Question on fish compatibility (adding Gouramis)   2/6/07
Hi, I need some help with fish compatibility.  I have 2 female guppies, 1 female black molly, and 4 green Cory cats in a ten-gallon tank with some plants, driftwood, larger rocks, a hollow ship ornament (for a hiding place) and a really good filter (a Bio-wheel made for a 50-gallon, and my fish really enjoy swimming in the current it produces).  Everyone gets along very well and is healthy.  I am looking for a good mid-level fish.  I was considering a school of 5-6 neon tetras
<Mmm, no... Do the diligence of looking up the chemical, physical requirements of the species you list here... and get back with us>
but I am afraid of getting neon tetra disease (although I could set up a quarantine tank).  Then the idea of getting 1 or 2 smaller gouramis seemed like an interesting idea.  Is this a good idea, and if so, which breeds would be best?  I was considering the pearl, dwarf, flame, three-spot, or honey gouramis, and I was going to get 1-2 females or 2 females and 1 male.  What is the most I could have with 10 gallons?  I want to make sure they don't pick on the other fish (or each other), and I hope there aren't any clashes between the molly and the gouramis.  I plan on getting a 36+ gallon tank within the next year, so I don't want to fill up the tank I have now with lots of little fish like tetras that might get eaten if I add larger fish later on.  That's why I'm leaning towards gouramis, plus I've read they have interesting personalities.  Would I be able to add the tetras later after I get gouramis?  I also want to add 4-5 kuhli loaches when I get the larger tank.
Another question: I don't have any gravel on the bottom of my tank because the bio-wheel has enough bacteria in it and it's easier to make sure there's not rotting debris on the floor.  Would any of the fish I mentioned, especially the kuhli loaches, do better with some sand or gravel?  I thought I might be able to offer a couple half-filled dishes of sand (maybe like the ceramic dishes you put under indoor potted plants) to the loaches for them to burrow into without getting the sand all throughout the tank.  Is that a
good idea?  Thanks for your help!!
<Be chatting. BobF>

Snakeskin Gourami color & conflict    11/16/07
I was delighted to find your site-- you are a fantastic "crew" & I so appreciate your knowledge and efforts to share it.
<Thanks.>
Now, my question, which is sort of two queries intertwined. One is about my snakeskin Gouramis changing color, getting very dark, very rapidly (in a matter of seconds) and then returning to normal.
<Most fish can change colour. Not something to worry about unduly.>
I first noticed this several weeks ago and I wasn't even sure it was actually happening because it would happen so fast. Now, I am certain that it happens, very dramatically, and is clearly associated with conflict (this is Question Part II), though this did not seem to be the case the first several times that I saw it.
<The reasons can vary. Aggression is certainly one reason, which fish having "look at me!" and "leave me alone!" colour patterns, for example. Colour also changes with mood, environmental stress, other colours in the aquarium, even the time of day.>
Here's the background info: I have had a 55 gal. tank for about 9
months with 3 snakeskin Gouramis, 10 Neons, 2 guppies, 2 glass fish, 5
zebras, 2 dwarf Gouramis, & a 5" plecostomus. The three Gouramis have grown a great
deal since I got them, from about 3" to 5".
<Snakeskin Gouramis -- Trichogaster pectoralis -- are one of the larger Gouramis. They're not really aquarium fish, but food fish. Wild adults are up to 25 cm/500 grammes when fully grown. Should be okay in your 55 gallon tank though, as they rarely get so large in aquaria.>
I have no idea about their sex (all the dorsal fins look the same to me).
<Hmm... perhaps all one sex?>
They seem to have adopted territories, e.g. for sleeping, but until very recently didn't seem to be protective of their turf.
<Ah, depends on breeding condition. Mature males become significantly more aggressive than otherwise.>
Everything was wonderful & peaceful until about 3 days ago. Territory has suddenly become an issue, and they all go after each other with wide-open mouths, sometimes locking mouths (looks like the "kissing" kissing Gouramis do, but aggressive), sometimes running into each other's sides trying to bite and pushing each other around. Just now I noticed that a spot near the mouth of one of them seems to be injured. They rapidly turn a dark grey during these encounters (which can go on for quite a while, an hour, maybe more?) and appear sort of flushed, with red visible through the skin at the mouth and gills. Two of them in particular are doing this, though the third one will change color and get involved sometimes too. My theory is that they are maturing (I have been unable to find any photos of mature snakeskin Gouramis) and so beginning to exhibit mature, sexual behaviors.
<Agree with your hypothesis here.>
My questions are 1) about the color change: what is it about? is it always a sign of something bad/stressful? it's so remarkable, I can't believe that I can't find a bunch of info about it...
<Means many different things. Don't worry too much about it, except when associated with other behaviours. A fish with odd colours that refuses to swim in the open and shows little interest in food is likely being bullied. A strongly coloured fish that dominates the tank is likely the dominant male. And so on.>
and 2) about the behavior:
are the days of my peaceful tank at an end?
<Yes.>
what do you think I should do? Remove one? Which one?
<Removing two fish would be the obvious thing to do. Or else add four or five females, to diffuse the aggression.>
Everything I read say that Gouramis should be keep in groups, so what's up with this?
<Gouramis aren't schooling fish. They don't care whether they are kept singly or in groups, provided each male has sufficient space for its territory. We're all family with the aggression of male Siamese Fighting Fish -- but that is simply the extreme end of a spectrum of aggression levels.>
Should I not have given them so much room & food so as to keep them immature, stunted, and nonaggressive?
<Doesn't work like this.>
(I originally purchased 5 snakeskins, and gave 2 to my daughter's school, where they are kept in a bare 20 gallon tank and fed much less; these 2 look much the same as they did when they were purchased, while my 3 have grown & changed so much they hardly look like the same kind of fish.)
<Trichogaster pectoralis definitely gets bigger in bigger tanks, but this doesn't mean stunting them is a good idea. Sooner or later stunted males would be aggressive towards each other, and in a 20 gallon tank the outcome would be even more violent. So you're dealing with something in the genes, not peculiar to your tank. Those fish may be females, in which case colours will be less bright and growth rate less rapid.>
Finally, can you please either reply directly to me via email or send me an email letting me know where, exactly, to find your reply on Wet Web? Thank you so much-- (and feel free to edit my wordy text!)
Sarah
<Cheers, Neale>

Discus sel. and Gourami comp.   11/13/07
We have a 180 gallon well planted tank. Our water parameters are stable at approximately 5 ppm nitrate, 0 ppm nitrite, 0 ppm ammonia, GH at 75 ppm, KH at 30 ppm, and pH of 6.2. The temperature is set at 80. Current inhabitants are 4 blue rams, 11 cardinal tetras, 5 Otos, and 4 Pristella tetras. All has been running well for two months, and in another month we would like to add some discus. My first question is how many discus could be added to this tank?
<I'd start with half a dozen for now. Discus are schooling fish a lot of the time, though their pair off when sexually mature. But even then, they're much less aggressive than even Angelfish. Add six Discus, and you should be able to get some pairs for breeding from, if you wanted to.>
Also, as all 4 rams I purchased were males, if I am able to find a female, would it be safe to add just one female, or should I look for a few to minimize aggression before adding any females to the tank?
<Mikrogeophagus males are quite pushy. I'd be keeping at least one female per male; they don't really form stable pairs, and males will try and hold a harem if they can.>
Last question, my wife would love to add a Gourami or two to the tank, but are there any that would be compatible with this setup?
<Many. The things to avoid are those apt to aggression, such as Trichopterus Trichogaster (yellow, blue, three-spot Gouramis, among others) and Kissing Gouramis. Lace and Moonlight Gouramis usually work well.
Thanks for your time,
Matt
<Cheers, Neale.>

75 gal... stocking... FW... cichlids and gouramis?  10/14/07
Okay i have emailed the crew before about tank set-ups and compatibility and i have finally made a decision. I Plan to have a 75 gallon tank with 3 parrots, since they are not very aggressive cichlids and more docile...
<Says who? Blood parrots, despite being malformed hybrids the hobby doesn't need, are completely unpredictable in terms of social behaviour but *often* become too aggressive for generic community tanks.>
...about 5 gouramis (maybe dwarfs) of different colors
<Terrible, terrible idea. Don't mix gouramis and cichlids. Gouramis tend to view cichlids as rivals, become aggressive, and then get hammered because cichlids are much more strong fighters. Unless you know what you're doing, avoid combining them. In addition, the quality of commercially produced Dwarf Gouramis (Colisa lala) is so unbelievably low that I personally recommend against them. If you have a local breeder, then fine; but if you're buying them from some generic pet store, then avoid. Feel free to read over the Dwarf Gourami healthcare FAQs here just to see how often we get messages from people with sick fish. A recent veterinarian study put the 'Dwarf Gourami Disease' virus at infecting 22% of all the fish sold. Given it is highly infections, that's about as sensible as adopting a rabid dog as a family pet.>
and 2-3 Plecos and Cory cats.
<Both good choices, except Plecos are solitary under aquarium conditions. If you want a group, aim for something smaller, like Ancistrus. In aquaria, mature Pterygoplichthys can be rather nasty towards one another, in some cases caused fatal damage.>
But my question is would it be possible to place puffers in a community such as this one.
<Depends on the puffer, but broadly, no, puffers aren't reliable community fish.>
I have a particular interest in puffers that will get larger than others such as the topaz.
<Topaz puffers are typically (but not always) Tetraodon fluviatilis. Under aquarium conditions, this is a brackish water fish. I've not personally kept this species, but the broad consensus seems to be that while some specimens work well in LARGE community tanks alongside things like Scats and Monos, there are enough aggressive (perhaps male?) specimens to make it an unreliable community fish. Best kept alone or with other puffers of similar size, provided the tank is big enough.>
Could you please send me info in regard to this tank compatibility and if the puffers do not work could you please send me some other type of somewhat large but not too large freshwater fish to inhabit my tank ( I am considering pacus to replace the puffers if possible at the most 2). Thank you!
<Pacus are simply out of the question. They reach around 70-100 cm depending on the species, and unless you have an indoor pond, they're not viable pets. Lovely animals for public aquaria, and apparently delicious to eat. But not pets. For a 75 gallon tank, you want to be thinking about medium-sized characins or barbs: Silver Dollars, Nurse Tetras, Clown Barbs, Spanner Barbs etc. These are around the 10-15 cm mark, and work nicely in big groups with robust tankmates. Alternatively, if you wanted a puffer species, I've personally found Colomesus asellus works well in carefully constructed community tanks. It is sold as the South American pufferfish. Gets to about 8 cm long, lives in groups, and while it nips slow-moving things (like Corydoras, livebearers, Angels and Gouramis) it is fine with fast-moving tetras, moderately aggressive dwarf cichlids such as Kribs, Synodontis, Plecs, etc. On the whole though, if you want to go with pufferfish, it's often easier to build a tank exclusively for them. This is especially true with the larger, more aggressive species. Cheers, Neale>

Compatibility question  4/18/07
Hello,
<Hello.>
I have a 55gal tank that has 5 Gourami and 4 dwarf Gourami along with a catfish and a Pleco. I used Dolomite and some crushed coral as the substrate to elevate the PH.
<Why? None of these fish need hard/alkaline water. The gouramis in particular want soft-ish water between pH 6.0-7.0. Take the dolomite and coral sand out and replace with plain washed gravel. This will lower the hardness/pH and also darken the tank, which will improve the colours of the fishes. Most freshwater fish "fade" their colours in tanks with a light substrate.>
The current PH is around 7.8. I would like to add some less aggressive cichlids to the tank.
<No. Absolutely not. The gouramis will be hammered by the cichlids. Exceptions might be made with angelfish and some of the dwarf South American species, but that's about it.>
Would I be able to add (2) Yellow Labs and (2) Powder Blue cichlids or should I stick to the Gourami family?
<The "family" isn't the issue, water chemistry and temperament are. With gouramis, your safest companions are medium-sized non-nippy barbs and tetras, Corydoras catfish, small Bagrid catfish, glassfish, rainbowfish, halfbeaks, hatchetfish, and so on. Avoid anything territorial or aggressive, including most cichlids, "sharks", etc..>
Thanks,
Joe
<Cheers, Neale>

Re: Compatibility question, FW    4/19/07
Hi Neale,
Thanks for the quick response and excellent advise! Originally my 55gal tank was set up as a community tank (for about 10 years). I added some Gourami fish and the tank ended up getting Ich. I tried treating it but most of the fish died.
<Odd. Did you by any chance have carbon in the filter? It is such a common mistake to make. Carbon removes medications, and hence the fish will get sick (and die) no matter how carefully you medicate them. Otherwise, there's no reason standard community fish should die from ick -- it's so easy to cure.>
I quarantined the rest of the fish in a spare 10gal tank. I decided to make the 55gal tank a cichlid tank, that is why I used dolomite and crushed coral.
<I assume you mean either African Lake or Central American cichlids, as most of the other kinds don't need particularly hard or alkaline water.>
The Gourami fish ended up getting better so I put them back in the 55gal tank. They seem to be doing great. They have a good appetite, they are very active and their coloration is good also.
<Very good.>
When I set the new tank up I used 10gal of 'dirty water' from my 30gal tank and 'old' filter cartridges to help kick start the 55gal tank.
<Moving the water was pointless, as there's almost zero filter bacteria there. Old filter media does work well, so good call.>
Based on your advise, I'm definitely not going to mix cichlids with the Gourami.
<There are still *some* cichlids you could add. Just not African Lake species. There are some lovely Pelvicachromis on the market that would work very well with them. You could also try some of the smaller South Americans, such as keyholes or Sheepshead Acara. In fact anything in the 2-4 inch size bracket with a mild temperament would work nicely. In a 55 gallon tank each fish should be more than able to set up home without trouncing on the others real estate.>
The Gourami have been in the tank for about 2 weeks now. Do you think it is OK to leave them with the elevated PH?
<It's your call. Trichogaster spp. gouramis are fine at pH 8 and in moderately hard water. Colisa spp. gouramis less so.>
If not, I'll have to find them a new home. I really like the new look of the tank with the coral and dolomite.
<It's your tank. But honestly, if it was me, I'd take out the calcareous substrate and replace with something like silica sand. It's just as bright (if you like that sort of thing) and very cheap/easy to obtain, but doesn't alter the water chemistry. Will give you masses more flexibility in terms of adding new fish. In a 55 gallon, I'd be looking at getting a nice school of barbs or midsized characins like Congo tetras or better yet Tetragonopterus argenteus (a real stunner). Rainbowfish would be superb additions, too. Adult (rather than juvenile) rainbows are amazing fish and live for many years, making them good value too.>
Thank you,
Joe
<Cheers, Neale>

Mixed Gourami... comp.  4/8/07
Hi, love the site some great advice, was hoping you could help.
<... spaces between sentences...>
I have a 125 litre tank originally with Bala sharks ,Silver dollars ,Guppies, Mollies and a Blue spot Gourami.
I have recently purchased two pink kissing Gourami but the blue spot is constantly chasing them and nipping.
What would be my best route to contain this ?
Regards
Chas.
<Mmm, you could try moving the aquarium decor about, moving the aggressive fish into a floating plastic colander for a few days... If the behavior persists after this though, it will be necessary to move someone... BTW, your tank is over-stocked with the fishes listed... the Balas and Dollars get way too big for this sized world. Bob Fenner>

Paradise fish tankmates   3/19/07
Hello crew,
<<Greetings, Adam. Tom here.>>
I have two 8 gallon, unheated tanks each containing a male paradise fish, java moss and java fern. I bought what I thought was a female in hopes of spawning them and placed it in with my wild coloured male. The male was not too impressed with his new tankmate so I transferred it to the other tank where it then began to attack my blue male. The "female" has a much stockier body, shorter fins and is usually a pale brown colour but when it sees a male its colours darken and it develops iridescent blue edges on the fins and it flares its fins and projects its gill covers. How can I be sure that this is in fact a female? Are there any definite characteristics I can look for?
<<First, Adam, don’t let the behavior of the “female” lead you to think you may have gotten another male. If it’s contained to “flaring” at one another along with changes in “her” coloration, this can be/is part of the “mating ritual”. It may look like they’re squaring off for a “set-to” but that isn’t necessarily the case. From the way you’ve described your third Paradise fish, it sounds to me like you’ve got a female. The tail split is far less pronounced on the females as well as the tail tips being far more rounded. There’s also a spotted pattern to the coloring of the male’s tail fin while the females all have fairly uniform coloring to theirs. The dorsal and anal fins are also shorter and rounded at the tips as compared to the male. My male displays vertical bars that are quite distinct as opposed to the females which have them but are much less apparent. (My male’s eyes also look like he’s ready to kick the snot of out something/anything all the time. Almost scary looking, really.)>>
I know females are not supposed to be imported into Australia but this one looked really female in the store and the guy said they do come in from time to time by accident.
<<Hmmm… They’re not supposed to be imported, he’s not supposed to have them and, if he gets any, he shouldn’t be selling them to his customers. He’d do very well in the States! :) >>
Also, are rosy barbs and leopard danios appropriate tank mates for these fish?
<<Within the context of what you’re asking, Adam, I would say that the Barbs would be fine but the Danios might be questionable. In my 50-gallon tank I’ve got Black Skirt Tetras and Serpae Tetras with mine, none of which will put up with any of the Paradises’ “garbage”. My “squadron” of Corys wouldn’t care if I put a Great White in the tank with them. I’ve a lone Angelfish that the Paradise fish take steps to avoid and my Boesemanni Rainbows seem to get along fine with them though, admittedly, they’re nearly twice the size of the Paradise fish. Finally, my Sailfin Pleco doesn’t much care about anything other than his “personal” piece of driftwood and eating. (Gorgeous animal but doesn’t say much.)>>
I got some cheap feeder ones to see it they can cohabitate. Can you suggest any better tankmates? What about white cloud minnows or zebra danios?
<<The issue here, Adam, is finding fish that will work in eight-gallon tanks. Just between us guys, I’d rather see you upgrade to larger tanks or leave well-enough alone. Your Gouramis will lose a lot of “attitude” if housed in bigger environments but you’ve got a couple of “species” set-ups right now. A couple of minimal ones, to be honest. Like Bettas that Paradise fish are so often compared to, you really want to recognize the limitations of small aquariums and accept them for the good of your pets. Easier said than done, isn’t it?>>
Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Adam
<<Stick with what you’ve got for now, Adam. When you’re in a position to get larger quarters for your fish your options will improve dramatically. I hope things work out for your new “couple”, by the way. Cheers. Tom>>

Re: paradise fish tankmates (Follow-up)   3/21/07
Thanks Tom,
<<Hello, Adam, and you’re welcome.>>
Unfortunately for one of the feeder barbs the male paradise lived up to his rep as a cold blooded killer. It calmly swam up to it and promptly proceeded to remove its face, not a pretty sight.
<<Ye gads! That’s a bit “over the top” even for a Paradise fish! I suspected the cramped quarters would lead to squabbling but not downright mayhem. I’m sorry about that to say the least, Adam.>>
I rescued the remaining barb and put it in the pond with my other barbs and  Buenos Aires tetras. So far the danios have escaped injury from the other male (in the other tank). I placed the original male in a clear floating tank and returned the female. Will
this help get him used to the idea of having a wife?  
<<Right now, Adam, I don’t know how far I would trust this particular fish even with a female of the same species. It would probably be prudent to consider the possibility that this fellow is a “rogue” or, very close to being one. Given the almost non-existent supply of females that you have available “Down Under”, I’d be very leery of potentially jeopardizing her with a known killer. Observe them for a bit before chancing a “close encounter” and then watch both of them like a hawk!>>  
I don't think I'll add any more tankmates unless I do upgrade to bigger setups.
<<I think this best as well, Adam.>>
Also, what is the minimum temperature leopard danios can tolerate?
<<About 50 degrees (F.). I wouldn’t push this for a long period, however. (Where I’m at, 50 degrees doesn’t sound all that bad, though. :) )>>
I "rescued" them from the feederfish tank at my LFS and if I have to remove them I'd like to add them to the pond but I don't know if they can handle the lower winter temperatures like the barbs and tetras.
<<Actually, they’ve got quite a large range of “tolerance”, Adam. I wouldn’t be too concerned as long as they can be kept above 50 for most of the time.>>
Adam
<<Good luck and keep an eye on “Jack the Ripper”! Tom>>

Gourami suggestions??  3/10/07
Hi everyone,
<Mustafa>
At first, forgive me for my English.  I  have some questions and I searched internet, unfortunately I could not find any info that could answer my questions directly; therefore I feel that I could ask my questions to you :)
<Good>
I have a 80-litre tank (17.5 gallon). In this tank I have 2 female pearl gouramis, 1 dwarf gourami, 6 neon tetra, 1 true SAE and two Corydoras (I do not know  their species -albino Cory??-).  My question includes two stages.
Firstly, could I add 1 male and 2-3 female dwarf gouramis to the tank ? (for two male dwarf gourami how size tank is needed for peaceful aquarium?).
<A ten gallon will do for the Dwarf Gouramis (Colisa lalia)... You may have to move the Pearl Gouramis (Trichogaster leeri) in time though... they can become a bit territorial in crowded or small volumes...>
Second, could I add 5 or 6 rasboras to it?
<Yes... of small species>
I really want to have a tank with 4-5 dwarf and 2 pearl gouramis, 6 neon tetra, 5-6 rasboras, 2 Corydoras and a SAE my favorite.
Thank you for your time, have a nice day !!
Mustafa Erata --from Istanbul / Turkey
<Thank you my friend. To you as well. Bob Fenner>

Paradise fish, beh., comp.   2/28/07
Hello Crew,
<Jessica>
I have a 30gal freshwater tank that's been empty save for a pair of bristle nose Plecos for about two months. Firstly, to insure it was well cycled (I made that mistake with my previous 10gal and it was rather horrible), and also just because I haven't been having much luck getting any other fish.
Anyway, I recently (about a week ago) got a Paradise fish who after quarantining is now with the Plecos (introduced two days ago). My first question is that he's kind of... Hyper, I suppose. All he seems to do is pace back and forth along the glass really quickly. I'm not sure that he's eating either, because he's too busy flying around to pay attention when I put food in. I've seen him eating some of the Plecos algae wafer, but that's about it. Is this normal behavior for a Paradise fish? Or is something wrong with him/the tank?
<Is likely normal... this fish is probably seeing its reflection... reacting to such... will greatly calm down with the addition of tankmates...>
All water levels (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, etc.) are as they should be.
Also, I have a Opaline Gourami and a school of Harlequin Rasboras in quarantine right now, and I've been reading some worrisome stories about Paradise fish consuming smaller fish.
<These will all be fine together>
The Opaline doesn't bother the rasboras at all in the QT tank, so I'm not too worried about him being aggressive (until he get's larger anyway) towards the smaller fish, and I feel like he's big enough and 3in right now) to defend himself from the Paradise. Do you think my Rasboras will be ok with the Paradise?
<Yes>
They're a little on the small side right now as well, I'd say they're about an inch or slightly larger not yet two inches, but it's hard to tell since they're fast and hard to get a good look at. The tank is well planted with plenty of hiding spots, but I'd rather know now before I put them in and find out.
Thanks for you help,
Jess
<I think you will have a very nice display here. Bob Fenner>

Aggressive Gourami tank, Colisa lalia comp.   2/14/07
Hi everyone,
<Erin>
I absolutely love your site, and thank you for all the great Gourami information!  I'm a new tank owner with a 20 gallon that includes 5 Tiger Barbs and 2 Gourami (One Dwarf Red Flame, one Powder Blue, both male).
<The same species, Colisa lalia>
I've been scouring your answers on solutions to aggression because my Red Flame will not stop tormenting my Blue.
<Both males? This is natural behavior>
He chases him all day and head butts him but so far no visible fish damage.  I don't want to get rid of this beautiful fish, but I also want to protect my Blue and had hoped to add a couple more Gourami (maybe a Gold?).  I wanted to add one or two more males,
<Uh, no>
but seem to be finding conflicting information.  Would adding two more males diffuse the aggression or make it worse?
<Likely worse>
Would I be better off adding maybe 3 females (I've been reading that a higher female to male ratio may calm them)?,
<Yes, this is best>
or would that be a little too crowded for my tank?
<Should be fine>
I read your advice on sequestering the aggressive male in a floating  tank, which I plan to do, and adding floating plants...are these solutions better bets for fixing the problem than adding more fish?
<Worth trying>
I also had hoped to eventually add a couple of non-Gouramis, but now I am worried that my tank as a whole is getting too aggressive.
<Just the gouramis toward their own kind, sex...>
The Barbs leave the Gouramis alone, but will both aggressive species gang up on a new species?  
<Mmm, no... but the Tiger Barbs can become nippy...>
Can you recommend any other fish that might work well in this mix?
<Small danios, rasboras... many small catfish species...>
What type of algae eater would fare best in this tank?
<See WWM re>
Thank you so much, I'm sorry to add to your load of aggressive Gourami questions!
Erin
<No worries. BobF>

Platy, Gourami compatibility  2/12/07
Hi,
<Hello there>
I'm new to tropical fish keeping and so far ( fingers crossed), everything is going fine. I've had a mid sized silver dollar, pleco, Bala shark, sucking loach and 3 gouramis for a month or 2 now. yesterday i
<I>
added 5 tiger barbs and 3 swordtail/platies.
<Mmm... some of the other fishes may go after this last...>
Yesterday all was fine but this evening one of the what now seems to be a platy rather than a swordtail ( i think from looking at net pics), is non stop nipping at the gouramis. It seems to be biting or kissing it for want of a better term. Is this normal or will it cause the gouramis problems.
<Might be trouble if persistent>
i'm
<I'm>
confused as from what research i've
<...>
done on the net, platies are supposed to be peaceful easy to keep fish, but this little bugger is causing me dramas.
<Perhaps a "rogue" individual... Happens... Can often be cured of this habit by isolation (in a large net, floating colander...) for a few days... or the addition of more members of the opposite sex>
I'm not 100% what type of gourami i have. Looking at the pics on the net and your site, the look pretty much like dwarf Gourami.
<There are several "sports" of Colisa lalia...>
Would this make a difference to their compatibility?
<Could...>
Thanks for your time on this
Lee
<Bob Fenner>

Angry Pink Kissing Gourami  2/1/07
Hi, I have a 55 gallon tank with 1 ropefish, 2 rainbow schoolers, 4 female swordtails, 1 male swordtale
<tail...>
, 2 blue gouramis (one thats
<that's>
gold), 1 whiptail sucker fish, 1 plec. sucker fish, and one large pink kissing Gourami.  Now my problem is after feeding.  Most of the fish are satisfied with frozen bloodworms, but the kisser never seems to eat them, so I feed her tropical flakes.  after she finishes eating, she darts around the tank chasing anything that moves, and harasses them this way for about 30 minutes.  She only does this after eating, and she gets more aggressive each time.  its mostly just fin nipping, but its starting to worry me.  Any suggestions?  Thanks a lot!
<You may have a "rogue" individual here, but Helostoma are social animals... should be kept in at least pairs. I would look into wafer-type food formats and getting at least another kisser of about the same size. Bob Fenner>

Re: Angry Pink Kissing Gourami    2/2/07
Thanks!  She is roughly 4 years old.  She's always been with blue gouramis in a 10 gallon but recently she was added to the new 55 gallon tank.  Ill look into getting a buddy for her.  She is extremely large; about the size of my palm.  I've just never seen be aggressive before so it worried me.
<Unlikely to find such a large specimen... I'd opt for two more of the biggest you can find>
  This question is off the topic, but am curious.  Im looking into getting a freshwater snowflake Eel, but am not sure if it will cope with my ropefish or not.
<Mmm, not real freshwater... not compatible... See WWM re. Bob Fenner>

Gouramis and Red Tailed Black Shark   1/19/07
Hi! Pip from Worcester England here!
I'm just curious as to why my Red Tailed Black Shark keeps eating the slime off my Blue and Red Dwarf Gouramis?
<Nutritive>
She doesn't do it all the time, but more often than she used to. Will she stop it?
<Unfortunately not likely... and is destructive>
The reason I ask that is I have a Male Betta in the same tank and he used to pick on my Gouramis when they were first introduced, nipping their fins and displaying to them, and when I asked at the aquaria shop what I could do about it, the gentleman I spoke to told me not to worry, that it would stop.
<Mmm, generally not a problem... as the smaller gouramis are aware of the Betta kin's propensity to do this... will/can avoid it>
Sure enough, it did and they've been fine ever since. It's a 36 inch tank, so it's not exactly small and there are plenty of plants and hiding places, and they are all fed a varied diet, though the gouramis and shark do like the algae tablets that I put in, and I notice the slime eating happens more at meal times, especially when there is an algae tablet in there. Could she be trying to get them to leave it alone?
<Mmm, not really... as stated the minnow-shark derives nutrition/food from such activity... May also be a bit of an agonistic/territorial display... but whatever the "reasons" this activity damages the Gouramis... if too much... I would at least try adding some "dither-fish"... perhaps some small grouping of barbs, danios... to "draw off" the attention of the RTS here. Bob Fenner>

Dwarf Gourami    1/5/07
Hey Crew,
<Jessica>
I'm sorry if this has already been asked, but I couldn't find the answer to my question.
I have a 29 gallon well planted (plenty of hiding places) aquarium with no fish yet. I want to get some Dwarf Gouramis (Colisa lalia), Dwarf Loaches (Botia sidthimunki), and a school Harlequin Rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha).
<A nice mix>
I would like to have as many of the male Gourami as possible because they're the most colorful. How many of these Dwarf Gourami could I have in my aquarium without increased fighting due to lack of territory space?
<Mmm, likely six... perhaps two males, four females...>
Or if necessary, how many females would I need to keep also to decrease fighting?
<A few more than the males>
Also, will the smaller Rasboras be eaten??
<Not unless they were much smaller, no>
Or are they ok to go with Dwarf Gouramis?
<Highly unlikely>
Thank you,
Erin
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Future Gouramis  12/30/06
Hello,
<Hi there>
I just got a new 30gal tank for Christmas, and as of today am in the process of cycling it. While I'm still deciding what to put in it, I'm leaning significantly towards some gouramis.
<A great group of animals>
My question is that ideally, I would like to have more than one species of Gourami, or at least 2 males of different colors. I know that male Gourami will fight with each other, but was wondering if housing them with a certain ratio of females as well might deter fighting?
<Does have a discernible effect, yes>
Or do you know of two types of Gourami that might get along peacefully together?
<Mmm, yes... for here, in a small-ish volume, some of the smaller species, or a smaller and larger mixed together... The genera Colisa and Trichogaster likely...>
If I can't have either of these things, what would you suggest to put in with a Gourami pair (preferably with a lot of color) that won't get picked on? Also, (before I get any fish) I would like to make this a planted tank. Do you have any advice of plants to put in with Gourami that they might prefer?
<Oh yes... ones found in/about the same habitat in the wild... All can be searched, read about... even just on WWM, but I'd use the Net en toto... perhaps even a book or two... from the library? Bob Fenner, who would start here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/anabantoids.htm
and on to the linked files above... over to the Planted Tanks subweb...>
Thank you,
Jessi

Re: Future Gouramis   1/3/07
Hello again,
One last question.
Would you advise against keeping Colisa lalia and Colisa fasciatus in the same tank?
<Actually, these should go together fine>
Both are listed as being peaceful enough for a community tank by a number of sources.
Thanks for the help,
Jessi
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Giant Red Finned Gourami... comp.   12/12/06
Hi there,
<Hey there>
I have a giant red finned gourami in my 100 gallon aquarium.  Since I've added him a year ago, he has grown at a fast rate.
<Ah, yes... the "true" goramy (not a mis-spelling), Osphronemus>
He is currently 13" from lip to tail.  The problem is, since he has grown he has become very aggressive towards a large albino Oscar. (around 9" long).  He is fine with the regular Oscar and Green Severum.
<Need much more room... The albino is more similar to the Gourami in appearance>
He just doesn't seem to like this Albino Oscar.. he behaviour has been getting worse recently, and he took out one of the eyes on the Albino.
<!>
  I don't have room in my apartment to separate them, what can I do to calm his aggression?  I've tried rearranging the aquarium, it works for a few hours at most.
Thanks for your time,
Justin
<A much larger volume might help, but at this point, removing either the aggressor or the losing Albino is the route to go. Bob Fenner>

Gourami bullies - larger tank or separation likely required...  11/16/06
Hi Mandy here,
<Hello, Jorie here!>
I have a 32 gallon well planted tank with rock caves and terracotta pots,  so there is plenty of hiding places.  I have 2 gold females 3" one slightly  fuller than the other, 1 blue male 3" (Mr. Blue) and Mrs. Blue 2 3/4". I also have
2 angels 3", Pleco, 4 small clown loaches.
<The clown loaches, as well as the common Pleco (I assume this is the type of fish you refer to) can grow up to 12-18"...hope you have alternative arrangements for them later on.  With regard to the gouramis (and I absolutely love Mr. and Mrs. Blue's names!), you've provided lots of cover via plants and decor, which is good.  I think it may be time to upgrade the tank - and perhaps consider adding another female blue Gourami.  Gouramis can be pretty territorial and aggressive, and this is what you are seeing...>
The biggest female gold has taken over half of the tank, only allowing the plec and loaches in...
<this makes sense, as the Pleco and loaches are bottom-dwellers, whereas the Gourami likely lives in the middle to upper portions of the tank>, the others are chased out. Mr. Blue will then chase Mrs. Blue into a corner so she is chased all the time. I have tried taking the  biggest gold out, the other gold just took over where she left off, still resulting in Mrs. Blue being chased. I've removed all gouramis, changed tank around...
<meaning the decor, I imagine>
...added Mrs. Blue first, then later adding the rest, they still took up the same positions.
I have wondered about adding another blue female to distract the male, and maybe a gold male - what do you think?
<I think if you upgrade to a 75 this may solve the problem; otherwise I think you may compound the problem. For what it's worth, all the solutions you tried are what I would have recommended also...>
Mrs. Blue is chased so much she is very pale, though no damage is being caused to any of the fish.
<This kind of stress is likely weakening her immune system, and she may well get sick in time...>
It would be nice to see a balanced tank.
<I agree.  I think upgrading to a larger tank would likely help solve these problems, and will eventually be necessary for the bottom-dwellers (you will likely have to find alternative homes for 2-3 of the loaches, eventually, though - these guys get BIG!)  If you can't upgrade right now, I would suggest putting Mrs. Blue into her own tank - 10 gal. at a minimum.  It sounds as though you've tried everything else within your power to fix the situation, and now, it's a disaster just waiting to happen...>
Please help save Mrs. Blue many thanks  Mandy.
<Best of luck - hope I've helped.  Jorie>