Centerpiece fish- gouramis?

[gabysapha]

Hello,

I've been all over this forum recently because I'm trying to stock my 29 gal!

I have 12 Endlers and 2 platies in the tank and I will add a school of 6 cories or 10 pygmy cories if I can find some that are cheap enough
Live plants, low tech. The water is moderately hard and with ph 7.6+

I'm trying to avoid really sensitive/shy fish; I'm sticking with the usual beginner's fish stocking ideas.

Anyways... after thinking of schooling fish that are affordable for me and would like my hard water, I was thinking of turning it into a livebearer tank (I would prefer not to), getting zebra danios (but I'm not a fan of how they school), or to consider a centerpiece fish.

My first idea for a centerpiece fish is a gourami. After dealing with aggressive bettas in community tanks, I'm hesitant to try gouramis. WILL THEY EAT MY LITTLE ENDLERS?! Are some species more hardy than others? I know Dwarfs are on the sensitive side, how about others? I would get the fish from Petsmart- they have several varieties.

what are your experiences with gouramis in medium-sized tanks? Will they fare well in hard water? do you have favorites? Can pairs be kept in my size tank?

Thanks to everyone for your input- I love this forum!

 

[m0stUniQue]

No experience with dwarfs sorry but any of the larger ones opaline, gold, blue (color variations) mine were always super aggressive and fin nipped a platy to death but maybe if kept in a pair they`d be fine but i`d go with a dwarf but up to you anything with a mouth big enough to fit fry will eat it

 

[gabysapha]

Oh they will def eat fry! My platies love em.... eh. I have a breeding tank luckily!

Thanks for your input with gourami aggression, it's great to know.

 

[Bubble_B0y]

gouramis are compatible with your livebearers.

there are many gouramis to choose from, but you can only keep 1 in your size tank.


Another option worth considering is 1 Angelfish. They will be happy amongst your livebearers.

 

[Nomadu571]

Gourami are great fish, I love my three, the only thing I would add is that they can be shy. My two females like to hide alot, and will come out for food or when they think they may get food, male is more bold and is out and about alot more, and swim around with my barbs sometimes too!

 

[jetajockey]

Paradisefish would be a good choice.

 

[gabysapha]

Ahhh, paradisefish! I had not thought of them! They might be an alternative to gouramis!

Mmm, Im pretty sure angels would eat my Endlers. I mean, their natural prey items are tetras!

It seems gouramis may not be the best choice, how about a paradisefish or another centerpiece you'v thought of?
I considered the idea of a cichlid but I've never taken care of them before- cichlids intimidate me!

 

[Desastre]

What about a ram. They may be a bit small but their color is tunning imo. Here is a pic of my blue veil ram. And I usually notice it more in the middle and uptop but maybe thats just mine.

 

[gabysapha]

Ooo pretty. Are these rams peaceful? The only reason i hesitate with rams is their expense/availability. And i guess im intimated by them. How do you like keeping cichlids?

 

[Desastre]

I have 2 pairs one regular blue rams and then a pair of veil blue rams. Theirs also a dg in the tank other then that it's a normal community tank. No fights no fuss. They are peaceful fish and keep to themselves for the most part chilling in the javafern or behind driftwood.