Would a Blue Gourami be a good choice?

[holbritter]

I'm now thinking of a Blue Gourami. I need some color in my tank, but here is what I have to work with:

55g hex

5 zebra danio
6 black skirt tetras
(coming soon) 4 or 5 dwarf corydoras


Can I just get one? Or do they do better in pairs? I found conflicting profiles, so I thought I'd ask the experts!!

Thanks

PS...if the answer is a resounding "NO" any suggestions for a colorful addition?

[Lady Hobbs]

Depends on what you mean by blue gourami. The powder Blue dwarf gourami is a nice fish and very pretty. The Blue gourami is the same as the 3-spot gourami. Very aggressive and a pain in the neck.

If you want color, you could add a couple male platies (I say males so no young to contend with) and what else is pretty is a whole bunch of neon's or cardinal tetra's. They remain very small but very colorful, especially when there are many.

[KneeKickLou]

I have 2 Dwaft Blue Gouramis and I love them they are very calm and very pretty under the lights they just pop out of the tank. They are very graceful when they swim but can really move when they need too so watch out trying to net them.

[Lady Hobbs]

Wait until you have to net a clown loach, bala shark, Silver Dollar or pleco if you think the gourami's are fast. :(

[jeffs99dime]

Wait until you have to net a clown loach, bala shark, Silver Dollar or pleco if you think the gourami's are fast. :(

or a columbian redfin tetra lol

[Severus]

I have a 5" blue gourami in my 55gal and he is fine. However i would not recommend one for your tank. Mine is housed with a Pink Kissing Gourami of the same size a 6" Jack Dempsey and some Barbs. A large gourami will probably end up killing some of your other fish. I like hobbs' suggestion with the cardinal tetras or platies. Both are very colorful and peaceeful.

[jeffs99dime]

you could also get some dwarf cichlids (keyholes, kribs, apistos etc)

[holbritter]

Ok, dwarf blue gourami it is! Now...to find one :)

If I can't, I might settle for the neons, or I saw these green glofish at the LFS the other day. I didn't have time to ask about them though.

[jeffs99dime]

Ok, dwarf blue gourami it is! Now...to find one :)

If I can't, I might settle for the neons, or I saw these green glofish at the LFS the other day. I didn't have time to ask about them though.

glofish are genetically altered danios

[holbritter]

you could also get some dwarf cichlids (keyholes, kribs, apistos etc)


I may have to. I just read up, and it seems my ph is too high for the gourami. They like it up to 7.5, and mine is 8.0, sometimes a little higher when I first put in new water.

About the glofish. Genetically altered isn't the same as those painted fish I've heard about, where they hurt the fish, is it?

[jeffs99dime]

I may have to. I just read up, and it seems my ph is too high for the gourami. They like it up to 7.5, and mine is 8.0, sometimes a little higher when I first put in new water.

About the glofish. Genetically altered isn't the same as those painted fish I've heard about, where they hurt the fish, is it?

no. the painted fish are injected with dyes to make them colorful. the most common dyed fish is the painted glass fish. glofish are bred. they're still altered genetically though.
and about the dwarfs, the three i mentioned anyway, a ph of 8 or more is too high for them as well.
keyholes are sa's and kribs are from africa but they don't live in the same lakes (malawi/tanganyika) as other africans. apisto species are also not high range ph fish