Can male gouramis be together?

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azadehm1

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Aug 15, 2006
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I am in the last stages of setting up my new 75 gallon tank. My question is how many male gourami can I put into my tank? I have seen some sites recommend 2 females per male to combat aggression. Unfortunently, at petsmart and several other fish stores I've visited all I can find is male gourami. They seem to be doing well together there but who knows what will happen in my tank.
So my question is....it ok to keep them together?
if it's ok to keep males together how many can I have in my tank (with the ten cardinal tetras, I have).
otherwise why can't I find any females?

Thank you so much if you can offer any help.
 
Well it really depends on the fish and how confortable he is in the tank. Sometimes males will live fine together and other times they will try to kill each other. Dwarfs tend to do ok together at times but others have said different. A general rule is if they have a big enough area to claim as there own they will do ok together. This is because they have there own home on one side and the other claims there home on the other side of the tank. It is a shoot and miss type of thing usally. Really all you can do is try and see if they get along or not. In a 75g tank I would think as long as you provide hiding places they would do fine. Others may disagree with me on this and I have been wrong before so allow a few others to give you there opinions and then you will have a better idea.

Just to add, I myself have 2 Male Dwarf Gouramis and they get along well in my 20g tank.
 
well said
adding to what you posted:
dwarf males will do best if you add them at the same time and they are about the same size, i wouldnt think you would have a problem, for they would both steak out their territory based onthe others, and if they are the same size or close it may end up to be about 50/50, and then once it is clamied they wont be able to go into the other;s territory without having a good chase.
the other, more aggressive gouramis though, like opalines and the like, i have only had a good experience with 1 male per tank, but the females are just as colorful, for the only way to tell them apart is the males have the little spines sticking out of their dorsal fins and the females have a smooth rounded dorsal.
 
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I will add to the already great responses you've received.

Gouramis can be extremely difficult to gauge (in terms of behavior). I like to look at them based on the genus, because I've found that to be my most accurate table of prediction.

The Trichogasters (Opaline, Pearl, Blue, etc) do not tend to do well together. I've heard of successful, long pairings, but have never had one myself--regardless of the ratio of male/female or combination of other tank inhabitants. I've also found (contrary to most information you'll read) the Pearl to be nearly as aggressive as the Blue and Golds. Therefore, I'd recommend one (single) male per tank. Since you're working with rather large space in your 75, you might have better luck, but I'd be prepared to remove one if necessary.

The Colisas are a little better suited for pairings (male/female). Most of these guys don't create too much of a fuss if there's another "fella'" somewhere in the tank--but I've also had a voraciously nasty Honey Gourami situation once (two males with multiple females). The Indian Banded (aka: "Giant") or the Thick-lipped are almost sure bets. They're also rather docile, for the most part. I'd be more inclined to recommend these two species for multiple males in the same tank, but again proceed with caution.

As for why you aren't locating females, that's a problem I've noticed myself in the past couple years. The stores have difficulty selling the females because they're usually so drab looking. The males are show-offs and have that brilliant color, one of the main reasons for keeping the Gouramis, so it's supply/demand there.


If you're truly interested in putting a pair in, I would try my hand at the Indian banded. There are some available from www.franksaquarium.com.

I believe he has both males and females in stock and I'd just request a pair and try that. The shipping can be expensive, but you're also getting exactly what you want, with a much greater potential for success than just obtaining two males out of default.

Anyhow, good luck to you and let us know what you decide on.

K. Blane
 
If the "indian banded" gourami really is the giant gourami, then that would be an absolute NO! These fish are called "giant" for a reason, becuase they'll max out at an adult size of 3 feet, and I personally wouldn't attempt even one in anything less than a thousand gallon tank (with very little if any tankmates), although half that size could probaly be done without major if any stunting.

azadehm1, have you tried asking your local fish stores if they can order some female dwarfs in for you?
 
Allow me to be more specific. Indian Banded=Colisa fasciata.

They are sold as "Giant Gouramis", but are not from that Genus and I don't think from that family.

I am not an idiot. I wouldn't recommend anyone get the O. Giant Gourami (true giant).
 
I looked at my posting again. I mentioned the Indian Banded in reference to the Colisa genus (i.e., the smaller gouramis), so I'm not sure where this whacky idea came that I was suggesting our much larger relative.

KB
 
there are tricks you can try to get them to co-exist. When you add fish to a tank you take out the aggressive one, add the new fish, move the decor and then add your aggressive fish back into the tank so they restake territory and all that.

Also I hear adding caves for them that will be out of sight from one another might help. Coverage, plants, and plenty of space might make things OK but fish have personalities so who can say?

I don't keep aggressive fish =P I like schools so I always have species tanks that school and even my bottom feeders/algae eaters need a shoal.

ohya:
I think those tricks are mostly for cichlid co-existance.
 
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