Gouramis and Tiger Barbs

[Yenko]

I'm wondering if Gouramis and tiger barbs are actually incompatible. Gouramis are pretty big, and very tough. My LFS keeps gouramis with tiger barbs (in one of their display tanks, which aren't overcrowded and have healthy fish) and the Gouramis look fine. Their feelers aren't damaged at all, and they look very happy.

I had to put a friends gourami in my tank because he had it in a small tank with a blue gourami of the same sex that forced it to live in a cave during the day. I decided that a few 1.5 inch fish wouldn't be a problem. The gourami hasn't been nipped in almost a month. I try to get a good look at it's fins every now and then, and they have always looked fine.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I had my gouramis in the same tank as my barbs at one point and they were ok. Had a bit of a problem with the angels though and the barbs had to be moved but they were fine with the gouramis. Maybe it depends on how many barbs you have and what size tank.

HTH

 

[Yenko]

They're in a 32 gallon tank and there's 6 of them.

 

[Sanj]

I dont think it would be a problem with the more robust species of Gorami like 3 spot, not sure about more shy fish like Dwarfs though.

 

[G_Sharky]

I used to have a tiger barb in my 10 gallon, he's one hell raiser, pretty much terrorize everybody, but I read somewhere that if keep them in a group of 6 or more then they wouldn't bother other fishes. So I think you'll be fine as long as they have room....

 

[Yenko]

Tiger barbs get really violent in a small tank. When I had 5 in a 10 gallon tank, the biggest, toughest male killed 2 of his tankmates. Now he won't touch a tiger barb a third of his size in his new tank.

 

[pendragon]

From what I understand, the temperment of gouramis varies greatly in individuals. Some gouramis are somewhat aggressive (those are typically males), some aren't actively aggressive but will defend themselves against bullies, and some don't do anything.

Having said that, though, I think the larger varieties of gourami are much better at standing up for themselves. The dwarf varieties tend to be more passive, as a general rule. However, gouramis are generally considered to be acceptable tankmates for tiger barbs, though exceptions exist to every rule. I'm sure some gouramis would give a nippy tiger barb a what-for, and some wouldn't.

Tiger barbs have very strong schooling instincts, and tend to identify fish as "part of my school" or "not part of my school". If their school is large enough, they tend to ignore other fish and spend their energy harrassing each other. If the school is not large enough to hold their attention, though, they tend to harrass the "not part of my school" fish. The ideal situation is to get a school sufficiently large that they don't bother others. Opinions vary on this, but generally gravitate towards 6 to 8. More is almost always better in this regard.

pendragon!