Mixed gourami

[Doldain]

Hi everyone. I’ve been keeping tropical fish for about 10 years, but in no way consider myself an expert. This is my first time posting so please be gentle.

I went to my LFS today to buy a Pearl gourami as a centre price for my 270l aquarium. My partner chose the fish she wanted and as the lady at the shop netted and bagged it, we went off to pay. However, when we got home there was a blue/opaline gourami (can’t tell which as his colours were pretty faded in the bag and he’s now hiding) in the bag with the Pearl.

Whilst free fish are great, I know that this isn’t ideal. But my question is, is there any chance that they can they live together long term or do I need to get rid of one. My LFS is not actually that local and is about an hours round trip, which I would prefer not to make unless totally nessecary.

 

[Doldain]

Edit: so far they seem to quite like each others company.

 

[Back in the fold]

Blue Gourami’s and Pearl Gourami’s will get along fine . Sometimes Blues can get a bit belligerent and Pearls are peaceful so you will get a little chasing but not much more than that . Fret not .

 

[Doldain]

Blue Gourami’s and Pearl Gourami’s will get along fine . Sometimes Blues can get a bit belligerent and Pearls are peaceful so you will get a little chasing but not much more than that . Fret not .

Thanks. I’m glad, because at the moment they seem to be buddying up. Would be a shame to split them.

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF.

This is a likely recipe for disaster. The blue gourami is the species Trichopodus trichopterus, and it has several varieties (blue, gold, marble, opaline, 3-spot, marble...) and it is probably the most aggressive of the small and medium-sized species of gourami. There have been several threads over the last few months from members with horror stories concerning the feistiness and downright aggression of this fish. The pearl by contrast is a pussycat, though we all know how suddenly mean they can become.

I would return the blue ASAP. Yes, they may get along or seem to now, but they have just gone through the worst ordeal of stress in moving to your tank, and once they really settle in, things can overnight change. Don't risk fish, it seldom works in th long run.

With a tank this large a group of pearls would be better than one lone gourami. However, what other fish are in the tank? Gourami tankmates have to be well-thought out. Gourami have some very particular requirements, like calm fish, calm water, floating plants.

 

[Doldain]

Welcome to TFF.

This is a likely recipe for disaster. The blue gourami is the species Trichopodus trichopterus, and it has several varieties (blue, gold, marble, opaline, 3-spot, marble...) and it is probably the most aggressive of the small and medium-sized species of gourami. There have been several threads over the last few months from members with horror stories concerning the feistiness and downright aggression of this fish. The pearl by contrast is a pussycat, though we all know how suddenly mean they can become.

I would return the blue ASAP. Yes, they may get along or seem to now, but they have just gone through the worst ordeal of stress in moving to your tank, and once they really settle in, things can overnight change. Don't risk fish, it seldom works in th long run.

With a tank this large a group of pearls would be better than one lone gourami. However, what other fish are in the tank? Gourami tankmates have to be well-thought out. Gourami have some very particular requirements, like calm fish, calm water, floating plants.

Hi there,

Thanks for the welcome. I’ve got 10 rummy nose tetras, 6 zebra danios, 6 albino corys, 2 platys, 1 bristlenose plec and 1 black neon tetra in the tank. It has a slight current, but there are calm spots with fake floating plants. It’s very similar to what I had in my old tank (180l) before it sprang a leak, just with bigger groups.

Looks like the blue will be going back to the fish store. Won’t be till next weekend now though so hopefully he behaves until then!

 

[Byron]

Fine. That now leaves other things to look into, having to do with numbers of each species. The cories definitely need to be increased. Here you can easily be around 12-15, either the same species or a mix, and if the latter try to get a few of each species so they have some of their own. But the entire number is very important.

Is the black neon alone for a reason, thinking maybe last one or something? If it is new, it should have a group in the 10-12 minimum or a few more. This species, like the rummynose tetra, prefers the lower half of the water column. It is worth keeping a species level in the tank in mind so you don't get all the fish in the lower half or third.

I would add another 6 or so of the rummynose, this species does stay together very tightly and can be quite impressive. Fish behaviours and traits are always more rewarding when the number is adequate to relax the fish.

 

[Doldain]

Fine. That now leaves other things to look into, having to do with numbers of each species. The cories definitely need to be increased. Here you can easily be around 12-15, either the same species or a mix, and if the latter try to get a few of each species so they have some of their own. But the entire number is very important.

Is the black neon alone for a reason, thinking maybe last one or something? If it is new, it should have a group in the 10-12 minimum or a few more. This species, like the rummynose tetra, prefers the lower half of the water column. It is worth keeping a species level in the tank in mind so you don't get all the fish in the lower half or third.

I would add another 6 or so of the rummynose, this species does stay together very tightly and can be quite impressive. Fish behaviours and traits are always more rewarding when the number is adequate to relax the fish.

Yeah, the black neon is the last of a group from my first tank, years ago. He seems to live forever!

I was thinking of adding more rummy nose, but hadn’t thought about more cories. I thought 6 was enough. If I add all of those, won’t I be pretty heavily stocked? My tank is quite a way from a water source. I try to keep my stocking levels at a reasonable leveI, so I can keep on top of my water changes.

Was hoping to add something to swim at the top of the tank too, which will also add to the bio load. Although other than hatchet fish, which i’m not sure are ideal for my tank, I’m not sure what that could be yet.

 

[Byron]

Yeah, the black neon is the last of a group from my first tank, years ago. He seems to live forever!

I was thinking of adding more rummy nose, but hadn’t thought about more cories. I thought 6 was enough. If I add all of those, won’t I be pretty heavily stocked? My tank is quite a way from a water source. I try to keep my stocking levels at a reasonable leveI, so I can keep on top of my water changes.

Was hoping to add something to swim at the top of the tank too, which will also add to the bio load. Although other than hatchet fish, which i’m not sure are ideal for my tank, I’m not sure what that could be yet.

Re the black neon, OK. If you really want more of this species, OK, but allow this survivor to live out the end of its life in it surroundings is also OK. Sometimes this goes well, sometimes not. I had a Red Phantom that lived for three years after the rest of the group that I'd had for a decade, with no trouble. I've also had the remaining survivors of a pencilfish species tear into each other and then my rummynose tetras to the point I had to euthanize the pencils for their own good as well as the other inhabitants in the tanks.

When stocking an aquarium, for any species that is shoaling/schooling, you must have decent numbers, and that usually (there are a very few exceptions) means in the 10+ range. To even have the fish if this cannot be met is wrong, because this is an inherent need in the species' genetic makeup. Your aquarium is 270 liters, which is 70 gallons, so presumably 4 feet (120 cm) length. I had this size tank in my fish room, and it held 50 cories, and nearly a hundred upper characins. Well planted too including thick floating plants, makes all the difference. Cories live in shoals of hundreds; we cannot replicate that, but the more there are the better for the fish's well-being.

Water changes have little to do with this, but having said that they are still extremely important. A weekly change of 50%+ is for me mandatory, even if there were half the fish, or a third the number.

Surface fish...what are the source water parameters, being especially GH and pH? I would replace the fake floating plants with live ones; floaters are easiest to maintain because they have no shortage of light being at the top, and they can use CO2 from the air which for aquatic plants is about four times faster than from water. The amount of ammonia/ammonium healthy floating plants can take up is staggering.