Pearl Gourami

FreshyFresh

Superstar Fish
Jan 11, 2013
1,337
23
38
East Aurora, NY
#1
I'm thinking about having a pearl gourami as the 'focal fish' in my 29gal. Any negatives in doing so?

In addition, maybe a school of tetras and some corys for the bottom?

I've always loved the looks of gouramis. Is the pearl a real skittish fish? I don't want anything too spooky.

Joel
 

CAPSLOCK

Elite Fish
Jul 19, 2004
3,682
33
48
38
Cape Cod
#3
I had one in a 37g (taller 29g) with similar - cories and black neons / bloodfin tetras. Mine wasn't shy at all, no aggression with those fish (occasional chasing with angelfish though). The only time mine hid was during water changes. They like to touch things / fish with their "feelers" - the feelers also get long. They are nicer personality than the blue gourami family (blue / opaline / gold). They will also recognize you and ask for food.
 

FreshyFresh

Superstar Fish
Jan 11, 2013
1,337
23
38
East Aurora, NY
#4
Thanks CL, great info.

FD, I'm not sure! I haven't shopped for one yet. I'm just trying to come up with a list of decent focal fish for my setup. I'm leaning towards one good sized focal, a good sized school and some bottom dwellers for my 29... If I ever get to that point.

Any other suggestions for something similar to a Pearl Gourami?

Joel
 

Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#9
They are hard to get to accept prepared foods. My 4th generation captive bred fish still mostly ignore flakes/pellets. All will take live worms (California Black Worms) at first and most can be coaxed to take frozen worms pretty easily.

Males are the caretakers of the next generation and can be left with the eggs/fry thoughout their growing stages. I've never had a male hunt fry, no matter how many he is caring for. This also applied to fry of other fish in the tank. All of the males I've kept would defend microrasbora fry from their parents!

Unless you have a large tank (40+ gallons), I would not recommend more than one male if you are going to mix genders. Multiple females are best with one male, so that the male's aggression during spawning is spread out. They are related to betta, so its best to remove the females after spawning. If the male cannot drive the female(s) away, he can and will kill her. Lots of plants and hiding places (rocks/driftwood) is essential if you plan to breed.

FYI: they breed like rabbits. My first male had 3 breedings in one year (1 female, then 4, then 4). Without any special work to save the fry, I raised over 120 to adulthood. You may see the change in the number of females: Unfortunately, in a 29gallon heavily planted tank, he killed her overnight after they had spawned. The later breedings with mulitple females, they were all left together in the same tank. There was a lot of chasing at first, but no real harm came to any of the females. I removed them after the fry were about 3 wks old (so to prevent another breeding before I was prepared to handle the fry).
 

FreshyFresh

Superstar Fish
Jan 11, 2013
1,337
23
38
East Aurora, NY
#11
I visited a LFS today that I had forgotten about! Totally old-school. You can barely fit down the rows of tanks. Each tank filtered by it's own floss & ceramic ring bubbler filter.

What a great selection and he had Pearl Gouramis! Just one left in a tank with some platys. What a beautiful little fish.

Joel
 

Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#14
Joel - Ask them for some gravel from one of the established tanks. Even a handful would really speed things up. Better yet, get a 'bag' like you'd take a fish home in half-full of their tank water and have them squeeze some of their filter's media into the bag. Instant cycle!
 

FishDad

Superstar Fish
Mar 4, 2012
1,218
1
38
Cleveland
#17
Joel - Ask them for some gravel from one of the established tanks. Even a handful would really speed things up. Better yet, get a 'bag' like you'd take a fish home in half-full of their tank water and have them squeeze some of their filter's media into the bag. Instant cycle!
Great idea, I always try to do an instant cycle myself with established media when I start a new tank.
 

FreshyFresh

Superstar Fish
Jan 11, 2013
1,337
23
38
East Aurora, NY
#18
Yeah, I just wish LFS's weren't so CLUELESS when it comes to cycling a tank properly. :( I realize their goal is to sell product, but giving proper setup advice would only help them in the long run.

As much as I liked my first visit here, I dunno that I'd trust any used substance from them yet.
 

FreshyFresh

Superstar Fish
Jan 11, 2013
1,337
23
38
East Aurora, NY
#19
I picked up a gorgeous little Pearl Gourami from this LFS today!

After a nice slow acclimation, he's happily exploring the tank along with his tetra and cory mates.

A bit after acclimation, I sprinkled in some food and the pearl munched away with the rest of 'em.

That's it for the stocking of the 29.