# Can opaline or blue/gold gourami be with cardinal tetras?



## seds (Jan 30, 2009)

Angelfish EAT NEONS and Cardinals IN THE WILD!

...I have no experience with gouramis being kept with cardinals. I haven't seen any aggressive behavior from them though. They swim fairly slow unless you try to catch them. I think they would be fine with cardinals. I have owned them in the past. Mine got about 5 inches and he was really cool. I recommend the gold kind. They are cooler. AND they contrast with the cardinals' blue and red hues. I don't think you should get more than one though. The males can be aggressive toward each-other and females. The female's dorsal fin is rounded and the male's is bigger and pointed. Add a few more of each small schooler instead, ottos/rasboras/cardinals. (IN MY OPINONION)

Clown loaches get 10+ inches eventually although they grow really slow like yellow perch. They like to school around together, I think they are awesome. BUT alas they grow up. If you plan on larger eventually (like 90 gallons would be good for them forever) that would be cool. They might do well in 50 forever I wouldn't try it. Khuli loaches are cool and they stay small. (4 inches)


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## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

I kept large 5"+ gouramis with cardinals, neons, glowlights, and harlequin rasboras for years without any apparent issue. I also kept similarly sized angelfish with those smaller fish, no apparent issues there either. 

I introduced the fish together while they were all juvenile, with the exception of the rasboras which were introduced after the angelfish and gouramis had reached adulthood. 

I'm not familiar with your tank size, but if it is less than 4 feet in length I suggest against both angelfish and gourami. Those fish do get large and can move quickly, they need the swimming room.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

I agree about the Clown Loaches. I had a couple in a 120 gallon tank, and one in particular became too big for that tank, in my opinion. I now have 2 Yoyo Loaches in my 45 gallon tank, and while they have also grown, the bigger on is still only about 4 inches, after a couple of years or a bit less. And, I find them to have a much more appealing personality than the Clowns did - the almost never hide, for example.

I had dwarf gourami, both blue and red, as I recall, in that 120 gallon tank with cardinals, and other small fish, and I didn't see them harassing any fish other than each other.


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## SeaSerpant (Feb 20, 2008)

I had two little blue gouramis in my tank for at least 10 months (but then both within a short period of time, died... weird) They never touched any of my other fish unless they swam into their territory, when they did die i felt like a big thing in my tank died (IMO they have great personalities!)


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