Schooling Fish To Go With Gouramis

[Ruskull]

Yeah, finding tankmates for Three Spot Gouramis can be challenging and hit and miss at times. Too small or slow and the gouramis might pick on it. Too fast or big and it might pick on the gouramis. Some of the calmer medium sized barbs might just work out. I'm thinking along the lines of Long Finned Rosey Barb. Avoid the barb species that get five inches long as the suggested minimum of six for a shoal would overstock your tank in a hurry.

I was thinking more a long the lines of Cherry Barbs. They are a slower, smaller & more peaceful version of Barb and the males get a very nice red. Red would go nicely in my tank color wise. They are also available at multiple local pet stores.

Does anyone know if I can put 4 to 6 male Cherry Barbs and no females? Would they fight? I don't want to mix male & female because I don't want a tank full of Cherry Barb fry. I don't want all females because they don't get that awesome red color.

Some sites say that Cherry Barbs aren't a schooling fish and others say the opposite. Any info on Cherry Barbs would be much appreciated. I'm still researching them as we speak....................

 

[Ruskull]

Here's Wiki on Cherry Barbs:

This peaceful cherry-red fish is most often kept in community tanks by fish keeping hobbyists. The cherry barb is a schooling fish and is best kept in groups of five or more individuals. The schools are often less discrete than with many types of barb. It is also best to keep a ratio of two females to one male. The male will constantly harass the females to breed, and by this ratio, it gives the females a small break. They live an average of 4 years, with a maximum lifespan of 5-7 years.[3] They prefer a tank with abundant plants (about two-thirds to three-quarters of the tank), but they still need open space to swim. They tend to hide and will often withdraw under the cover of plants. Younger males are generally peaceful, but they can be aggressive in spawning with females. Appropriate tank mates include Rasbora and similar peaceful fish.

Here's Tim's Tropicals on Cherry Barbs:

The Cherry Barb is a good choice for beginners. It comes from Sri Lanka. It is much more peaceful, slower and smaller than other barbs. As it matures, it develops its cherry color. Males turn a bright fire red when they reach breeding age. There is no distinction between sexes for juveniles and they all look very similar to an adult female. Cherry Barbs don't school, so keeping a pair is fine, although they will enjoy the company of their own kind. They eat standard flake foods and freeze dried blood worms. Quality flake foods and brine shrimp feedings will enhance colors.

 

[Ruskull]

I have rummy nose tetras in with gourami, nice fish.

According to Tim's Tropicals, Rummy Nose Tetras aren't compatible with the larger Three Spot Gouramis but they go well with Dwarf Gouramis.

 

[Ruskull]

This is from The Aquatic Community:

Cherry barb setup:

The recommended minimum aquarium size is 75 litres (20 gallons). The Cherry barbs should always be kept in groups of at least five individuals, preferably more, since this is a schooling species. A Cherry barb that is kept alone can become very stressed in the aquarium.

Try to mimic the shaded and densely grown habitat that wild Cherry barbs live in when you set up your aquarium. Preferably choose some plants that will grow up and cover the surface.
A clear area for swimming should also be included. Comparatively sturdy plants are recommended since the Cherry barbs will nibble on them. They will also eat algae.

Good filtration and a quite a strong current are recommended. Cherry barbs live in slow flowing waters in the wild.
Cherry barb tank mates:

The Cherry barb is a peaceful fish ideal for a community aquarium with other non-aggressive fish species that appreciate the same type of environment. It is naturally important not to house Cherry barbs with predatory species that will consider them prey. As mentioned above, a Cherry barb should always be kept together with at least 4 members of its own species. A school of Cherry barbs can be house with a wide range of docile fish species, such as Danios, Plecos, Bettas, Corydoras and Rainbow fish. Nippy fish species like the Tiger Barb should generally be avoided.
Cherry barb behaviour:

Cherry barbs should always be kept in groups, but they will not form really tight schools. Within the Cherry barb shoal, a strict hierarchy will be observed. If you keep more than one male, the males will compete with each other but rarely cause severe injury. Keeping two males in the same aquarium is actually highly entertaining since the males will “dance” in front of each other rather than simply fight. During the dance, the males will encircle each other whole displaying erect fins. Males will also become more vividly coloured when kept together with other males.

The Cherry barbs are considered to be a middle-tank species, but they will often venture close to the bottom as well as swim up to the surface in the aquarium, especially if the surface is covered in bushy plants.

That would explain why there are differing opinions on whether they are a schooling fish or not. They don't form tightly knit schools.................it also appears it would be okay to keep males together although it doesn't say keeping only males is okay.

 

[creeker]

I would be concerned that the Cherry Barb is not quite big enough and too slim in profile to go with the gouramis. I wonder if Red Eyed Tetra might work out? They get bigger, like to shoal up, and are attractive. I have seen occasional nippiness from them, but they are quite peaceful as a rule.

 

[onidrase]

I have rummy nose tetras in with gourami, nice fish.

According to Tim's Tropicals, Rummy Nose Tetras aren't compatible with the larger Three Spot Gouramis but they go well with Dwarf Gouramis.

Then don't listen to tims tropicals. Why would rummy nose's not work if cherry barbs would?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

They are a little small for going with three spot gouramis. They are actually smaller than the rasboras.


They are a shoaling species, in that you want to keep them in groups just like a shoaling species. However, they usually will be spread out through out the tank.


Don't worry about the male/female thing with the barbs. They are egg layers. The eggs will be eaten by your other inhabitants if they happen to spawn. And even if not, the three spots will certainly pick of the fry. But, I would still go with a bigger fish with the three spots.


3 inch peaceful tetras would be: Penguin, Bleeding heart (very chunky as well), Congo, Columbian, or Red Eye tetra.

 

[Greg_DS]

I have rummy nose tetras in with gourami, nice fish.

According to Tim's Tropicals, Rummy Nose Tetras aren't compatible with the larger Three Spot Gouramis but they go well with Dwarf Gouramis.

Then don't listen to tims tropicals. Why would rummy nose's not work if cherry barbs would?

Apologies, it is indeed Dwarf's I have them with, forgetting just how big some Gourami's are.

 

[Ruskull]

I have rummy nose tetras in with gourami, nice fish.

According to Tim's Tropicals, Rummy Nose Tetras aren't compatible with the larger Three Spot Gouramis but they go well with Dwarf Gouramis.

Then don't listen to tims tropicals. Why would rummy nose's not work if cherry barbs would?

The theory is that Rummynose Tetras are larger, more nippy fish than Cherry Barbs. Three Spot Gourami variations are all semi aggressive but they are prone to be nipped at by the larger Barbs & Tetras. That's why I don't believe Tiger Barbs are a good match for Three Spots, I have personal experience with this. The Tigers even nipped at the dominant male Gourami in the tank.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Rummys aren't really known as nippers though. Have you looked into the tetras I mentioned? I've heard some very good things about red eyes, but have never kept them myself.

 

[creeker]

Today at the Petsmart one day sale, they had Red-eye Tetra, Columbian Tetra, Bloodfin Tetra, Cardinal Tetra, Cherry Barb, Rosey Barb, and a bunch more for .80 each. I ended up buying a female Blue Ram and some plants, neither of which was on sale.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I got a dwarf gourami and a BN pleco. The gourami was on sale. I had been wanting one for quite some time. My tank is finally mature enough I thought it would be safe for them both.

 

[Ruskull]

Rummys aren't really known as nippers though. Have you looked into the tetras I mentioned? I've heard some very good things about red eyes, but have never kept them myself.

Well I broke down & bought a pair of Pearl Gourami females at a fish only store in Wake Forest. My son talked me into it and they were on sale for $8 a pair instead of the usual price of $18 per pair.

The problem? The biggest fish in the tank is a female Blue Gourami and she harasses them as well as all the other Gouramis except the dominant male Gold. I think I'll be returning her today to PetCo. It's sad because she's about 4 inches long & she will nip at your fingers if you put them in the tank.

In retrospect I should've gone with all Pearl Gouramis and skipped the Three Spots altogether. I don't like a stressful tank or I would've gotten into Cichlids.......

I'd like to try returning the Big Blue & replace her with a small schooling fish. What are the final recommendations?

So far I have Penguin Tetras, Bleeding Heart Tetras, Congo Tetras, Columbian Tetras & Red Eye Tetras on my list. Any others? I'm going to check out PetSmart & PetCo for schooling fish & see what's on sale. Petsmart has a 14 day return policy & PetCo has a 30 day. I'd really like to go with the safest bet possible as returning fish sucks..........

Please keep in mind that I have Corys & Otos also, so whatever schooling fish needs to be good with them as well.

 

[creeker]

Black Skirt is another Tetra that would go. Just be sure you pick from tanks that don't contain any sick looking fish. That way you won't have to worry about the return policy. To me, two weeks sounds like a reasonable guarantee. At some point I figure I need to assume responsibility.

 

[Ruskull]

Black Skirt is another Tetra that would go. Just be sure you pick from tanks that don't contain any sick looking fish. That way you won't have to worry about the return policy. To me, two weeks sounds like a reasonable guarantee. At some point I figure I need to assume responsibility.

I hate returning fish. I grow attached to them................I've already bagged the big Blue Gourami female & my son will be heartbroken..............it's for the best though.

I just researched the Zebra Danio and they seem like a perfect fit for all the inhabitants: Three Spot Gouramis, Pearl Gouramis, Otos, & Corries. They even go well with Cherry Barbs! Supposedly, the Cherry Barbs are the smallest, most peaceful Barb and they go well with Pearls & Three Spots but NOT with Otos & Corries. Not sure why............

According to 2 different sites, Bleeding Hearts, Congos, Colombians, Red Eyes, Red & Black Phantoms are all not compatible with Three Spots or Pearls! I'll keep my eye out for Penguin Tetras, Zebra Danios & Cherry Barbs that are fairly large in size.