Another 20g stocking question? How does a Dwarf Gourami sound?

[mandy2936]

Alright. Here is my current stocking for my 20g tank.

6 male Guppies
6 Neons
4 Julii Cories

I was thinking of adding a male Dwarf Gourami, but I'm not so sure of this. I have heard some can be aggressive, and others not, depending on the personality. I am afraid for my Neons, especially. It's just that I have received so many suggestions that a DG would be a good fish to add. Plus, DG are so pretty, and they would make a good "center piece" fish.
What do you think?

I was originally going to add 2-3 male Platies in place of the DG, but someone told me the DG is a better choice. So again, what do you think?

Some additional details:
My tank has a natural theme. I have sand as a substrate and a fair amount of plants. They are all fake, except for some bamboo. I have a Terra Cotta pot and and some driftwood. (also fake) I heard they like to be in quiet environments, and my basement is extremely quiet Mon-Fri with the exception of the TV on the weekends, lol. So overall I think it's a pretty good set up for a DG, but will it be aggressive??

Thanks again.

EDIT: What is the difference between Honey Gouramis and Dwarf Gouramis? (besides coloration) I prefer the coloring of the DG, but just wondering. Once again, thank you so much for the constant help.

 

[HN1]

A DG might be a better choice than the platies. The honey (colisa chuna) and DG are totally different species and have very different temperaments. Honeys are chilled and actually very peaceful and shy. DGs may nip long fins and are very territorial. DGs are also extra susceptible to disease (and mysterious deaths that can be traced to disease) because of practices used to farm them in asia. Hormones to induce all males, inadequate culls, etc. All the color variants of "dwarf gourami" is the same species (colisa lalia), the LFS is wrong when they say it's a female, and if you know those things and get only one.... they are awesome fish packed with personality. Be sure to QT.

 

[mandy2936]

So, are you suggesting that a better fish for my tank is an HG
or a DG? It seems that the temperment on the HG is better... Do they come in any other colors than yellow? I realy love the coloring
on the HG, but I worry about the aggression. Thanks once again for all the info! (+1)

 

[HN1]

A Honey would be my choice, but a DG could work well too. The DGs are just of suspect quality even if they look perfect and do fine for months. I've seen healthy fish succomb quickly. Honeys do also come in what I think they call "red honey". With your stocking, the aggression level would be minimal as long as there is only one of either type.

 

[mandy2936]

Ok. Yeah, I'm not so fond of the HG's coloring, so it wouldn't make a good centerpiece fish. I will either get the Platies or the DG.