Need help with tank mates

[Elle]

I currently have an established 65 gallon tank with a comet goldfish and a pleco. Long story short, I also recently had to add a kissing gourami to the mix. She has only been there one day and shows a little aggression towards the comet, but the comet is quite a bit bigger and seems to hold its own.

Two questions:
1) is there anything I can do to help the gourami be more comfortable/stop kissing the comet? I read that they enjoy plants. The tank used to have plants but the fish eventually pulled them up or ate all their leaves so they didn’t thrive. I’m nervous about adding new live plants since I don’t know a lot about them or what species are best. I have some fake ones I can add.

2) the tank is pretty empty with just the three fish. Are there any good tank mates that I should look into? 65 gallons, 74-76 F, medium sized substrate, some decorations like caves.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Enchantress]

I'd suggest rehoming either the goldfish or the gourami, they have different water requirements and are not compatible. Your current temperature is too high for the comet anyway, as these are coldwater fish & prefer it between 60 and 70 degrees. Gouramis are tropical and prefer warmer water. Besides, the aggression issues may get worse and cause problems down the road (stress, injury, lower immunity etc.).

As for plants, I'd recommend anubias, Java fern, moneywort, amazon sword, hornwort etc. Or some floaters like frogbit, water lettuce etc. They're all easy, cheap and less likely to be nibbled on than some other species.
I can't really tell you what fish to add, because it really depends on your own preferences. You can have a tankful of colourful guppies, platies, mollies or some schooling fish with lots of colour and movement, or you can add a handful of bigger fish or just one Oscar and leave it at that. It depends on what you want. But if you decide to mix more than one species together you have to make sure that they are compatible with each other, both in terms of water requirements and temperament.

 

[rlederer]

WHenever you have single fish of a species you face problems. Kissing Gouramis, which get pretty large, by the way, like to be in groups, or at least a pair. The goldfish would be happier in cooler water,so get another gourami or three and put the goldfish elsewhere.