moonlight gouramis and guppies?

[BettaBoyz]

i went to check out the swordtails at my LPS today, and they aren't going to be selling them anymore. their fish died a few days ago, and no one would buy them. so that leaves my new community empty with only three cories.

they do, however, have some gorgeous moonlight gouramis and guppies in. i was wondering if a small community of guppies (IE: one male, three females) could get along with a single moonlight gourami. would the gourami munch on the guppies like a Betta would, or would he ignored them? i know he'd eat fry, since any fish will eat it if it fits in their mouth. the guppies are large and fat, the gouramis mouth doesn't look that big. but then again it might not stop him from trying to munch on the guppies.

since i will most definately be getting the guppies and if the gourami will eat them, what other fish could i 'spotlight' the tank around? my LPS sells tricolor and red-tailed sharks, koi, black moors, orandas, guppies, tiger barbs, angels, male and female Bettas, moonlight gouramis and bleeding heart tetras. the tank's going to be a ten gallon, so that outses the sharks and angels, i'm not a goldie fan, tiger barbs are fin nippers, Bettas will snack on guppies, and the tetras school.

lil help?

 

[canis_lupus]

oo that's tough! ! i've heard dwarf gouramis can live with guppies! but i don't know anything about gouramis (thats the next fish i'm gonna get into) i've never had a problem with my female bettas nipping guppies. what about mollies? they're pretty and come in crazy colours or platies (obviously i have livebearers) what about a paradise gourami i think they're peaceful (not sure tho) sorry i don't have anything better to say. i'm going to look into gouramis once i get rid of my livebearers so until then i'm pretty much useless with any other fish!

 

[Fishy Jon]

can u just tell me what you want and what u have because i'm getting confused.

 

[BettaBoyz]

at the moment i've only got a plan to make a second community tank with livebearers. it's going to be set up around Christmas, but i'd like to get everything down beforehand so i can save up.

what i'd like to buy are four guppies, three common corydoras, an apple snail and one moonlight gourami, unfortunately i think the gourami would snack on the adult guppies. i'd like to spotlight the tank around one fish, as i've done in my other community (with my Betta) my LPS only stocks the following fish though:

Red-Tailed Sharks - not sure how big they get
Tricolor Sharks - too big for the aquarium, but beautiful fish.
Angelfish - afraid guppies would munch on fins, or angel would munch on guppies
Tiger Barbs - fin nippers
Black Moors - chubby goldfish and pretty guppies? no way!
Orandas - not a fan of goldies
Koi - pond fish
Guppies - what i'm getting
Moonlight Gouramis - would a single gourami eat a guppy?
Bettas - can't get females, might be tempted to breed and therefore end up with more fish then i can handle. a male would attack guppies
Common Corydoras - getting three
Plecostomus - getting an apple snail as an algae eater
Apple Snails - getting one
Bleeding Hearts - need to school, already have a tetra tank

pretty much the only fish i'd like to keep with the guppies are the Moonlight Gourami, Red-Tailed Shark or Tricolor Shark, but i'm not sure if they'd A) eat the guppies B) get too big for the tank or C) get along with the guppies. the sharks are all a good 1" - 2" long already, and the gouramis are 2" each.

 

[Inchworm]

Hello, BettaBoyz

I think a Moonlight Gourami might be a very good addition to your new tank. It is generally considered one of the most gentle of the gouramis. Sometimes it is even a bit timid. They are beautiful and graceful fish--a bit more streamlined than the other gouramis in appearance.

Here is a link with more information:

http/freshaquarium.about.com/library/pro...es/blfw0018.htm

 

[Fishy Jon]

You can definately put a dwarf gourami with fancy guppies. I just did a few days ago and they actually like each other. Well not really like each other, but they don't bother 1 another. The gourami sees the guppy and the guppy comes near and they don't even touch the other.

 

[BettaBoyz]

upon further research these gouramis are actually BLUE gouramis, and the tricolor sharks are really malawi golden cichlids xX

eep.

 

[Inchworm]

Ooooh, BettaBoyz. a blue gourami is not exactly the same as a moonlight gourami.

I would not hesitate to say "good" to a moonlight gourami, but a blue gourami is a little less shy and bit more aggressive. If you had a larger tank it would be a different story, too. But a full grown blue, also known as a 3 spot gourami, could be a problem with the guppies in a 10 gal. tank. If you do try one, go with a female. They do not look too different from the males, but are a little more sedate.

I'd feel better about it if you had a place to move them to if it didn't work out. But when I look at your tanks, I see that you don't.

Is there any chance of paying a visit to another fish store? Even if it is a trip, it would be worth it if you could get a more suitable fish. For a small tank, a dwarf gourami, even a pair, would be a better choice.

 

[platypus]

Hi,

I have a pair of neon blue dwarf gouramis (m and f) in my tank along with guppies and they get on just fine. Not sure how the gourami would behave if he was on his own without a female to distract him though...

 

[BettaBoyz]

i know the 3spot and moonlight gourami's are different. praise my fish dictionary or i might've bought the gourami and suffered the loss of other fish as well xX

i'll do that. next time i head into cornwall i'll stop at The Pet Store and see if they have any nice fish in. they're a good store, keep all the tanks well-stocked and decorated with only compatible species. they had a beautiful, full-grown Oscar in a tank hiding behind a piece of driftwood last time i was in, but they also had a filthy Betta cup. it's why i haven't gone back in a while, but i'll check to see if they have any nice 'spotlight fish'