Strange LFS advice on pearl gouramis?

[WandaA]

I have a 55 gal tank that I keep:
1 large silver dollar, 1 large kissing gourami, 2 gold gourami's, 1 neon fire gourami, 6 3spot gouramis, 6 tiger barbs, 2 cherry barbs, 2 tetras (buenos aries i think) 2 plain corys, 2 albino corys and a pictus catfish

The only ones I have any trouble with are the tiger barbs, but they only attack each other.

 

[wataugachicken]

I have a 55 gal tank that I keep:
1 large silver dollar, 1 large kissing gourami, 2 gold gourami's, 1 neon fire gourami, 6 3spot gouramis, 6 tiger barbs, 2 cherry barbs, 2 tetras (buenos aries i think) 2 plain corys, 2 albino corys and a pictus catfish

The only ones I have any trouble with are the tiger barbs, but they only attack each other.

This is probably because your fish are far too overcrowded and stressed to even think about fighting over territory. Give them a tank with enough room to swim and proper stocking amounts and you'll be surprised at how their behavior changes. You have one fish that reaches a foot long, nine fish that reach 5-6 inches long, one little gourami that will be the first to be shredded by the other ones, and a handful of other fish that should be kept in groups but aren't. Even if the only stocking guideline you've come across is the inch per gallon rule, you're still facing OVER 100 adult inches of fish in a 55g tank. It would be best for your fish if you'd get that sorted out, and quickly. I guarantee you, it's not that you have a trouble-free tank - it's that you just haven't had any trouble yet.

 

[svf]

Here are 2 of my 4 Pearl Gouramies The pics arent that recent, they are bigger now - I would estimate at least 4 inches.

This is Douglas, the male:

And this is one of the 3 females.. (It's either Holly, Lorraine or Daphne...)

I had 5 in my 56 gallon with Harlequin and Espei rasboras and cory cats, but the other male just died. I found him stuck in one of the plants - no sign of being attacked or sick. Anyway. Now I have 4 and they are all doing very well. Like most anabantids they prefer the top of the tank and the rasboras stay in the center.

Even some of the less aggressive gouramies can be aggressive - it's a crapshoot. Some just are and some are quite placid. It varies from fish to fish.

And that is a lovely picture of your opaline gourami, btw.

Susan

 

[Mgamer20o0]

I never experienced aggresive pearls. Three-spots often are the ones that do get nasty including obnoxious dwarf gouramis guarding their bubblenests.

 

[finsNfur]

heh, i don't think we can all sit here and blame the LFS.

let's use an example:if i had been "researching" german blue rams, i certainly would know enough about what they LOOK LIKE to not walk out of the store with a young jack dempsey and then be surprised about it when someone else on the internet ID'ed it for me. based on what i'm reading, it may be entirely possible that this was a tank full of opaline gouramis, NOT pearls, and the employee was completely correct in saying that they were aggressive fish.

Yes, I definitely hold some responsibility for not knowing it was a pearl that I bought. But if you see my post on page two of this thread, I did say the fish were blah-looking at the store, and how my fish had colored-up after bringing it home. They had so little coloration when I bought one. (I didn't choose the one in the bag that someone else had returned, btw) I thought the fish at the LFS must all be female gouramis, since they did look similar to the female that fauna here posted a picture of. And your pearls are beautiful, fauna!

So far my opaline gourami has been behaving herself, and hasn't bothered the other fish. I didn't bother going back to the LFS and complaining, because the girl was either the manager or the asst. manager, and has a real attitude. The tank was clearly marked PEARL gouramis. When I questioned her about the pearls being aggressive as she stated, she got defensive and told me she had eight years experience with gouramis and knew what she was talking about. :headshake2:

 

[bushwhacker]

that would be when i turned around and found me a new fish store

 

[ksane]

Great thread on Gouramis. I dearly love my 2 male Pearls, never any aggression shown to each other, the Angelfish, male guppy or male Betta they're in with. I just got 3 Dwarf Gouramis yesterday (in quarrantine) and have decided to go back and get some more from that same tank today so I can quarrantine together and have a Gourami tank. Fascinating little fish these Gouramis, not shy and great eaters. No wonder they've always remained so popular.