Right, I'd only consider a Pearl Gourami if I didn't do the molly tank. I'm open to any other suggestions on peaceful, larger fish that are somewhat hardy and not likely to terrorize my smaller fish. I guess I could also do another small schooling fish like cherry barbs.
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- Thread starter Drewbacca
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Well, your tank is kind of "all over the place", in terms of compatibility (water params & temp). But I think if you want a pearl gourami , it could certainly fit in. Like I said I haven't kept mollies...
Right, the parameters bug me a little bit too. I've thought about just letting the white clouds phase out naturally (dying without replenishing them), but I feel bad keeping them in a smaller school of four or less. I also don't want to return them to the store as they were our first fish and have a ton of personality. The others all seem to be mostly compatible, although I know there are many who prefer to keep mollies in a tank with a little salt. I've tried to strike the best balance and used aqadvisor.com to help figure out how to manage my unusual make up. I had been super complimentary of my local store, as I felt they really knew their stuff, but it has occurred to me now that they were really just trying to sell me fish and didn't give the best advice. I'm planning to do alot more research on my own in the future before getting any new fish.
While we're talking about live-bearer fry, one method to keep the population in check would be to have some fish that are more likely to eat them. I know adult mollies will do that, but it sounds like they could need some help. My other fish are not likely to do it. I've read that angelfish are good at that, but they also might nip and eat some of my other smaller fish. They're also a little trickier to care for. I came across zebra danios as well, but it sounds like I'd be getting into more issues with temperature parameters with them, since they seem to like colder temps as well. The site I read even said they had a lower temperature max than the white clouds. Any suggestions on a friendly, fry-eating addition?
Angels come with their own issues. They often don't get along with gouramis. They're big enough as adults to snack on not quite adult white clouds. Never forget they are cichlids, first & foremost...as delicate as they may look...& "other fish" may try to nip those long fins; if they can, they might!
Everyone's one's experiences can differ. It depends on many factors, tank size, plants, décor, etc.
Everyone's one's experiences can differ. It depends on many factors, tank size, plants, décor, etc.
Right, that was why I was holding off on angels. I was just looking to find a peaceful fish, comfortable in the mid to high 70s, that would help control the fry population. I thought I had it with the zebra danios, but it looks like their absolute max temp is 75... and I'm at 75.6. Granted that's pretty close, but I'd rather be a little safer if possible.
8 Glowlight Tetras, 8 White Clouds, 8 Panda Corys, 4 Gold Panda Mollies (1 male and 3 female), 1 Clown Pleco, and 10 Red Cherry Shrimp. I was thinking 2-3 Dwarf Gourami too, but if I find something that I like equally that also eats livebearer fry, that could work. Another option is preventing my tank from being heavily planted. The Mollies should handle fry population a little bit.
Well, I'm going to vote NO on dwarf gouramis. Pearls are larger & mellower (& prettier IMO), but will still eat a few small molly fry. Unlike DGs, you can find both males & females. I haven't seen female DG in many, many years.
I read that Pearl Gourami aren't the best fry eaters though. It's funny, there are tons of posts about peaceful fry eaters on multiple forums throughout the internet. The consensus is that angels or rams are the best options, but they both can be aggressive to more peaceful fish like my glowlight tetras. None of the threads I've read have come up with a safe options. It's not really an urgent issue. I need to wait a couple weeks to let my tank do it's mini-cycle. Then I'm going to fill out my current schools. Then I'm going to plant the aquarium. Only then would I consider adding in 2-3 female mollies. So... I have time.
