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Tankmates for a pair of Dwarf Gouramis


GameCzar
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So after much re-arranging and measuring, we've found a spot for yet another tank in our tiny apartment.   This time we're moving up to 10 gallons (massive by our standards) and are looking at 2 Dwarf Gouramis for our centerpiece. 
We've done some quick research, and are considering going with Longfin Zebra Danios for our shoaling fish, and some julii corys for our bottom dwellers.
Do any vets see any potential issues with these breeds?    How many of each would you go with?  Do you think there's something that would be a better fit for the dwarves? 

Edited by GameCzar
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For me Otocinclus and Amano Shrimp have become must haves, not just for their algae cleaning but also for their fascinating behaviors. Small Corydoras are also great cleaners and super fun to watch. I think zebra danios are beautiful so two thumbs up on those! 

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On 6/28/2021 at 11:01 AM, Patrick_G said:

For me Otocinclus and Amano Shrimp have become must haves, not just for their algae cleaning but also for their fascinating behaviors. Small Corydoras are also great cleaners and super fun to watch. I think zebra danios are beautiful so two thumbs up on those! 

Also Patrick, do you think 6 Zebras and 6 Julii Cory would be too much stock?  We're not scared of frequent water changes, I just want the fish to be happy. 

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Are you getting a pair of males or male and female? Just a heads-up, if you don't already know this males can be aggressive like male bettas. Zebras would make good dither fish, but I've never kept them in anything smaller than a 20 long.

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On 6/28/2021 at 11:27 AM, Griznatch said:

Are you getting a pair of males or male and female? Just a heads-up, if you don't already know this males can be aggressive like male bettas. Zebras would make good dither fish, but I've never kept them in anything smaller than a 20 long.

We don't care about breeding them, so maybe a pair of females?  We just heard a pair will stick together in the tank.

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 I have a pair of females in a 55 and they do stick together pretty good, and get along very well with all the other tank mates. My two males tried to kill each other, the females, and beat up my guppies as well as some young angelfish.  I had to isolate them in their own 10 gallon tanks until I could find them a new home (LFS took them).

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On 6/28/2021 at 10:18 AM, GameCzar said:

Also Patrick, do you think 6 Zebras and 6 Julii Cory would be too much stock?  We're not scared of frequent water changes, I just want the fish to be happy. 

I’d probably go with one of the smaller varieties of Corydoras because they’ll have a smaller bio-load and will need less floor space. @CorydorasEthan, what do you think? 

Also, have you looked at Honey Gouramis? I haven’t kept any yet, but they look great and come in some interesting variations. They’re supposed to be way less aggressive than regular Dwarf Gouramis. 

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On 6/28/2021 at 5:09 PM, Patrick_G said:

I’d probably go with one of the smaller varieties of Corydoras because they’ll have a smaller bio-load and will need less floor space. @CorydorasEthan, what do you think? 

Also, have you looked at Honey Gouramis? I haven’t kept any yet, but they look great and come in some interesting variations. They’re supposed to be way less aggressive than regular Dwarf Gouramis. 

We have looked at and considered Honeys, one of the issues being we'd have to get one shipped while Petco keeps Dwarf Gouramis in stock.   I sure don't have an issue with Pygmy Corys. 

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On 6/28/2021 at 5:09 PM, Patrick_G said:

I’d probably go with one of the smaller varieties of Corydoras because they’ll have a smaller bio-load and will need less floor space. @CorydorasEthan, what do you think? 

Also, have you looked at Honey Gouramis? I haven’t kept any yet, but they look great and come in some interesting variations. They’re supposed to be way less aggressive than regular Dwarf Gouramis. 

So Aquahuna sells a 6 pack of pygmies, would a 10 gallon be enough for them ya think?

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On 6/28/2021 at 4:48 PM, GameCzar said:

So Aquahuna sells a 6 pack of pygmies, would a 10 gallon be enough for them ya think?

Yeah, they’re tiny. I only have two in my 11 gallon but I would definitely add four more and it’s a 14” cube with less floor space than a standard 10g. The really neat thing is that they swim in the middle part of the tank much more than other Corydoras. 

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I have 3 dwarf gouramis (2 neon blue, 1 flame), 2 yoyo loaches, 10 Longfin zebra danios in my 40 breeder.

 

They have been together about a week after quarantine and so far everyone is playing nice with each other.

ETA - all 3 of my gouramis are male and they are the least aggressive of all the fish in the tank. I haven't been able to find any females 

Edited by SoCal_Tara
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On 7/3/2021 at 12:53 AM, SoCal_Tara said:

I have 3 dwarf gouramis (2 neon blue, 1 flame), 2 yoyo loaches, 10 Longfin zebra danios in my 40 breeder.

 

They have been together about a week after quarantine and so far everyone is playing nice with each other.

ETA - all 3 of my gouramis are male and they are the least aggressive of all the fish in the tank. I haven't been able to find any females 

Awesome to hear that they get along with the Zebras!   I may end up with males too if  that's all they have. 

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If it helps, I’ve got short-fin zebra danios and they seem to get along well with my male betta in a 15 gallon (they even eat together in a group) so I think you’ll do fine with the zebrafish and the gouramis. 
 

Although, I’d maybe suggest getting the short fin danios? Just so they can quickly escape the gouramis if they’re getting a little rough with them. 

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On 7/3/2021 at 7:32 AM, Bobbie said:

If it helps, I’ve got short-fin zebra danios and they seem to get along well with my male betta in a 15 gallon (they even eat together in a group) so I think you’ll do fine with the zebrafish and the gouramis. 
 

Although, I’d maybe suggest getting the short fin danios? Just so they can quickly escape the gouramis if they’re getting a little rough with them. 

We may very well go with the short fin variety, thanks!

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/28/2021 at 5:09 PM, Patrick_G said:

I’d probably go with one of the smaller varieties of Corydoras because they’ll have a smaller bio-load and will need less floor space. @CorydorasEthan, what do you think? 

Also, have you looked at Honey Gouramis? I haven’t kept any yet, but they look great and come in some interesting variations. They’re supposed to be way less aggressive than regular Dwarf Gouramis. 

Sorry for the (very) late response, as I haven't been able to post for a while. I would agree they would work out just fine!

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On 7/3/2021 at 12:53 AM, SoCal_Tara said:

I have 3 dwarf gouramis (2 neon blue, 1 flame), 2 yoyo loaches, 10 Longfin zebra danios in my 40 breeder.

 

They have been together about a week after quarantine and so far everyone is playing nice with each other.

ETA - all 3 of my gouramis are male and they are the least aggressive of all the fish in the tank. I haven't been able to find any females 

I really hope that lack of aggression continues as they mature.  From just about every report I've seen it rarely ends well.

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On 7/19/2021 at 12:40 PM, JettsPapa said:

I really hope that lack of aggression continues as they mature.  From just about every report I've seen it rarely ends well.

JettsPapa I was really hoping that my dwarfs would he the exception but sad to say, Nope.

One of the neons decided he wants to run the tank and is charging at the other 2, he is chasing around a couple danios as well. 

Man this sucks. Do I separate him and until females are found or try to rehome him? My other tank is a Pea Puffer Palace and anything that goes in with them  doesn't come out.

 

 

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On 7/19/2021 at 6:04 PM, SoCal_Tara said:

JettsPapa I was really hoping that my dwarfs would he the exception but sad to say, Nope.

One of the neons decided he wants to run the tank and is charging at the other 2, he is chasing around a couple danios as well. 

Man this sucks. Do I separate him and until females are found or try to rehome him? My other tank is a Pea Puffer Palace and anything that goes in with them  doesn't come out.

 

 

If you don't have another tank then finding a new home for him would probably be best.

I see you mentioned finding females.  I wish you luck, but it's my understanding that they're rarely offered for sale in the US.

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