Peaceful Gouramies? Do They Exist?

[JamesP]

Right guys,

I have the following in my 125 ltr tank:

5 x panda corys
5 x neon tetras
5 x lemon tetras
4 x platys

I am looking at adding 2 gouramies to finish my tank off but am a little uneasy about their (sometimes) aggressive nature. Could somebody please tell me what gouramies would be most suitable for my tank? I want a peaceful, community fish that will not upset the harmony of my tank. I suppose what i'm asking is 'what is the most peaceful and friendly gouramie readily available to buy?'

Thanks in advance

 

[Ashli]

Pearl Gouramis are extremely peaceful and would do well with other fish you have.
Pygmy Gouramis would also do well in your tank but they are less colourful then they're relatives.

Ashli

 

[AMS]

For the most part, gouramis are a peaceful fish. They are often labeled "semi-agrressive" due to chasing and nipping that may occur when two of the same gourami species are housed in the same tank.

 

[sylvia]

Generaly speaking, gouramies are only aggressive towards other gouramies. Certain species (such as three-spots) can be problematic when breeding as well and the larger ones can make a meal of small fish but, otherwise, they are not aggressive fish.

125 litres is about 31 (US) gallons so you could fit a trio of pearls in just about. By 'trio' I mean 2 females and 1 male. You can try a pair but the male is likely to chase the female around somewhat. Having said that, pearls are on of the mroe peaceful species and can often work as pairs just fine. Of course, you could always just get 2 females if you don't mind their lack of bright coloration. These grow to 4", occasionaly 5".

Alternatively, the banded gourami, colisa fasciata, is another possible candidate. Again, a trio (or females only) is the way to go. These also grow to 4" and look quite similar to the popular 'dwarf' gourami whilst being rather more hardy.

Simialrly, the thick-lipped gourami (colisa labiosa) is an option. These grow to 3.5". Again, as a trio.

Honey gouramies also (colisa chuna/sota), which grow to 1.5", are ideal because they are not much larger than your existing fish and would leave you room for even mroe inhabitants. You could keep 6 of them (2 males, 4 females) quite comfortably.

Other options are sparkling (pygmy) gouramies (trichopsis pumilus)... or croaking gouramies (trichopsis vittatus). Like was said earlier, whilst these are suitable options, they are not 'typical' gouramies in shape and lack the vibrant coloration of the other afformentioned species. Again, either of this species would do best as a trio or in any group where females outnumber males at least 2:1.

But, looking at all your options, I'd either second the pearl reccomendation made by Ashli or suggest honeys as the best options.

 

[JamesP]

Thanks for your advice everybody....it is much appreciated

 

[redtailblackshark]

Well, I have a powder blue gourami, a dwarf gourami, and a gold gourami, and none of them are aggressive. But that could be just because their in a tank with white clouds, neon tetras and danios. What i'm getting at is that i've never had a problem with gourami's being aggressive.

 

[missPenguin]

I have just got a couple of croaking gouramis [Trichopsis vittata] as I am told they have a peaceful nature and do well in a community tank. They are currently both in a quarentine tank at moment, but I'll let you know what happens when they go into the community tank but I don't anticipate any problems.

They are very beautiful fish, I can recommend them highly. They have a subtle beauty, they are not highly coloured but they have gorgeous electric blue coloured eyes and if you catch them in the right light, you can see they have a variation of subtle colours on thier bodies. IF I knew how to post photos on here, I'd post a photo so you could see but I do think they are gorgeous.