Popular freshwater fish, gouramis are prized for their vivid colors and calm disposition. They are an excellent option for novice and seasoned aquarium enthusiasts alike. Selecting the appropriate gourami companions is crucial if you intend to add them to your tank in order to create a peaceful atmosphere.
Selecting other lovely fish is not the only thing to consider when choosing the ideal neighbors for your gouramis. Keeping an aquarium stress-free and healthy requires compatibility. Gouramis like quiet environments and calm waters, so choosing tank mates who have similar characteristics is crucial.
We’ll look at some of the best fish that get along well with gouramis in this guide. You can establish a harmonious community tank in which your gouramis and their neighbors coexist by making well-considered decisions.
- Gourami character
- Intraspecific compatibility
- Successful neighbors
- Who should not try to settle gouramis with
- Plants
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Gourami character
Gurami typically live very calm lives and get along well with other aquarium fish. Fish ignore the fry and do not attack their neighbors. Girls typically hide in thick vegetation and occasionally emerge to the surface, whereas boys tend to be more active and capable of defending their interests.
However, some members of this species are also characterized by extremely unstable psychological states. They have no apparent reason to attack their neighbors. These violent outbursts can occasionally be episodic. It is preferable to keep the male gourami apart from the other fish, though, if he consistently exhibits inappropriate behavior.
Intraspecific compatibility
This species’ males have a tendency toward aggression and are highly aggressive. Nobody knows what to anticipate from a specific male when making a purchase. Fish frequently exhibit unpredictable behavior. Intraspecific aggression requires special consideration.
There will be frequent territorial disputes if there are two boys in the same pond. One boy and several girls—two or three would be ideal—make up the ideal student body.
Moreover, multiple gourami species can be added to a single pond. The following species are friendly to one another:
- honey;
- marble;
- pearl.
When numerous individuals of the same species coexist in a single aquarium, territorial competition becomes insignificant. Small fish once again live in harmony and prosperity after conflicts end. However, having a pair of each kind of fish is ideal.
During the spawning season, gouramis become more aggressive. The eggs will start to break down inside the fish itself if you don’t let the female lay them. It is feasible to artificially remove the female’s eggs if the individual is large (drain). A specialist should perform this procedure. Such manipulations result in the death of small specimens as small as 5 cm.
Fish that are going to spawn are kept in a different container to avoid conflicts amongst the aquarium’s residents. They are brought back after spawning because gourami are cannibals and consume their own fry and eggs.
Successful neighbors
It is advisable to take into account all the subtleties of coexisting with other species before adding neighbors to gourami.
With the help of the table, you can establish a calm and pleasant environment in your aquarium.
Gurami occasionally has barbs added to it. Additionally, tiny angelfish and cichlids can be housed in the same aquarium.
The aquarium’s surface needs to be coated with specialized glass. In addition to preventing fish losses from jumping, this will slightly warm the air. Fish have sensitive labyrinths that can be harmed by temperature contrasts.
The gender ratio in schools must be maintained at all costs. There should be one or two females for every male. The boys will fight among themselves if they don’t.
It is not advisable to house closely related species in the same pond. These guys could be seen by men as competitors. Conflicts in these circumstances are unavoidable.
If there are other fish species in the aquarium besides gourami, they should be big enough so that the neighboring labyrinth fish cannot ingest them. Even though they are peaceful creatures, gourami do not despise small fish.
Neighbors of gouramis shouldn’t be unduly hostile or active. A peaceful gourami is frequently prevented from rising to the surface to breathe or remove its fins by unfriendly neighbors.
Gurami that coexist with other fish species from a young age can be identified by their calmer, more balanced personalities.
Full | Partial | Incompatibility |
Minors, ancistrus catfish, corydoras, rainbowfish, botia, danio, laliuses, swordtails, mollies, angelfish, rasboras, tetras, neons, pecilia, ternetia, macropods, barbs,. | Bettas, other types of gourami, guppies, discus. | Acaras, African cichlids, astronotus, goldfish, red parrots, koi carp. |
While gouramis can eat their young or pluck the antennae of adults, ampullaria snails do not harm fish.
The secret to establishing a calm and healthy environment for your gourami fish in an aquarium is to choose their neighbors carefully. Since gouramis are generally calm fish, they get along well with other peaceful fish such as corydoras catfish, rasboras, and tetras. These species don’t actively compete for food or space because they live in similar water environments. You can lessen stress and aggression in your tank by choosing compatible tank mates, ensuring that all fish coexist peacefully.
Who should not try to settle gouramis with
Even though some cichlid species are the same size as gouramis, it’s best to avoid keeping them in the same pond. Cichlids can attack their neighbors and will defend their territory with a jealous eye. It is highly discouraged to keep gourami with diamond cichlids, managua, or astronotus fish. Until they die, these subspecies will terrorize other residents.
Red hybrid parrots have a ferocious nature and are rather large in size. They have the power to wipe out the gourami population entirely.
Additionally, goldfish will attack and remove the gourami’s fins.
A gourami gets along with a wide variety of aquarium animals. However, having dense vegetation and a reasonably large aquarium volume are among the most crucial elements. In small spaces, a lot of fish start acting aggressively.
Plants
Building secure shelters is part of the upkeep and care required for this kind of fish. This is particularly crucial if the aquarium contains multiple male fish. There should be a place for the weaker people to hide.
The best places for this are grottoes or driftwood. Live plant thickets are another option. Driftwood needs to be naturally occurring. These items discharge substances into the water that are beneficial to fish. The aquarium setting is therefore the most like the natural world.
Plants in aquariums should be arranged in clusters. For the purpose of placing shelters, dense thickets must be created so that males can construct bubble nests inside of them.
It is also essential to arrange multiple floating plant clusters. Using pistiness or a rod works best. However, fierce allow the water’s surface to be entirely covered in plant leaves. Gurors have to occasionally erupt and suck the air.
When 50–80% of the aquarium is covered in vegetation, the fish will feel the most comfortable. Additionally, this species favors either no current at all or very little.
In their native habitat, gourami inhabit small pools of water that are home to a wide variety of plants and organic matter that is slowly breaking down. They have highly developed ventral fins that, at first look, resemble tentacles or whiskers. Additionally, the atmospheric respiration (labyrinth) of this species of fish is a defining characteristic.
Static water is preferred by gourami. It is not necessary to frequently change the liquid in the aquarium or set up strong aeration. It’s also important to place the lighting fixture directly above the man-made reservoir and to cover the aquarium’s bottom with dark-colored soil.
Under these circumstances, labyrinth fish grow to a maximum size of 11 cm, develop a rich color, and have a lifespan of seven to ten years.
Fish Species | Why They"re Good Neighbors |
Neon Tetras | Peaceful and small, they won"t bother the gourami. |
Platies | Friendly and adaptable, they get along well in a community tank. |
Corydoras Catfish | Bottom dwellers that help keep the tank clean and don"t compete for space. |
Molly Fish | Non-aggressive and share similar water conditions with gourami. |
Harlequin Rasboras | Peaceful schooling fish that add color and movement without aggression. |
Beautiful and serene fish, gouramis can flourish in the right tank with the right companions. Think about selecting gourami neighbors who have comparable water conditions and personalities. Small, non-aggressive fish like mollies, rasboras, and tetras make excellent companions. These fish enhance the aquarium’s aesthetic appeal in addition to fostering a peaceful environment.
Gueramis shouldn’t be kept with territorial or aggressive fish, like cichlids, as this can cause stress and conflict. Furthermore, exercise caution around fish that nibble on fins, such as barbs, as they could harm your gourami’s fragile fins. All of your fish will live in a calm and healthy environment if you choose species that get along.
Keeping an aquarium balanced requires more than just picking the right fish. It’s crucial to perform regular water changes, adequate filtration, and continuous water quality monitoring. By following these instructions and choosing your gourami’s neighbors wisely, you can build a vibrant aquatic community that enhances the beauty and happiness of your house.