gourami and diseases

[Olga]

I heard, gourami prone to any kind of disease more than the other fish... would you consider so...?

 

[Big Vine]

I'm not sure about "any kind" of disease, but I've heard that they can be more susceptible to swim-bladder disease. I witnessed this with some of my opaline gouramies in the past after they really picked on one another. It seems that the combination of stress and physical fighting led to these so-called swim-bladder issues...The affected fish would 'spiral' and have trouble maintaining equilibrium in the water. Often times their heads ended up on the gravel, while their tails stuck upward, as though 'suspended', toward the surface. I lost two gouramies this way prior to returning the others to the LFS.

Big Vine

 

[CAPSLOCK]

The dwarf gouramis seem to be a little more sensitive when you first add them (maybe sensitive to shipping, I'm not sure). Once they've lasted a few days, they're hardy little fish. The other gouramis are pretty hardy, even when first added. They are also prone to losing their little "feeler" fins through nipping, but that's not a disease issue.

That actually makes sense that they'd have more swim bladder issues, because of their labyrinth organ.

 

[Olga]

should I put them in quarantine tank at first?

Is there other diseases that I need to be aware of?

also, I am thinking about perl gourami.
Is it better to have a couple of them, male and female, or the gender does not matter?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

If you are getting more than one, you want only one male. They are related to bettas so more than one male will fight (unless it is a REALLY big tank). With pearl gouramis, the male will develop a red chest and longer fins. The female will have a more rounded dorsal fin, and no red on the chest. They do fine by themselves too, so you don't need two unless you want two.

If you have a quarantine tank, it's always a good idea to use it. I haven't had problems with gouramis bringing stuff into the tank, and I never quarantine. Pearls aren't that sensitive or prone to diseases, so you should be fine without quarantine if you don't have a tank set up for it.