras I am thinking about are either Rummy-nosed or Glowlight.
I have personally never had danios, but my best friend, who is also into fish, has them and loves them. So I am goin got give them a try.

Thanks for your help!

Clown loaches get much beiiger that 3", more like 10". I think yours experienced what is known as 'stunting'. This is where a fish does not have enough room to grow so it's outer body does not. However, it's inner does and it will have a body that is not large enough to contain it's organs and come to a very nasty death after a time of suseptability to disease.

I would advise against this as much as I would dying and injecting fish. It's really not a good thing.

As for your gouramis, have they been in contact with anything as small as tetra to be agressive with since they grew?

 

[Annastasia]

Yeah, they have been living with guppy juveniles and fry. They have never botherd them, much less eaten them.
Okay, I won't get clown loaches. I don't want them to be unhappy.
Anyway, corys are really cute!
What are some good kinds of corys? I already have Julii and network corys, but I want to try something different. Any ideas?
And how would the tetras and danios go?