Gourami recommendations?

[Native Keeper]

Hi everyone!

Recently I set up a 15 gallon Southeast Asian semi-biotope aquarium (I'm not sure if the plants are native to that area).

I was originally going to move in my Plakat Betta, but sadly he passed away to what seemed to be a fungal infection.

Because of this, I'm thinking I'll get a gourami for the biotope. So, my question is:

What gouramis would yall recommend for a 15-gallon tank? I'm thinking of getting a Honey Gourami, but I want to look at all of my options first.

[JettsPapa]

I'd get three honey gourami; one male and two females.

[Native Keeper]

@JettsPapa, would it be ok to only have one? I have Harlequins and soon I'm getting some loaches, so I want to understock where I can.

[Kathy F]

I would probably do a dwarf gourami.  Mainly because they are almost always in stock at the LFS.   The Honey and sparkling gourami would be good choices also.     I don't know where you are sourcing your fish from but my LFS tends to only order males so I have only ever put one in a tank at any given time.  

[Levi_Aquatics]

I would suggest a honey gourami. They have nice but still natural looking coloration and are very peaceful. 

[JettsPapa]

On 1/19/2022 at 11:28 AM, HydraSlayer said:

@JettsPapa, would it be ok to only have one? I have Harlequins and soon I'm getting some loaches, so I want to understock where I can.

You can, but it would be better to get several.  While they aren't shoaling fish like tetras, corydoras, etc, they are social, and will often do better and not spend so much time hiding if there's more than one.  A dwarf gourami is the only gourami species I'd recommending keeping as a single since they will frequently kill any other gourami in the tank with them (and sometimes other fish of any species).

On 1/19/2022 at 11:44 AM, Kathy F said:

I would probably do a dwarf gourami.  Mainly because they are almost always in stock at the LFS.   The Honey and sparkling gourami would be good choices also.     I don't know where you are sourcing your fish from but my LFS tends to only order males so I have only ever put one in a tank at any given time.  

I hate to disagree, but I will here.  Between aggression and health problems I'd never recommend a dwarf gourami.  I know some people have good luck with them, but many (probably most) don't.

[laritheloud]

Agree with @JettsPapa, can't recommend Dwarf Gouramis. Aggression and weak genetics make them a huge no in my book.

Honey Gouramis are definitely social, and you can squeeze in two to three of them in a 15 gallon. If you're looking for only one, you could instead try a Thicklipped Gourami (Trichogaster Labiosa, sometime sold as Sunset Gouramis/Red Honey Gouramis, look up pictures so you know what to look for at the store). You would only be able to fit one thicklipped in your fifteen gallon tank. They definitely enjoy having a group, but you can probably get away with a singleton if he or she has other fish to observe in the tank. They're highly interactive fish that grow to about 3.5 inches. I'm able to feed mine pellets from my hands, and they're always pecking and poking at me whenever I clean their tank.

EDIT to add: Depending on your parameters you can also look into Samurai or Chocolate Gouramis. These are much more sensitive species and need acidic water to thrive.

Edited January 19, 2022 by laritheloud

[Kathy F]

On 1/19/2022 at 2:19 PM, JettsPapa said:

I hate to disagree, but I will here.  Between aggression and health problems I'd never recommend a dwarf gourami.  I know some people have good luck with them, but many (probably most) don't.

I have had great luck with dwarf gourami's in a breeding tank.   They didn't even eat the fry or anything.   

[Patrick_G]

A female powder blue gourami might work. I haven’t kept one but It’s the one Cory recommends. They sure look nice! 
https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/top-5-gouramis

 

[Native Keeper]

@Kathy F, I'm not doing Dwarfs simply because there's too much conflicting info on them, and I've heard they can be jerks. 

I might do sparkling gouramis, though Honeys are more of what I want since they're slightly larger.

@laritheloud, I originally thought that species was too big, but I also thought that kuhlis would be too big, so I might get a labiosa if they have them at my stores. If not, I'll stick to either honeys or Sparklings.

[laritheloud]

Perfect! Sparklers or honeys would do very well in a 15. Good luck!

[Native Keeper]

Another question, is there any Paradise fish species that could work?

I should rlly just say I'm looking at getting some species of Anabantid rlly.

[laritheloud]

If you can source them, you can look around for trichopsis vittata. They're maybe a little bit bigger than honeys (2.5 inches), and bigger than sparkling gouramis with a similar look. They're also called Croaking Gouramis.

[Kathy F]

On 1/19/2022 at 3:10 PM, HydraSlayer said:

@Kathy F, I'm not doing Dwarfs simply because there's too much conflicting info on them, and I've heard they can be jerks. 

I might do sparkling gouramis, though Honeys are more of what I want since they're slightly larger.

@laritheloud, I originally thought that species was too big, but I also thought that kuhlis would be too big, so I might get a labiosa if they have them at my stores. If not, I'll stick to either honeys or Sparklings.

Yeah LOL, I heard that myth also that they were prone to aggression.   Completely bought into it and thought they would be great population control.   They literally sat there and did nothing while the fry circle around them.   The fry had no fear whatsoever.    This has happened with more than once because I thought the first time, I must have gotten a placid one but nope.   I can only assume that there are more aggressive individuals painting all dwarfs as aggressive and chalk it up to being the same as bettas sometimes you will get an aggressive one but often if the stocking and swimming space is right, they will be fine and peaceful.   Although they are shorter lived so that is correct IME.   

[BlueLineAquaticsSC]

Just like everyone else here I love honey gouramis and that would be my first choice. I’ve always wanted to try Samurai gourami too if your looking for something different. A single paradise gourami could also work.