Mixing Gouramis

[Viperboy]

Would a male dwarf powder blue gourami and a female gold gourami be a good pair for my 29gal community tank?
TIA

Ray

 

[Zagz]

What other fish do you have in there? I don't see a problem with it, I have had 3 different types of gourami's together for over a year with no problems. Keep in mind that each fish is different and you will just have to watch and make sure there are no problems as you have to with all fish.

 

[Viperboy]

Yea well right now i just have 4 zebras and 3 aeneus cory cats .... i think ill add the gouramis next after i lower my temp from the Ich treatment .... then i would like maybe a school of tetra (like 5 ... a hardier one maybe glo light or black skirt) and a pleco? .... then i would probably be stocked i believe.

Ray

 

[Zagz]

If you get a pleco I would recommend an Bristlenose pleco, either the albino or the regular. They stay small and are very adorable.

 

[Viperboy]

Yea i lost my little clown pleco to the Ich so i was thinking about getting another one of them but of coure the BN is also an option but i have not really seen them in any stores around my area for sale ... i know there is one other pleco that stays fairly small but its name escapes me at the moment.

Ray

 

[RoK]

Would a male dwarf powder blue gourami and a female gold gourami be a good pair for my 29gal community tank?
TIA

Ray

There's a big chance (IME) that they won't get along. I don't recommend putting dwarf's and larger gouramis together. It's up to you if you want to try it though.

 

[Viperboy]

even if the bigger gold one is a female? ... or are u saying that the aggression from the smaller dwarf male would be a problem?

Ray

 

[Cloud]

I have a trio of Dwarfs with a full grown Opaline and a very young Honey Sunset that will get just as big. As said earlier it works for some, depending on the fish and their personalities. I havent had any issues to date.

 

[crazyred]

I have a full grown female opaline gourami that is about 5" long and she was harassed relentlessly by my 2 1/2" male dwarf flame gourami. I had to put him in the 10 gallon tank with my ACF becuase I was afraid he was going to harrass her to death!!! She such a big, sweet, beautiful fish that doesn't bother a soul and he was making her life miserable......and she was twice his size!! If you attempt the mix, proceed with caution and be prepared to move someone.

 

[RoK]

even if the bigger gold one is a female? ... or are u saying that the aggression from the smaller dwarf male would be a problem?

Ray

It could go either way, the gold or the dwarf could be an aggressor. However, I have most often found it to be that the larger (especially if male but females can be just as nasty) gourami will be it.

 

[Zagz]

Maybe it is the Opalines that are peaceful. I have Opalines with the dwarf's and everyone is great. Mind you I also had 3 Pearl gourami with some dwarfs for about 6 months. Due to some tank moving around they are no longer together. That was a tank size issue, not an aggression issue.

It is most important to reiterate that you must watch carefully and be completely prepared at the first sign of agression if there is any, and remove the victim. There are success and non success stories and the decision to try will be up to you.

 

[Viperboy]

So I went ahead and got them today after my temp was back down to around 78 ... so we will see what happens i guess .... ill keep u updated

Ray

 

[RoK]

Maybe it is the Opalines that are peaceful

The gold and blue's are the same species as the opaline's. I don't think the color variation really makes them more peaceful, it just depends on the individual.

 

[shaunakadub]

I kept a dwarf and a flame gourami together for awhile until the dwarf passed of an internal parasite, had no problem at all.

 

[Cloud]

So I went ahead and got them today after my temp was back down to around 78 ... so we will see what happens i guess .... ill keep u updated

Ray

How is it working out for you?

 

[Viperboy]

So far so good but its only been a day .... we will see how it progresses .... the gold is about 2" more than the dwarf blue .... but the only problem i think i could run into is the gold being a male .... i tried to get the brightest one with a rounded top fin cause that is what my gf wanted who was with me .... so chances are it could be male or female i guess .... and i know the dwarf is a male .... maybe ill get some pics up so you guys can help me out. They are both eating good but the gold is still a little skittish.

Ray

 

[Zezmo]

The thing is, all Dwarf Gourami's are insane!! One might be the nicest fish you will ever know, the next one is a psycho killing machine. While most DG's are quite nice, I have had more than one that will kill any percieved rival in the tank. They do a "head butt" attack on another fish, often stunning or killing them. Tetras can be taken out in one head butt, larger fish are usually just stunned by this attack. This is usually only "bad" when defending a bubble nest, and they are usually only highly aggressive about the bubble nest if there are fry in it.