Top 5 Peaceful Gouramis for a Community tank
Gouramis are a unique freshwater fish, often known for their flat, oval-shaped bodies and whisker-like feeler fins. As a type of anabantoid or labyrinth fish, they have a special labyrinth organ that acts like rudimentary lungs, allowing them to gulp oxygen from the surface and create bubble nests for breeding. Gouramis can sometimes be known as being ornery. So we selected our top 5 peaceful gouramis to share the fish with other members of the community.
1. Female Powder Blue Gourami
One of the most sought-after gouramis that you will see in pet shops is the dwarf gourami (Trichogaster Lalius). Despite their small size, male can be quite feisty and may end up bullying their fellow tank mates. While females are calmer by nature, most of them are duller in their color. Female powder blue gouramis are just as beautiful as their male counterparts, but they don’t have the same attitude issues. You can keep this 3-inch (7.5 cm) fish by herself or in a group of girls. Add orange schooling fish to the mix, such as lambchop rasasboras or even ember Tetras, to counteract their stunning blue scales. As with most smaller gouramis, they will eat just about anything a betta fish does, such as floating betta pellets, insect-based granules, and more.
Female gouramis tend to have a rounded tip on their dorsal fin and a larger body size compared to males.
2. Pearl Gourami
Trichopodus leerii hails from southeast Asia and can grow to a maximum length of 5 inches (13cm) in height. Because of their bigger size, you can keep one in a 29-gallon tank or a group of them in a 55- or 75-gallon aquarium. Their light brown body is covered in white dots or “pearls” with a black horizontal line running down the side, and males display a bright red-orange throat and belly during courtship. Compared to other gouramis, they have especially long and thin modified ventral fins that act like whiskers to help them explore their environment. Pearl gouramis do not have to eat a lot and will eat a variety of frozen foods, Hikari Vibra Bites, floating pellets, and other omnivore food options.
Pearl Gouramis can be instantly identified by their spotted pearls, long ventral fins, and distinctive spotting.
3. Chocolate Gourami
You are looking for rarer species to add your collection? Sphaerichthys osphromenoides is a 2.5-inch (6 cm) gourami with a dark chocolate brown body that’s shaped like a leaf and overlaid with vertical, golden stripes. Although the fish are often wild-caught, they can be fussy eaters at first. They will eat only live and frozen foods. But hobbyists have succeeded in getting them to eat micro pellets and crushed flaflakes. They are found in Indonesia and other areas with low pH and low GH (generally hardness), as well as gentle flow. To truly appreciate these peaceful, laidback gouramis, add lots of live aquarium plants and shaded places to hide so that they feel comfortable in their new surroundings.
Chocolategouramis may be delicate at first, so give them a calm environment to boost their immunity and health.
4. Sparkling Gourami
Trichopsis pumila, also known as the dwarf croaking or pygmy goatami, measures 1.5 inches (4 cm) in length. They are one of the few fish that can make an audible sound that comes from twitching their modified pectoral fins and can be heard “croaking” during sparring or courtship. Sparkling gouramis have bright blue eyes and a body with brown, dotted striping and iridescent blue spangling. You can keep these tiny gouramis alone or in small groups with other calm, nanofish. You can feed them any small food that will fit into their mouths, such as daphnia or baby brine shrimps.
Sparkling gouramis are excellent micropredators that will happily eat up all the seed shrimp, detritus worms, and even hydra in your fish tank.
5. Honey Gourami
Trichogaster Chuna, a peaceful and tranquil species, is native to India, Bangladesh and other countries. There are many color variations, including wild type, yellow-gold and red. Like most gouramis the males are more colorful than their female counterparts. Both sexes are equally friendly and can live in a single pair, couple, or group with other similarly-sized community fish. They really stand out in a lushy planted aquarium with schooling fish of a different color, like green neon tetras. Honey gouramis are also fun and easy to breed, where the male builds a bubble nest to protect the fertilized eggs until they hatch. You can read the complete care sheet for more details.
Honeygouramis are generally solid-colored. However, males may develop a dark blue or black abdomen and throat during breeding.
Honorable Mention: Paradise Fish
Macropodus opercularis is a famous gourami from East Asia and is historically labeled as one of the first tropical freshwater fish kept in a home aquarium (besides pond fish like carp and goldfish). It can grow to 2.5-3 inches (6-8 cm) long and comes in normal, albino, and solid blue versions. The “normal” version has a forked tail, striking vertical stripes in blue and red-orange and a striking tail. Paradise fish are extremely hardy and can live in a temperature range from 61-80degF (16-27degC), which means you can keep them in an unheated aquarium of 20 gallons or larger.
Paradise fish have several nicknames, including “paradise gourami” and “Chinese fighting fish.”
The reason why this beautiful fish gets an honorable mention is because they are considered semi-aggressive like betta fish, where the males like to squabble over territory. They can, however, be kept in a communal tank with the right tank mates. Avoid adding other anabantoids (e.g., bettas and other gouramis), slow-moving fish, or fish with long fins. We prefer faster schooling fish such as giant danios, barbs, and bottom dwellers like loaches and catfish. If you are interested in a cheap, centerpiece fish with a bold personality, you have to try the paradise gourami.
Are you unable to find the fish you are looking for on this list? Make sure to check out our preferred online fish vendors to see what they have in stock. Enjoy nature daily with these beautiful gouramis swimming in your aquarium.