# pearl or opaline gourami into shrimp tank?



## 9am53 (Jan 23, 2008)

I am planning on putting a couple gouramis into my 29 gallon RCS tank. The shrimp have maxxed out their population I think (there are lots of them) so a few smaller ones getting eaten isn't a biggie. If there are lots of hiding places and lots of moss and logs to hide in would the gouramis eat the whole population of shrimp? I have never owned these gouramis so I don't know their temperment, but from what I have read they seem peaceful. I am just worried that they will eat them all and I will have to give them away.

Thanks


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

My pearls ate TONS of my juvenile shrimp in one tank. My tank had more than enough hiding places but now it is shrimp-less.

As for the Temperament, they really should be classified as semi aggressive. I have some that are peaceful as a neon and others that are as mean as a mommy Apisto!


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Gouramis will eat your shrimps.
I prefer pearls, generally, they're calmer and curious.


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## 9am53 (Jan 23, 2008)

damn, do you guys know of any other "larger" fish that would be ok in there? I have a few cardinals as well. thanks I had dwarf gouramis and I can't say I really liked them enough to have them again...


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## Cardinal Tetra (Feb 26, 2006)

Pearls have been very well behaved when I kept them with shrimp. They prefer to stay in the upper reaches and skim the surface for scum rather than chase shrimp. When I fed my shrimp the gouramis would go after the algae tablets with all the shrimp around it ignoring them completely. I guess it depends on the fish...


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

IME the 'larger' fish are always after the shrimp. Some less than others as mentioned above. Maybe try goldfish lol


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## 9am53 (Jan 23, 2008)

DANGIT, I may jsut end up getting a whole bunch more cardinals....they are just so shy and always hiding.


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## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

9am53 said:


> DANGIT, I may jsut end up getting a whole bunch more cardinals....they are just so shy and always hiding.


My 25 cardinals ate all of the Snowball and CRS in my 29 gallon tank (about 30 shrimp). It didn't matter that there were places to hide. The Cardinals would hunt them and shred them to pieces.


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

Yeah, I see occasionally a Cardinal swimming around with a shrimp tail hanging out of its mouth and all of the other Cardinals chasing after it.

Fortunately, the shrimp seem to out breed the Cardinal's ability to eat them. I would think that Gouramis would be large enough to eat adults and that would really kill the population.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Although the pearl gourami is a fairly medium size fish, their mouths are a bit small. If anything, they'll go for the babies.


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## 9am53 (Jan 23, 2008)

Here's what I did. I got 12 more cardinals, and 3 peppered cory's. I totally forgot about corys. I had some pandas years ago and loved them, but they only had peppered at the store, so I go them and they seem great.


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