What's your gourami preference?

[Keeg]

What is your ideal gourami shape and color? With so many to choose from, I was only fond of certain ones. Kind of like bettas (but were talking about gourami gourami, not fish like bettas and paradise fish)

Personally, I love full powder blue females with slight yellow tipped fins, short body, long pelvic fins, a slight hump on their head, and a stubby tail. I got mine from the co-op and I loved how perfect she was. I like the female ones more because of the rounded dorsal fin vs. a tipped one. 

Edited September 23, 2021 by Keeg

[Atitagain]

Yours is beautiful really liking the fins how they kinda surround her. I’ve just got a pair of blue dwarf gourami about 6weeks ago. First time with them and so far so good. Here’s a horrible pic.

have to get back to you on favorites tho. 

[Okesa]

He doesn't have a name yet, but I think this guy I got for the community tank I set up at school is pretty good looking. 

[Colu]

It got to be Pearl gourami's just stunning fish for a planted tank

[Fonske]

On 9/23/2021 at 4:17 PM, Keeg said:

I love full powder blue females with slight yellow tipped fins, short body, long pelvic fins, a slight hump on their head, and a stubby tail

Beautiful color and shape, she truly looks like an iridescent jewel. I had a powder blue male once, he was the brightest fish in the tank, visible even in total darkness.

I love my gouramies mostly for their personalities, which they have a ton of, but also for their unusual shapes and colors. Balloon pearl gourami and kissing gourami, not the most popular ones, perhaps, but these two are my absolute favorites. Especially the pearl, he is such a diva and aquatic puppy. 

[laritheloud]

Someday, I'm going to get my beautiful, LORGE bubba moonlight gouramis. They have snoots! They have orange accents! They're a gorgeous shimmery silvery-green! They have the most enormous feelers! They're mostly peaceful! How can you resist?!

[Biotope Biologist]

I always thought gold gouramis were drab and boring until I saw this shoal at my LFS in college. Had to have them. Don't mind the blur, his name was flash the chubhead minnow. 

 

Still my favorite are chocolate gouramis. The male coloration during breeding is crazy.

[Patrick_G]

I’ve always liked standard dwarf Gourami. When I was a kid I kept one in a community tank without trouble, but now that I know better I’m reluctant to try it. 

[laritheloud]

For those who love dwarf gouramis but fear the health issues they often carry.... has anyone ever seen wild-caught dwarf gouramis for sale before? I would love to raise a group of them if I can ever find them. I've read they are mild-mannered and have a temperament much more like honey gouramis than captive/selectively-bred dwarfs. These are reputedly excellent community fish, and hardier than their selectively-bred counterparts.

Edited September 23, 2021 by laritheloud

[Patrick_G]

@laritheloud, ohhh ahhh, those are pretty! Let us know if you get some.

they look a lot like what I remember from the 80s. I wonder if there were more wild caught Gourami in the hobby back then. 

Edited September 23, 2021 by Patrick_G

[laritheloud]

On 9/23/2021 at 4:46 PM, Patrick_G said:

@laritheloud, ohhh ahhh, those are pretty! Let us know if you get some.

they look a lot like what I remember from the 80s. I wonder if there were more wild caught Gourami in the hobby back then. 

There probably were. I just tried to research when the super line-bred forms started popping up but couldn't find any easily-accessible information online. I've heard of some folks picking up some wild-caught DGs, but they're so rarely seen that I'm not sure I'll ever get them locally. I can always keep my fingers crossed and ask my LFS when I go to pick up my harem of thicklips!

[Daniel C]

I recently got my first gouramis, a male and female pair of Honeys. So far they've been great. What I read about them is true. They looked so pale in the store but their colors really started to pop when they got settled in to their new home.