# calming my gourami down and tankmates



## sephnroth (Jul 30, 2013)

I've chatted about this before but not in detail I dont think so here goes.. quite a long time ago the amazing coralbandit suggested a pearl gourami as a pride of place fish for my tank (which was smaller at the time, now i have a much bigger one)

The pearl, I was told, is a calm peaceful species and the females even more so. So I got one female pearl.

Shes beautiful. and a complete cow.

Her tank mates for a year++ have been a bn plec, a school of harlequins and some panda cory's. I've seen her dart and chase alll the fish except for the plec who she wont touch.

Over the year I have lost all but 1 of my pandas for unknown reasons (good water params etc) and one was missing its tail when I found it. I've lost 3 harlequins over the year also for unknown - could be coincidence! Everything has been settled for about 3 months now, no problems, everything chilled - pearl still chases the other fish from time to time but usually only for a few seconds, she darts at them and then chills out - sometimes they all swim side by side happily!

I was wondering, is it possible that shes such a bully because she is by -far- the largest fish and just feels like she owns the place? and if so would adding a second female pearl gourami sort of create some sort of equiliberium and chill her out? I love her to bits, I just wish she'd relax a bit! I read online for first time today that they are happier with some floating plants - i have well planted tank but nothing floating on top, maybe that would help?

Atm total stock is: 1 bn plec, 5 harlequins, 1 panda cory, 1 pearl gourami.
tank is 165ltr aquastyle 850, very well filtered (has built in huge overhead filter thing and I also have a fluval 3plus filter inside for additional filtration)

I would like to bring the harlequins back up to school of 8, I would like some more corys but probably choose a hardier spiecies than panda. I was thinking of a school of cardinal tetras for an injection of blue colour and considering 2 GBR's as im told they are quite happy with pearl gourami.

How does any of that sound? Compat with a second pearl gourami? Or any other type of gourami maybe instead of the GBR for prettyness and colour?

I am at your wisdom!


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## sephnroth (Jul 30, 2013)

im just.. gonna make sure of something a sec.. this is my pearl gourami:

http://1drv.ms/1ExSItF

...that IS a female right?


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## sephnroth (Jul 30, 2013)

Todays update is I've ordered some frogbit for my tank which I'm hoping will provide a nice area for the pearl to chill in. I suspect that might actually do a lot to calm her down.

I'm still very interested in opinions on a second pearl and other tank mates


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

I doubt she is a girl


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## sephnroth (Jul 30, 2013)

oh geesh, really? she seemed to have a more rounded dorsal than some of the others but it may of just been because it was young when i got it :/ Also didnt have the colour when i bought her but i guess that was just LFS conditions!

so er.. if its a BOY, would adding say two females to the tank chill him out a bit? and if its a girl would adding two females to the tank make thing sbetter or worse or no difference?


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

Statistically you cannot lose if you add a female. Its either MM,MF, or FF. 

By the way, I believe that you can have more feminum looking males, more masculine females etc. I have a huge baloon molly "Sunshine" who looks like a male in every way, but is a female. Her rear fin has both male and female parts. 

I think your gourami just needs to mature more to develop better color. 

Since I do not have a fish DNA test on me, I cannot tell for sure.


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## sephnroth (Jul 30, 2013)

i'm reading a lot that says 2 females to 1 male - do you think getting two new pearls (doing my very best to make sure they are female!) would be a good idea or just get one?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

IMO you can add a pair but should be prepared if there ends up being two unrully fish.
Hard to say male female without another to compare to.
Everything but dorsal and super red belly say male to me.
I had 2 females and a male in a 20 long that bred X2 then after moving them to a 20Tall the females killed the male!
The two girls seem to get along very well still!
They can be funny fish,hard to predict under different conditions.


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## sephnroth (Jul 30, 2013)

Well I went to my LFS and explained I was after a pair of female pearl/lace gourami and they MUST be female. They understood completely and we went to identify two but in the end only felt comfortable about one of them and even then not 100%.. the guy explained the breeders often keep the females back because its not uncommon to lose them to male aggression or somesuch?

Anyway I came home with my one female and have been acclimatising her half the day. Until I came home with her I didnt credit how much my original had grown.. easily double the size or bigger which worried me. I eventually let her loose in the tank and she immediately hid which was fine, I obviously have the lights off.

I've just come back 2 hrs later and both gourami's are swimming.. amazingly together! They seem unseperatable already, the big "probably male" fish is shielding her and seems to be just looking after her all the time. They both seem very chilled and just enjoying floating about.

Phew. Lets hope that lasts!


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

Well that's a good outcome! Better than othr choices!


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