Cinnebuns Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 I'm falling more and more in love with gouramis. Ever since I learned about them, I've wanted a neon or powdered blue dwarf. I settled on a honey since they are more peaceful. Fast forward and my friend needing to downsize and I now have 3 honey and 3 thick-lipped. But the itch is not gone. I found a reasonably priced powdered blue on ebay. The urge is real, but I need to make sure I make the best choice for the fish. The first consideration is temperament. I honestly assume adding a less peaceful gourami to my already functioning group wouldn't be wise but I don't know for sure. What do you think? My 2nd consideration is how full my tank has already gotten. I honestly never thought I would have as much in it as already is in. It's working as is with 1 exception (a sterbi that is a solo and needs a new home with friends that I rescued from someone). I don't wanna inch my way, one fish at a time, to a badly overstocked tank. It is a 29-gallon that gets weekly water changes and one area gravel vacced. Occasionally I will do a 2nd water change if I want to encourage spawning. Current stocking: 3 honey gourami 3 thick lipped gourmi (red honey gourami) 1 sterbi cory that needs rehoming 7 adult panda cory - 2 longfin which I believe are slightly larger 2 juvenile longfin panda cory 7 male guppy - considering adding 2 (And for the part where I went a bit too far. I can maybe move some of these snails to a different tank) 7 adult mystery snails 3 pea sized mystery snails 3 adult Japanese trapdoor snails 13 baby Japanese trapdoor snails eventually rehoming. I already have an interested buyer 7? Nerite Snails @laritheloud I'm gonna tag you since you seem to know your gouramis! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 On 6/4/2022 at 5:53 PM, Cinnebuns said: I found a reasonably priced powdered blue on ebay. The urge is real, but I need to make sure I make the best choice for the fish. The first consideration is temperament. I honestly assume adding a less peaceful gourami to my already functioning group wouldn't be wise but I don't know for sure. What do you think? Just curious. Why ebay vs. something like aquahuna? They don't have them currently, but I've seen them there a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 On 6/4/2022 at 8:01 PM, nabokovfan87 said: Just curious. Why ebay vs. something like aquahuna? Aquahuna doesn't have them. Also, I realized maybe I shouldn't have mentioned where I was looking per rules. Should I edit that part out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 (edited) Absolutely do not add a dwarf gourami to this tank. They can vary a lot in temperament and some of them are pretty aggressive to fish that look like themselves; I would worry the most for your thicklipped gouramis, especially in an already-crowded 29 gallon tank. Dwarf gouramis are also a bit fragile health-wise; if you can ever source wild dwarf gouramis they are supposedly much more mild and similar to honey gouramis in temperament. I've never seen wild dwarf gouramis in the USA, though. If you really would like to try a dwarf gourami, I would get a separate 15 to 20 gallon tank and create a smaller community around one dwarf. Treat the gourami more like a male betta in a community tank. I think you'll have much more success this way! Edited June 5, 2022 by laritheloud 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 I was surprised they didn't have them, I remember seeing them often. 😕 To your question, no idea. I wonder what AH would say if you asked them regarding availability. I know a lot of people are hesitant to order fish online, this is different thought. I remember the tank growing up as a kid, we had this blue/red gourami in it. It was the "centerpiece fish" so to speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 That said as well, I used to be in love with another site and had some things I didn't like about aquahuna. I recently ordered from them and I think they are great! Some of the things I used to not like are being resolved too like the variety offered. I noticed they have been expanding their varieties. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 On 6/4/2022 at 6:08 PM, laritheloud said: Absolutely do not add a dwarf gourami to this tank. They can vary a lot in temperament and some of them are pretty aggressive to fish that look like themselves; I would worry the most for your thicklipped gouramis, especially in an already-crowded 29 gallon tank. Dwarf gouramis are also a bit fragile health-wise; if you can ever source wild dwarf gouramis they are supposedly much more mild and similar to honey gouramis in temperament. I've never seen wild dwarf gouramis in the USA, though. What about chocolate gourami's? Same thing, one species per tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 On 6/4/2022 at 8:08 PM, laritheloud said: Absolutely do not add a dwarf gourami to this tank. They can vary a lot in temperament and some of them are pretty aggressive to fish that look like themselves; I would worry the most for your thicklipped gouramis, especially in an already-crowded 29 gallon tank. Dwarf gouramis are also a bit fragile health-wise; if you can ever source wild dwarf gouramis they are supposedly much more mild and similar to honey gouramis in temperament. I've never seen wild dwarf gouramis in the USA, though. If you really would like to try a dwarf gourami, I would get a separate 15 to 20 gallon tank and create a smaller community around one dwarf. I think you'll have much more success this way! So, that brings up another option, I do have an empty 20 gallon right now. It does currently have newly hatched mystery snails in a breeder box attached to it that will eventually go into the tank, but I could possibly add one in the future. Probably not until the mystery snails grow up as that's a heavy bioload pending how many survive. I had been considering stocking it with white cloud minnows to breed which I don't think are compatible with a dwarf. It may make me maybe consider changing the white clouds to something else like killifish, rainbow fish, or rice fish. More research required. On 6/4/2022 at 8:10 PM, nabokovfan87 said: What about chocolate gourami's? Same thing, one species per tank? Tbh, what makes me itch so badly for the powdered blue is the color. I can't stop looking at them. My friend has one and I never notice anything in his tank but it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 On 6/4/2022 at 9:10 PM, nabokovfan87 said: What about chocolate gourami's? Same thing, one species per tank? Chocolate gouramis are super peaceful and quite small, maybe the size of a honey gourami. They are quite shy little fish, and they are sensitive to their water quality and parameters. For example, I cannot keep chocolate gouramis or samurai gouramis with my city water because it is not soft enough; I would need an RO system to provide the right conditions for their tank. If you're interested in chocolate gouramis I strongly recommend reading about their needs. They come from acidic blackwater environments (ph 4.0 - 6.5 water) and don't live terribly long if you cannot provide that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 On 6/4/2022 at 6:12 PM, Cinnebuns said: Tbh, what makes me itch so badly for the powdered blue is the color. I can't stop looking at them. My friend has one and I never notice anything in his tank but it. That I totally understand. German Blue Ram? 😏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 On 6/4/2022 at 9:12 PM, Cinnebuns said: So, that brings up another option, I do have an empty 20 gallon right now. It does currently have newly hatched mystery snails in a breeder box attached to it that will eventually go into the tank, but I could possibly add one in the future. Probably not until the mystery snails grow up as that's a heavy bioload pending how many survive. I had been considering stocking it with white cloud minnows to breed which I don't think are compatible with a dwarf. It may make me maybe consider changing the white clouds to something else like killifish, rainbow fish, or rice fish. More research required. Tbh, what makes me itch so badly for the powdered blue is the color. I can't stop looking at them. My friend has one and I never notice anything in his tank but it. White clouds do like a cooler water temperature than dwarf gouramis, which prefer the mid-to-upper-70s for temp. Whatever you decide to do I'm sure you'll love it, and there's always time to change your plans around in the future. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 On 6/4/2022 at 5:53 PM, Cinnebuns said: (And for the part where I went a bit too far. I can maybe move some of these snails to a different tank) couldn't split out the honey vs. red honey, but here's what aqadvisor says. Recommended water change schedule: 38% per week On 6/4/2022 at 6:12 PM, Cinnebuns said: I had been considering stocking it with white cloud minnows to breed which I don't think are compatible with a dwarf. It may make me maybe consider changing the white clouds to something else like killifish, rainbow fish, or rice fish. More research required. Move the pandas with the white clouds, if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scapexghost Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 I would get it. Worst case scenario you move it to your 20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 On 6/4/2022 at 8:17 PM, nabokovfan87 said: couldn't split out the honey vs. red honey, but here's what aqadvisor says. Recommended water change schedule: 38% per week Yeah I figured I was overstocked. My original plan went too far. Partially my fault partially my friend's. The snails is my fault. I got too snail happy. The gouramis is my friends fault. "I can't keep them and nobody wants them so you have to take them" I might divide up the snails into other tanks. I have a 10 gallon that currently has one of the sick thick lipped in it and salt but after it's illness has run its course I might put some of the snails in there. It is intended for male guppy grow out but I have none at the moment. My other grow out tank have ramshorn snails shrimp as cleaners. That aqadvisor doesn't even start with the snails so should maybe take even more steps. Step 1 is finding a home for that sterbi as I was going to do anyway. I'm not sure where step 2 is. Maybe dividing the gourami but I'm undecided how. I have an empty-ish 20 gallon. It has newly hatched mystery snails in a breeder box so they are going to grow and take up the tank. It's hard to say how many will survive tho and maybe 20 gallons is overkill for how many I will have anyway. On 6/4/2022 at 8:17 PM, nabokovfan87 said: couldn't split out the honey vs. red honey, but here's what aqadvisor says. Recommended water change schedule: 38% per week Move the pandas with the white clouds, if you can. I will add this. I've always thought aqadvisor over budgets guppies and more can be kept than they say. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 On 6/4/2022 at 6:25 PM, Cinnebuns said: That aqadvisor doesn't even start with the snails so should maybe take even more steps. Yeah, that's what stood out to me too. I know I don't enjoy snails, but a lot of people do. I worry about how much waste they can produce and the bioload on the tank. You had a lot of different species. I don't know how difficult it is to separate those out. My experience with the Gourami's is limited to when I was a kid, and amounts to looking at them, but as long as something is "cooler water" 72-76 as a preference, I'd take those and move it to the 20 with the pandas. The 20 gives them the same floor space, everything should be balanced a bit better and then you can move the powder blues to the main 29G. My biggest thing, is going to be if/when you have more pandas. On 6/4/2022 at 6:25 PM, Cinnebuns said: I will add this. I've always thought aqadvisor over budgets guppies and more can be kept than they say. Maybe they just assume you'll have a lot more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 On 6/4/2022 at 8:33 PM, nabokovfan87 said: My biggest thing, is going to be if/when you have more pandas. The plan is to not keep anymore panda offspring. I have kept 2 longfin that I chose and all others will be sold, traded, or given away On 6/4/2022 at 8:33 PM, nabokovfan87 said: Maybe they just assume you'll have a lot more? Haha that's very possible given how guppies are and how a lot of people underestimate their reproduction ability. All males is a safe bet they won't in this tank at least. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 @nabokovfan87 well here's a surprise that just happened with the tank. For the first time my weekly test came out under 20 nitrates and that's after thinning my water lettuce in half. Maybe that pogostlatus octopus or however you spell that plant is helping a bunch. For the first time I'm debating waiting a week to do the water change. I might still do it so I can add easy green without being concerned about the nitrates. Plus it's an opportunity to gravel vac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 On 6/4/2022 at 7:00 PM, Cinnebuns said: I might still do it so I can add easy green without being concerned about the nitrates. Plus it's an opportunity to gravel vac this ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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