# Gourami Questions and Research



## Allirane (Mar 24, 2013)

I am REALLY interested and looking into Gouramis AND have a 10 gallon. It has been cycled for about a month now and I won't expect to put fish in there for another week or so.

I am doing research and am in love with this forum. So: my question is:

My 10 gallon is okay. What kind of gouramis should I get? (I LOVE the colors of the turqouise dwarf gouramis) Should I get a pair or three? What other fish can I put in there (like actual fish names so I can google pictures ) 

Also, what plants should I try to find for them? I am excited to start my first planted tank. My roomate has one and she can help. I wouldn't mind suggestions from y'all though!

LASTLY, this was the site from this forum that I looked at and got the confirmation. I also was told that it would be okay from a VERY respected fish store (that is not just trying to sell me stuff).

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=75195


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

A 10 gallon is the absolute minimum for a single dwarf gourami. If you want to keep more than one, then you should look at smallest species - sparkling, licorice and honey.

I would look at getting a group of ember tetras - right size for a 10 gallon - to go with some sparkling gouramis.


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## Allirane (Mar 24, 2013)

See this is the debate I am having. Some people say that ^ and other say a pair with a snail would be just fine.


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## SeaKnight (May 24, 2013)

jaysee said:


> A 10 gallon is the absolute minimum for a single dwarf gourami. If you want to keep more than one, then you should look at smallest species - sparkling, licorice and honey.
> 
> I would look at getting a group of ember tetras - right size for a 10 gallon - to go with some sparkling gouramis.


^^ I agree: The licorice looks like a Betta to me ;-) (yes I do know the 2 are related).


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## Allirane (Mar 24, 2013)

I might look at getting one dwarf and then putting some other non aggressive fish. Hmmmm... Oh the options. What do you guys think?


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

You _can_ put a three spot gourami in a 10 gallon - if it is the only living thing in the tank (besides plants). The are supposed to potentially reach 6" but they really typically only reach 3-4.5"


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

If you can find a female, give it a go and tell us all how it goes. Females are quite rare so there aren't many accounts. One that I followed had them in a 40 gallon and the male killed all the females.



finnfinnfriend said:


> You _can_ put a three spot gourami in a 10 gallon - if it is the only living thing in the tank (besides plants). The are supposed to potentially reach 6" but they really typically only reach 3-4.5"


You could keep one in a 5 gallon if you wanted to....but that doesn't mean you should. A 10 is WAY too small for a 3 spot. It takes time for them to reach full size. Too often what happens is the fish in improperly kept resulting in stunted or dead fish. OR, people get rid of them before they reach full size because they get aggressive. 

Tiny tanks should be stocked with tiny fish, not large aggressive fish.....


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Are three-spot gourami also what are sold as gold gourami? I had a pair of these for a while and they were absolutely massive. I would definitely not put them into a 10 gallon tank. 

Licorice gourami do best in very soft and acidic water, and can be extremely shy fish. I rarely saw my three even in a tank where they were the only fish and there was lots of cover. 

Sparkling gourami are definitely a lot bolder and my three would take food from my tweezers and the dominant male grew to a decent size. 

There are also honey gourami and croaking gourami. Although I have never kept these species before and not completely certain about their suitability long-term in a 10 gallon tank.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

What do you consider "massive"? Have you ever seen a Marlin lol....


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

finnfinnfriend said:


> What do you consider "massive"?


It's all relative to that which you are comparing.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

jaysee said:


> It's all relative to that which you are comparing.


oh okay. I wouldn't keep a three spot in a 5 gallon though...That would be pushing it pretty hard.

In a community tank, gouramis need a lot of space to establish their territory. In a single specimen tank, three spots (gold, opaline, cosby, etc) tend to not be relatively active, because they have nothing to "chase off". Since the larger, healthier specimens kept in aquaria reach about 5 inches, a ten gallon gives them four body lengths swimming room and two body lengths on the sides, which is sufficient. Smaller adults will obviously have more swimming room.


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I'm not sure how 4 body lengths make it an appropriate home. I can't imagine it would be very active, or interesting to watch for that matter, in such a small tank. I honestly don't know what kind of enjoyment one would get from doing so. But that's me. We all have to decide for ourselves how much space our fish need to swim.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Well my brother's pair that he gave me were at least 4-5 inches from head to tail. 

I moved them out into a 3ft tank and they used quite a lot of that swimming around. They weren't as active as a schooling or shoaling fish, but they didn't just sit in one spot either.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> Well my brother's pair that he gave me were at least 4-5 inches from head to tail.
> 
> I moved them out into a 3ft tank and they used quite a lot of that swimming around. They weren't as active as a schooling or shoaling fish, but they didn't just sit in one spot either.


Yeah, 4-5 inches sounds about right, and those were probably healthy ones too...but see that was a pair...so they need 3ft so they can have their own space and then some...and they were probably a bit more active because there were two.

Jaysee...I was just using body lengths as a unit of measurement -to give a visual. We often give betta fish, for example, less room than that with no problems, but three spots aren't quite as naturally "chill" as bettas, although they are still calm when not given any "competition".


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

finnfinnfriend said:


> We often give betta fish, for example, less room than that with no problems, but three spots aren't quite as naturally "chill" as bettas, although they are still calm when not given any "competition".


Not me 

An absence of "problems" doesn't necessarily make something okay. My point of view is that of viewing pleasure, not of possible problems. That's all - different things are important to different people. Doesn't make anyone categorically right or wrong.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Is the OP even debating keeping a three-spot gourami in a 10 gallon? I kind of skimmed the first couple posts and saw they mentioned dwarf gourami. 

To respond to your statement Finnfinnfriend, I don't agree with keeping bettas in small tanks long-term either. 

My goldfish are in a too small tank (being remedied once our renovations are done) and when they spook they smash into the glass quite hard because it doesn't take them much effort to reach the other side of the tank.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> Is the OP even debating keeping a three-spot gourami in a 10 gallon? I kind of skimmed the first couple posts and saw they mentioned dwarf gourami.
> 
> To respond to your statement Finnfinnfriend, I don't agree with keeping bettas in small tanks long-term either.
> 
> My goldfish are in a too small tank (being remedied once our renovations are done) and when they spook they smash into the glass quite hard because it doesn't take them much effort to reach the other side of the tank.


I don't believe in keeping a betta in a 1 gallon, if that counts for anything, however, I don't criticize someone who does and does it properly...The OP was just interested in gouramis in general and has a ten gallon tank.

I think many people don't think about single specimen tanks because most people don't want them - they often want a community or at least a _species_ tank (with several specimens). Often people think of and know about requirements for fish _within a community_ because that is almost always how they are kept. Therefore when someone hears about being able to keep this or that _by itself_ in this or that size tank - it sounds wrong. I agree that if you want a three spot with anyting else, whether it be another three spot, some tetras, even some shrimp, etc....a ten gallon is entirely unacceptable.


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## Allirane (Mar 24, 2013)

Yeah... I guess I was kind of hoping for more advice on the dwarf gouramis... But, I figured it out on my own.


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