Here's a quick summary of my setups/ situation before I start asking my numerous questions:
I just set up a ten gallon about two weeks ago. I started off with two dwarf gouramis- a flame and a neon blue. The flame is significantly bigger than the neon, and basically terrorised him into a corner of the tank. The neon wasn't moving except for the few times that the flame chased him around. I couldn't bring myself to return either of them to the store, so I bought a five gallon and put the neon in there. He is doing very well now and swimming around like crazy, as is the flame. A few days ago, I added two albino cory catfish to the ten gallon. Everything is going well right now, but I just want some advice from people who really know what they're talking about, and the people who work in the Petco across the street don't seem to fit the bill.
First, I definitely want to get the neon gourami a friend. I have been seriously considering a female gourmai, but I have read mixed results about this. I read one woman who described her agressive gourami as "whipped" into peaceful submission when she got him a female. But then I have read other people say a sole male and female are a bad combination. I am not trying to breed them, although if that happens it happens. I just want to make the fish that I currently have as happy as possible, and this seems like a good, natural way of doing it. What are your thoughts? If getting him a female friend is a bad idea, I am thinking of a few neon tetras. What do you think would be better?
Secondly, I want to add another fish to the ten gallon, but because of the agression that the flame gourami displayed, I am stumped as to what would be compatible. He gets along quite well with the corys, but they are mostly at the bottom and out of his way, and I am not sure how he would act with another top/ mid dwelling fish. But I really do want another fish in the tank, so what are your suggestions? I really love both the dwarf gouramis and my cory cats, they are all so active and full of personality. The corys wiggle over each other like little puppies.
My LAST question for now (I promise!) is about the filter in my five gallon tank. It came with the tank, and it is a whisper power filter. It seems to cause a very strong current that really carries my neon gourami around and appears hard for him to swim against. There is no way to lower the setting, so I was wondering if I should get another whisper filter like the one in my ten gallon that I could just turn on lower, or if I should get another type of filter altogether?
Thank you in advance for reading through all of this. I realize it's a lot, but I have a lot of questions and am planning to go to a specialized aquarium store on Sunday and want to have all the information possible. I have become quite obsessed with my two tanks, and this definitely has the potential of becoming a major hobby for me, which is true for very few other things. My friends/boyfriend don't understand my obsession, so I figured it was time to seek out some people who do. Sorry for the massive length of this post.
I just set up a ten gallon about two weeks ago. I started off with two dwarf gouramis- a flame and a neon blue. The flame is significantly bigger than the neon, and basically terrorised him into a corner of the tank. The neon wasn't moving except for the few times that the flame chased him around. I couldn't bring myself to return either of them to the store, so I bought a five gallon and put the neon in there. He is doing very well now and swimming around like crazy, as is the flame. A few days ago, I added two albino cory catfish to the ten gallon. Everything is going well right now, but I just want some advice from people who really know what they're talking about, and the people who work in the Petco across the street don't seem to fit the bill.
First, I definitely want to get the neon gourami a friend. I have been seriously considering a female gourmai, but I have read mixed results about this. I read one woman who described her agressive gourami as "whipped" into peaceful submission when she got him a female. But then I have read other people say a sole male and female are a bad combination. I am not trying to breed them, although if that happens it happens. I just want to make the fish that I currently have as happy as possible, and this seems like a good, natural way of doing it. What are your thoughts? If getting him a female friend is a bad idea, I am thinking of a few neon tetras. What do you think would be better?
Secondly, I want to add another fish to the ten gallon, but because of the agression that the flame gourami displayed, I am stumped as to what would be compatible. He gets along quite well with the corys, but they are mostly at the bottom and out of his way, and I am not sure how he would act with another top/ mid dwelling fish. But I really do want another fish in the tank, so what are your suggestions? I really love both the dwarf gouramis and my cory cats, they are all so active and full of personality. The corys wiggle over each other like little puppies.
My LAST question for now (I promise!) is about the filter in my five gallon tank. It came with the tank, and it is a whisper power filter. It seems to cause a very strong current that really carries my neon gourami around and appears hard for him to swim against. There is no way to lower the setting, so I was wondering if I should get another whisper filter like the one in my ten gallon that I could just turn on lower, or if I should get another type of filter altogether?
Thank you in advance for reading through all of this. I realize it's a lot, but I have a lot of questions and am planning to go to a specialized aquarium store on Sunday and want to have all the information possible. I have become quite obsessed with my two tanks, and this definitely has the potential of becoming a major hobby for me, which is true for very few other things. My friends/boyfriend don't understand my obsession, so I figured it was time to seek out some people who do. Sorry for the massive length of this post.
