Restarting my tank! 2 male pearl gouramis or 1 male and 1 female? No breeding!

[Aneamals]

So I'm about to restart my tank after many months! My step dad wants me to get bigger fish this time. I'm thinking of going for Pearl Gouramis.

I don't mind having more than 1 together in the same tank, but I do NOT want them to breed. So I was thinking of getting 2 or 3 males to make a friendly group. But I keep reading that it is recommended to get 1 male and 1 or 2 females. Why is that? I understand that the male will become more colorful to impress the females, but I don't really care for that. And I really don't want to breed them as I don't want to care for the fry.

Is having males together a bad idea? Will they become aggressive and/or territorial? I also want to include shoaling/schooling fishes in the tank. Possibly cherry barbs or some kind of tetras. Will those fishes be in danger? What about having 1 male Pearl Gourami alone in the tank?

By the way, the tank is a 30 gallon, with 1 Top Fin 30 filter and 1 AquaClear 50 filter. Plenty of fake plants, and small smooth rocks as the bottom. I have hard water that is around 80F.

[Coursair]

I answered this on another thread, IME get 1 Pearl Gourami OR 1 DG. Not both and no groups. Even males and females can fight. They are not social fish.


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[Barliman]

Pearls can get a bit aggressive* when in "breeding mode." I would either have one male or female** in a tank of the size you have. I wouldn't mix them with Dwarf Gouramis: the bigger Pearl would likely badger the smaller Dwarf to death.

*Though not as aggressive as Blue/Three Spot/Gold Gouramis, which can be real jerks. I love gouramis, but one has to be a little careful about tankmates.

**A male will still be aggressive on his own when ready to breed, but he does get that beautiful reddish breast when in season.

[Aneamals]

Thank you to all for the information! I don't think I'll be going with Gouramis anymore. They seem to be too aggressive for what I want in my tank.

[Coursair]

Pearls are very peaceful with fish that aren't Gouramis typically. I plan to add one with my Neons.


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[Aneamals]

Originally Posted by Coursair

Pearls are very peaceful with fish that aren't Gouramis typically. I plan to add one with my Neons.


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You think so? Let me know how it goes after adding one with your neons! I'm curious to know your experience!