# Pearl Gourami tank mates



## brwagur (Sep 26, 2015)

I'm going to be getting pearl gouramis for the centerpiece of my 50 gallon Southeast Asian tank and am planning out what other fish to be on the lookout for at my LFS.
Can pearl gouramis be kept with Trichopsis species such as croaking and sparkling gouramis? I've read that they are peaceful species but I haven't been able to find anything about keeping them with other gourami species.
I'm also looking for another schooling species and I'm thinking about barbs. I've read that tiger barbs don't usually nip fins when kept in large (10+ fish) schools, but has anyone successfully kept them with pearl gouramis? If not, what are some similar fish from the same general region. Pentazona barbs?
Thanks for any guidance or suggestions.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

try these barbs instead of tigers.

Checker Barb "Puntius" oligolepis
Gold Barb Barbodes semifasciolatus
Odessa Barb Pethia padamya 
Cherry barb

Fish and plant safe. The pentazona barb should work too.


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## brwagur (Sep 26, 2015)

mistergreen said:


> try these barbs instead of tigers.
> 
> Checker Barb "Puntius" oligolepis
> Gold Barb Barbodes semifasciolatus
> ...


Dang, checker barbs are gorgeous. They aren't from the lowland swamp forest habitat I'm taking inspiration from, unfortunately, but I'll definitely consider them. They are otherwise exactly what I'm looking for.


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

I'm not sure about pearl gouramis and tiny-tinies like sparkling gouramis. Pearls are generally peaceful fish, even with other gouramis, but sparklers are so tiny that just one nip could cause a lot of damage. If you do keep them together, I'd suggest adding your tiny gouramis first so they can learn where the hiding places are. 
Tiger barbs don't usually nip fins when kept in big groups, but gouramis have those little trailing fins, and even some normally non-biting fish will attack those feelers. Also, tiger barbs are quite active and boisterous, and they might upset your other fish even if they didn't nip. They're best kept either in species tanks or with big stuff that isn't afraid of them.


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## brwagur (Sep 26, 2015)

Thanks! That helps a lot. Croaking gouramis should be big enough, right? They're just harder to find around here... Also, are there any other medium sized cyprinids from the region, besides barbs, that would fit in a 36 inch long tank? I really wish scissortail rasbora were just a touch smaller!


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

Croakers should be safe. For one thing, they tend to live near the bottom, and pearls tend to hang out near the top. If you put some floating plants in for the pearls, they might never meet. Just keep an eye on them, introduce the croakers first if possible, and maybe try to start with young pearls. 
I don't know much about where the vast majority of aquarium fish come from, aside from their general habitat, so I'm not sure what else lives in that area. I think some danios are from the region? They might pose the same issues as the tiger barbs, though- they're very boisterous.
Googling "Aquarium fish Southeast Asia" turned up this link: Biotope Aquariums
It says something about harlequin rasboras in one spot. They'd definitely fit.


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## Vic (Jan 23, 2011)

I have kept croaking gouramis with pearl gouramis. Even when the pearl gouramis were introduced first, they didn't bother the croaking gouramis. The only problem i had keeping the two was when the croaking gouramis started breeding, they would become much more territorial forcing the pearl gouramis to the other side of the tank.


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## brwagur (Sep 26, 2015)

Betta132 said:


> Croakers should be safe. For one thing, they tend to live near the bottom, and pearls tend to hang out near the top. If you put some floating plants in for the pearls, they might never meet. Just keep an eye on them, introduce the croakers first if possible, and maybe try to start with young pearls.
> I don't know much about where the vast majority of aquarium fish come from, aside from their general habitat, so I'm not sure what else lives in that area. I think some danios are from the region? They might pose the same issues as the tiger barbs, though- they're very boisterous.
> Googling "Aquarium fish Southeast Asia" turned up this link: Biotope Aquariums
> It says something about harlequin rasboras in one spot. They'd definitely fit.


I actually have a school of a dozen Lambchop Rasboras in the tank already! They aren't from the exact correct area but they are very close relatives of the harlequins and live in a similar habitat. 



Vic said:


> I have kept croaking gouramis with pearl gouramis. Even when the pearl gouramis were introduced first, they didn't bother the croaking gouramis. The only problem i had keeping the two was when the croaking gouramis started breeding, they would become much more territorial forcing the pearl gouramis to the other side of the tank.


How big was the tank you kept them in? I'd be curious to know how much area they claim when breeding.

I'm going to try to get a pair of Betta imbellis for the tank, eventually. From what I've read, though, they're rather peaceful.


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## Oso Polar (Apr 22, 2015)

brwagur said:


> Can pearl gouramis be kept with Trichopsis species such as croaking and sparkling gouramis?


I have a few sparkling gouramis together with pearls in my 50g. No problems keeping them together but I think croaking gouramis will be a better idea - sparkling are really small for 50 gallon tank, they are hardly noticeable. Pearls are also doing well with other small peaceful gouramis: honey, thick-lipped, chocolate.


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## Vic (Jan 23, 2011)

It was a 30 gallon long. The Pearl gouramis and Opaline Gouramis were smart enough to avoid them. My Paradise fish did not get the message and were killed off. Keep in mind, the croaking gouramis were only half the size


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## brwagur (Sep 26, 2015)

How does this stocking look? What else might I add? The betta are extremely tentative since I'm having a really hard time finding a pair of them, so they may be replaced with a group of croaking gouramis. I'm concerned about my pH (7.4) for the glass catfish but I'm going to be getting a reverse osmosis unit soon so hopefully I'll be able to get it down.


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