Get Guoramis or not?

[Khuli Crazy]

I have a 3 foot tank that at this moment contains 1 Red Tiger Oscar but I am buying him a 4 foot tank as he is way to big for the 3 footer. I already have a 2 foot tank with livebearers and tetras in and I would like to put something different in the 3 foot tank.

I was thinking of getting Clown loaches and Guoramis. Not sure which Guoramis and whether or not they will be compatible with the Clown loaches.

How many can fit into this tank and what is the difference between male and female guoramis?

I was thinking of getting Dwarf Guroamis because they are really pretty. I also like red Honey Guoramis.

Suggestions please!!!

 

[phOOey]

I have successfully kept opaline gouramis with clown loaches and i think any gourami would be compatible with clown loaches.

The thing with gouramis is that there musnt be 2 males in the same tank as they would constantly fight, so if you went with dwarf gouramis you would only beable to have one or two males, which are the pretty ones you a talking about. You could have as many females as you like but they are a rather dull silvery-gray.

If you were to go with say opaline or pearl gouramis where there is very tlittle difference between the sexes you could have a much more attractive tank.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

You should be able to keep any gourami with clown loaches (like Barb said).

I really agree with Barb on all points. You only want 1 male gourami per tank, but you can get as many females as will fit. You could get 1 (maybe 2) dwarf males, and a few females of different species. All the females will generally get along.

 

[LadyInBlue04]

i agree as well. i have both honey and dwarf neon gouramis in my tank, and 2 pearl gouramis.
the pearl are very a peaceful speices.
and they get along really well with the other dwarf versions.
like capslock and barb, one male per tank is a general rule, otherwise you will have a lot of fighting.
i have 5 female dwarf gouramis and in my opinion they aren't so dull. they don't have much colour though, and i had a hard time finding them in my city.
a lot of lfs don't cary them because they aren't the ones being bought.
the honey gouramis are very pretty male or female. i do not have a male honey in my tank though, because i have a male neon.
i do have 4 females, and in my opinion they are just as cute.
as for the larger gouramis as i said before the pearls are the peaceful speices.
the 3 spot gouramis, which also have 3 colour variations blue, gold and opalean are tame when young tend to become territorial and aggressive as they get older.
my main reason for not keeping them.
they also wouldn't get along with my angels.
personally i have not kept clown loaches, but i have tons of corys, pygmy and 3 lined.
those get along nicely. i have also been told that i can keep clown loaches without a problem and almost bought a couple a few months back to help with my snail population.
the thing with clown loaches is they need to be in groups of 4 or more, they also get to be 12 inches, so that has to be taken into consideration.
here's another fact about clown loaches, they grow slowly, and when they are big around the 5 inches, they can get sold for quite some money because it takes a while to have them grow that big.
good luck with whatever you decide.
but i just want to point out, don't put the gouramis with the oscar otherwise they will become lunch.
take care
lib

 

[Khuli Crazy]

Thank you all for the advice!

Don't worry, I won't put any fish in with Albert (my oscar) unless they are intended to be lunch! He is about 27cm already! That's why I urgently need to get him a bigger tank!

I don't want to get guoramis that are going to get too big, ideally, I'd like to keep them in that 3 foot tank forever.

I agree with LadyinBlue04, female dwarf guoramis are also pretty to me! You should come to South Africa! Almost all our petshops have Dwarf Guoramis!

I'm just concerned about putting dwarves in with other guoramis that are going to get bigger than the dwarves and bully them, I heard that guoramis can be a little bit aggressive!

Could I put say 1 male and 2/3 female Dwarf Guoramis with some angels instead? I like angels very much and don't have any yet.

About the clown loaches, I think I'll rather get some Zebra Loaches, they don't get as big. And they are also wonderful snailers and are pretty to me!

 

[SpankyPlants]

I have a clown loach in with 3 male dwarf gouramis, and it's a really peaceful tank. The only time the gouramis get aggressive is during feeding time, but other than that I haven't noticed any aggression at all.

 

[Salty Fishes]

Originally posted by Khuli Crazy

Could I put say 1 male and 2/3 female Dwarf Guoramis with some angels instead? I like angels very much and don't have any yet.

About the clown loaches, I think I'll rather get some Zebra Loaches, they don't get as big. And they are also wonderful snailers and are pretty to me! [/B]

I don't think that angels go well with gouramis. At least that's what I've heard. Something about fancy-finned fish, these ones just don't get along.

Have you looked at YoYo Loaches? I have 4 of these guys and they are just awesome!! You can really see where it says "YoYo" on their sides, they're gorgeous. Plus, I have them in a tank with an opaline gourami and they all get along famously (or otherwise just ignore each other).

 

[dethjam316]

angels + gouramis can be a disaster. i've seen cases where it works and cases where the gourami's fins are shredded. i wouldn't recommend the risk. i'd choose 1 or the other!

if you want something peaceful, i'd recommend moonlight gouramis above pearls and blue/gold/opaline varieties. of the gouramis i currently keep (all three of those + a snakeskin gourami), they're the least aggressive and arguably the prettiest. i'd suggest a trio, with one male and two females, although as gouramis go, they are a bit harder to sex IMO. but it's better to end up with 3 females than 3 males!

as for loaches, in a 3 ft tank, i'd stick with yoyos or zebras or skunks in a good-sized school instead of clowns, as clowns get 3x as large as any of those.