View Full Version : Could I add powder blue dwarf gouramis to my tank?
emilyekk
09-04-2009, 05:01 AM
I was planning on adding pearl gouramis but I like the look of powder blue gourami's better.
Could I add one or more to my tank?
I have a stock of:
15 neon tetra
5 albino cory
5 balloon molly
4 julii cory
1 German blue ram.
I am also wishing to add kuhli or yoyo loaches to my tank at somepoint so keep that in mind. I favor the kuhli's but the yoyo's are supposed to be better at killing the pond snails in my tank. ;)
Oh also forgot to add it's a 55gallon, lol.:)
Wiggs
09-04-2009, 05:05 AM
do you have space for the fish? I think you do, 55gal is a lot of room or small,community fish.
However, the tempermant of these fish seems to be hit or miss. I had one that was fine with neons and Danios for awhile, when he was moved into a tank with Cories he went nuts on them, constantly chasing them around.
I was planning on adding pearl gouramis but I like the look of powder blue gourami's better.
Could I add one or more to my tank?
I have a stock of:
15 neon tetra
5 albino cory
5 balloon molly
4 julii cory
1 German blue ram.
I am also wishing to add kuhli or yoyo loaches to my tank at somepoint so keep that in mind. I favor the kuhli's but the yoyo's are supposed to be better at killing the pond snails in my tank. ;)
Oh also forgot to add it's a 55gallon, lol.:)
Well firstly each type of cory need a school of 6.
You probably could add a single dwarf gourami.
I'm not sure about the loaches, after all it will be a pretty clouded aquarium floor won't it?
Lab_Rat
09-04-2009, 05:56 AM
You can add a dwarf gourami to that list without issue. Now you'll only want one unless you can somehow locate females as two males will fight.
As far as loaches, when you fill out the cory schools your bottom layer will be pretty crowded. I don't think I'd be adding loaches to all those cories.
emilyekk
09-04-2009, 06:12 AM
I mainly wanted the loaches to help me out with this HORRIBLE pond snail invasion I am suffering from. :/
I unfortunately had to euth my GBR tonight. She was acting a little funny all day but when I'd go near the tank she would act normal and I thought nothing of it... well tonight I started to do the water change and and noticed halfway through that she was laying on her side gasping and unable to swim. I put her in a little breeder box (still in the 55) while I finished the WC. She still couldn't swim at all and was struggling to breathe. So I decided to euth her which I have only had to do once and now twice and I never want to have to do again. :( NO idea what happened because I didn't test the H20 today and there's no real point in testing it now because I just changed half of it... ugh. :/
Anyhow, on topic, do I REALLY need 6 of each species of cory? It seems like every time I ask someone the number goes up. :/
I won't get getting any more German Blue Rams to replace the one I lost... maybe they are too hard to care for or maybe I just got a bad batch but that was the saddest fish death I've had... :( Such a pretty fishy she was. :(
Lab_Rat
09-04-2009, 06:31 AM
Anyhow, on topic, do I REALLY need 6 of each species of cory? It seems like every time I ask someone the number goes up. :/
Yes, corydoras are schooling fish and as such need to be with others of their species to be happy. Since you have two different species that would be 12 cories total.
I am sorry about your GBR. They are difficult fish to keep and require pristine, almost discus quality, water. They are not a good fish for a beginner even though they are commonly recommended.
Anyhow, on topic, do I REALLY need 6 of each species of cory? It seems like every time I ask someone the number goes up. :/
I won't get getting any more German Blue Rams to replace the one I lost... maybe they are too hard to care for or maybe I just got a bad batch but that was the saddest fish death I've had... :( Such a pretty fishy she was. :(
Cories.
Well, you could keep them this way, but simply put everybody has different standards.
I find that cories have much different attitudes in bigger numbers. They are an absolute joy to watch and are far more fun the more you have.
There is a bit of a myth that they only need groups of three in order to school. This is incorrect as they are schooling fish much like tetras. If you have 6 of each I thing you would really enjoy them.
They are a real pleasure in larger groups and they have the best personalities.
GBRs.
Most GBRs are bred in asia and are subjected to growth horomones to meet the demand of the consumers.
These horomones strengthen the colour of the fish and weaken the immune system.
As a result many German Blue Rams have internal parasites which can be quite problematic if not taken care of quickly enough.
If you do not know where they were bred, they were likely bred in asia and thus are far more sensitive.
I believe red has an article on taking care of asian GBRs somewhere.
emilyekk
09-04-2009, 06:36 AM
Yes, I know they are schooling fish I just keep getting differing opinions on what that "school" should be, lol. I've heard 3, 4, 5, 6 and some people say I need 8-9 of EACH. I was like jeez. lol.
As for the GBR, I am pretty upset. She was really pretty even though you barely noticed her amongst the tetras.
As far as I know my WC has been good for the past week, but before that I had that enormous algae bloom and had to black out the tank-- so maybe she was sick from that? I don't know.. :( But no more blue rams for me, no matter how much I like the look of them.
So, I will definitely bump my cories up to 6 each... hopefully thats the correct number. lol.
I would like to add the dwarf powder blue gourami because it is pretty and unique looking...
Is there another pretty fish I could add that maybe wouldn't need any other of its kind (like the PB gourami for example)? I wish there was a pretty fish that could be kept as the only one of its type, in a peaceful community tank that ALSO ate these stupid pond snails I have, lol. I'd be so happy. ;)
Don't worry I'm not adding them all at once. ;)
emilyekk
09-04-2009, 06:39 AM
Cories.
Well, you could keep them this way, but simply put everybody has different standards.
I find that cories have much different attitudes in bigger numbers. They are an absolute joy to watch and are far more fun the more you have.
There is a bit of a myth that they only need groups of three in orfder to school. This is incorrect as they are schooling fish much like tetras. If you have 6 of each I thing you would really enjoy them.
GBRs.
Most GBRs are bred in asia and are subjected to growth horomones to meet the demand of the consumers.
These horomones strengthen the colour of the fish and weaken the immune system.
As a result many German Blue Rams have internal parasites which can be quite problematic if not taken care of quickly enough.
If you do not know where they were bred, they were likely bred in asia and thus are far more sensitive.
I believe red has an article on taking care of asian GBRs somewhere.
hmm that is VERY interesting. Thanks for the GBR info... I don't plan on getting anymore (at least not for a loooong time) but I may read the article just to learn.
As far as the cories... is 6 a GOOD number or is that minimal? I will bump the schools up to 6 (will be easy anyhow based on my #'s now), but is that good enough? Or down the road am I going to be told I should have 8 of each or something... lol.
Yes, I know they are schooling fish I just keep getting differing opinions on what that "school" should be, lol. I've heard 3, 4, 5, 6 and some people say I need 8-9 of EACH. I was like jeez. lol.
As for the GBR, I am pretty upset. She was really pretty even though you barely noticed her amongst the tetras.
As far as I know my WC has been good for the past week, but before that I had that enormous algae bloom and had to black out the tank-- so maybe she was sick from that? I don't know.. :( But no more blue rams for me, no matter how much I like the look of them.
So, I will definitely bump my cories up to 6 each... hopefully thats the correct number. lol.
I would like to add the dwarf powder blue gourami because it is pretty and unique looking...
Is there another pretty fish I could add that maybe wouldn't need any other of its kind (like the PB gourami for example)?
Don't worry I'm not adding them all at once. ;)
Really it is about personal standards.
It is all about personal limits and where you draw the line.
I always go with minimum 6 because that is the number for most schooling fish so i see no reason why cories are the one exception. In reality most schools are made of hundreds of cories so IMO 6 is the least we can do.
Lab_Rat
09-04-2009, 06:42 AM
Six is minimal per species imo, with schooling fish more is better (unless you're overshooting your bioload).
When I get cories for my planted tank I will be getting 10.
As far as the cories... is 6 a GOOD number or is that minimal? I will bump the schools up to 6 (will be easy anyhow based on my #'s now), but is that good enough? Or down the road am I going to be told I should have 8 of each or something... lol.
Well as I said that is really up to you.
I have been enjoying my cories so much I feel like I should bump up to 8 but that is more of a personal choice.
It is really up to what you want to do but I say the minimum is 6.
emilyekk
09-04-2009, 09:15 AM
I just dont know that Ihave the space for more than 12 cories...?
I just dont know that Ihave the space for more than 12 cories...?
It is just 3 more, I don't think you need any more than 6 of each.
Just add those 3 extra cories, they love to pack like sardines so they won't care.
As for snails there are other ways to take care of them. Assassain snails are one.
You could always do the one where you drop some boiled lettuce in the tank at night and remove it in the morning, hope full with dozens of snails.
(A little wild cory video for you.)
cWIVCdLOImw
mattsbottleofjager
09-04-2009, 12:51 PM
6 seems to be the most common number for a school from what I have read around these forums.
I'm sorry on you fish loss :11:
jaysee
09-04-2009, 01:42 PM
You could get a few dwarf crayfish - they'll eat your pond snails. They don't get bigger than 2", so they aren't nearly as threatening as the full sizes 6 inchers.
Lab_Rat
09-04-2009, 03:36 PM
You could get a few dwarf crayfish - they'll eat your pond snails. They don't get bigger than 2", so they aren't nearly as threatening as the full sizes 6 inchers.
I would recommend against this as those crayfish are likely to catch and kill fish that venture to the bottom of the tank.
The assassin snails would work though. That is a good idea if you have an out of control snail population.
bushwhacker
09-04-2009, 05:42 PM
emily, if you want top quality GBR.. PM Algenco. he breeds em right up here in kentucky. great stock great prices and ships em properly. i would never buy a ram in a shop..
jaysee
09-04-2009, 08:22 PM
I would recommend against this as those crayfish are likely to catch and kill fish that venture to the bottom of the tank.
The assassin snails would work though. That is a good idea if you have an out of control snail population.
Dwarf crayfish aren't as big as your fingertip and can only catch the smallest of fish. Maybe if they worked as a team....
You are right, though, that there is the possibility of predation, albeit very small IMO and E. I was just throwing out an unorthodox solution to the problem.
Lab_Rat
09-04-2009, 11:01 PM
Dwarf crayfish aren't as big as your fingertip and can only catch the smallest of fish. Maybe if they worked as a team....
Ok, so my fingertip is approximately 1cm, these guys are less than 1cm??? Because before you said 2" which is a whole lot different. I could see how a 1cm crayfish would not be harmful, but at 2" that would be a whole different story.
I don't keep crayfish or anything, so this is not my field. How big do they actually get? 1cm or 2"???
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