Blue Gourami

[Pooky125]

Ok, I have a blue Gourami in my fish tank and I'm afraid It'll out grow it. It hasn't grown an obvious amount since I got it, but I was just wondering, how big does it get, I've heard anywhere from 4-8 inches.. no body can seem to keep it straight, any body know?

 

[colesea]

Hmmm....big?

I know that doesn't help, but size really depends upon lifespan. The longer they live, the bigger some fish get, especially if given maximum amount of space to reach full size potential.  I've seen some 10" blues recently at the LFS down the block from me. They were, well, bigger than I'm use to seeing 'em because I only get 1"-2" in my shop. Right now I've got a 1/2" female in my 20G that is soo small and tiny she's bottom of the pecking ordre for now. Even the Bloodfin tetras scare her, but I know that will change as she gets larger.  

Fish size is usually given as a range, there is no definate on how big a fish will get. Again, that is all dependant upon nutrition factors, age of fish, size of environment, and how long it lives. At my shop, irridescent sharks are labled as only growing 8"-10", but as any true catfish lover knows, irridescent sharks at full grown can be at least two to three feet in length!  Irridescents in the pet trade don't live much past 6" because people put them in their 10 gallon aquariums and the fish dies in four years because of cramped space instead of living the twenty to thirty it might normally in the wild.

~~Colesea

 

[Matt Nace]

Pooky,

What size tank is it in?

They need a bit more space around them, but blue gourmis really don't move around that much as adults. Kinda hang out at a spot a lot. Kinda boring. Space isn't really an issue IME.

 

[Colisa lalia]

You should expect your gourami to top out around 4 inches though. Although they could probably easily reach 8 inches in the wild. And although they have a predatory behavior of staying in one place you can find them to be very interesting if you watch them for some time. *thumbsupsmiley*

 

[Pooky125]

Right now, it's still only about 2-3" long... but easilythe biggest fihs in my tank.. It's only in a 12 Gallon.. It's enertainting to watch.. but it's also top of the pecking order, and pretty close to one of the most active...