Angelfish with Gouramis? Or give me other suggestions :)

[Starálfur]

Alright, so I've heard that Angelfish and Gouramis don't get along, but that there might be certain types of Gouramis that will get along with an angel?

For my 46 gallon, 4ft planted tank, I have 9 rasboras, 6 panda cories, 3 ottos, and am going to add an Angel eventually. Then, I had planned on two german blue rams... but I think I might love to get a pair of gouramis instead, if there is a species that works.

I'd like something with some blue in it to contrast with the red harlie rasboras, so some of the pretty blue-ish gouramis have really caught my eye.

If anyone has any suggestions besides rams or gouramis, feel free to suggest. :)

[tanker]

One "Blue Neon" dwarf would be OK.

[Starálfur]

One "Blue Neon" dwarf would be OK.

Aw just one? I'm really looking for a pair. Why one, do two gang up on angels? Sorry, I'm new to gouramis altogether. :)

[rich311k]

I have had pearl gouramis with angels for years. No problems to speak of.

[Starálfur]

Well I'm really set on blue ones, that's all I know. Would they need to be dwarf in order to be okay with the Angels?

[rich311k]

Three spots can be pretty feisty I would avoid them. The dwarfs will fight with each other. I would only get one.

[venarius]

I had 3 dwarfs in my 12 gallon, no aggression issues between them...

I have 2 dwarfs in my 30 gallon along with some other aggressive species (1 leopard Ctenopoma, 1 Apisto Agassiz, 1 GBR)

1) the Dwarf Gourami's do really well amongst them, they brake up the aggression really well (as they don't bother to acknowledge or show aggression to any other species that I've had them with, including those above),

2)They are a very hardy species (they have the labyrinthe organs like the betta to which its related, so they can access and utilize surface oxygen. EG, they can breathe air in addition to water.

3)They seem to be an all level swimmer, they range from upper to lower levels, although spending a lot on the bottom

great fish.

[Starálfur]

I had 3 dwarfs in my 12 gallon, no aggression issues between them...

I have 2 dwarfs in my 30 gallon along with some other aggressive species (1 leopard Ctenopoma, 1 Apisto Agassiz, 1 GBR)

1) the Dwarf Gourami's do really well amongst them, they brake up the aggression really well (as they don't bother to acknowledge or show aggression to any other species that I've had them with, including those above),

2)They are a very hardy species (they have the labyrinthe organs like the betta to which its related, so they can access and utilize surface oxygen. EG, they can breathe air in addition to water.

3)They seem to be an all level swimmer, they range from upper to lower levels, although spending a lot on the bottom

great fish.

Well that sounds good.

But how many should I really get? I'd like more than one otherwise I will probably go with rams. Or if I could only get one, could I get one gourami AND two rams?

Or how about one male gourami and two females? Or one male and female?

[NUMB3RS]

Okay, I would becareful when it comes with Angelfish because they have mood swings just like humans. I have a Moonlight Gourami that is gourgeous, but there lays one problem. My angelfish don't like him very much. They constantly faught over everything! That was about two months ago, now the fighting has settled down but when my Angels want to be in an angry mood they will give the Gourami a hard time. If you raise the Gourami and Angelfish together when they are are still juvenile then you still have a chance that they will get along. Good Luck!

[Huzzah1981]

I had 3 dwarfs in my 12 gallon, no aggression issues between them...

I have 2 dwarfs in my 30 gallon along with some other aggressive species (1 leopard Ctenopoma, 1 Apisto Agassiz, 1 GBR)

1) the Dwarf Gourami's do really well amongst them, they brake up the aggression really well (as they don't bother to acknowledge or show aggression to any other species that I've had them with, including those above),

2)They are a very hardy species (they have the labyrinthe organs like the betta to which its related, so they can access and utilize surface oxygen. EG, they can breathe air in addition to water.

3)They seem to be an all level swimmer, they range from upper to lower levels, although spending a lot on the bottom

great fish.
Dwarf Gourami are in fact labyrinth fish, but there's a lot more than that to determine hardiness- unfortunately, dwarf gourami have reportedly become quite sensitive and their quality has declined lately. I would certainly read up on them (even moreso than you usually should before getting any new beastie) to be prepared, and also be patient in finding good stock and a good speciman.

[jpappy789]

I agree, dwarf gourami stocks are sensitive as of late. And I would never recommend more than one male per tank, and if you have females you would want two or three per male. This goes for the more conspecific aggressive species (three spot/opaline/etc., and dwarfs). Honey and pearl gouramis are more peaceful and do better in a group but with pearls it's generally advised to still have the same male-female ratio. Honey gouramis do well in pairs from what I have heard.

[cherule]

I, too, have found the dwarves to be very fragile. I've had only two so far, but both didn't live more than 4 or 5 months. I've had pretty good luck with angels and gouramis living together. I have a single angel with a pearl and a single angel with a gold at the moment. I found the angels to be more combative with each other. I've had to separate the three I have. I suppose that's because they are the same gender. The angel in my 72 gallon is the most aggressive. He/she does chase the pearl gourami if she it gets into his/her territory, but leaves her alone most of the time. Both angels and gouramis are beautiful, alert, interesting fish, tho, and I highly recommend them!

Good luck with whatever you choose!

[Fintimate]

If I may add my opinion, I would also suggest a neon blue dwarf gourami. They have such a calm and peaceful disposition. However, in my experiences, they really demand perfect water conditions as well as a quiet environment. [I like loud music and to cut a long story short, this obviously stressed one neon I had and it ended up dying]
I would also very easily suggest dwarf honey gourami's. They are much smaller than the blue neon's and as such, are a little more timid. Even so, they are perfect for angel fish [at least in my experiences] I had two of them as well and they were always together. It was rather cute. I had a medium sized angel fish in there as well as a 18 cm bottom feeder. There were never any problems that I noticed!
Hope this helps!

[saram521]

I would advise against getting the larger blue gouramis you see, commonly known as opaline (or three-spot) gouramis. They are pretty aggressive gouramis, esp. towards angelfish. If you want angels in your tank, it'd be wise to rule out opalines altogether. A male gourami with 2 females or a single male dwarf gourami would go well with angels. I think you could easily add a pair of blue rams to this mix, too.

[Starálfur]

I would advise against getting the larger blue gouramis you see, commonly known as opaline (or three-spot) gouramis. They are pretty aggressive gouramis, esp. towards angelfish. If you want angels in your tank, it'd be wise to rule out opalines altogether. A male gourami with 2 females or a single male dwarf gourami would go well with angels. I think you could easily add a pair of blue rams to this mix, too.

This post excites me.

I'm hoping one dwarf blue male and two dwarf blue females will work.

[saram521]

You may have a bit of a hard time getting hold of female dg's, but just ask the local fish stores near you whether they can get some for you. Big box stores like Petsmart and Petco won't be able to get you females, so asking privately owned stores is your best bet. Good luck! :)

[Starálfur]

Alright well if I can't find two females I'll stick with one male I suppose. :)

[Starálfur]

Well I picked up a male dwarf gourami today. He's blue and red, sparkley. I still haven't found an Angel i like so I'm just going to keep checking back. We'll see how it goes once I get the Angel.

They didn't have any females. He said once in a while they'll get one in. Maybe I'll have to stick with the one.. and then maybe I'll be able to get two german blue rams anyway? I dunno, seems a bit overstocked.

[Flying_Diamond]

if you wouldn't have had gotten that gourami, and had room, i would've advised an opaline/3 spot/blue gourami, in my experience, the opaline i have does marvelously with angels. i've had him with three and he's best friends with one and the others he really paid no attention to. i had more problems with the angels picking on each other.

[jrow8162]

I think they will be fine. I have mixed the two before with no problems....