Dwarf Gouramis

So i've been keeping my ten gallon tank up and running for about a year. Nothing too special, just 4 golden white clouds and an African dwarf frog. So I decided to get a new tank. I bought a 35 gallon tank off craigslist that i'm planning on dirting and planting. So i'm planning out my tank and i start thinking about what kind of fish to put in it. I was planning on putting two sets of schooling fish. probably 5-7 golden white clouds(since i've always had them) and probably the same amount of neon tetras. So i still have some room in my tank and wanted some fish that would stand out and don't school. So i find the dwarf gourami. I was thinking maybe get two or three of them. Probably 1 male and 2 females. But i've heard a lot of different things about them. some people say they fight all the time. Other websites say they're very peaceful if they have enough space. I've seen people have multiple gouramis in smaller tanks then mine that seem fine. I really don't want to have to deal with any drama with fighting in my tanks so should i get them? if not what would be some other options for non schooling fish?

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Permalink Reply by Breezer on July 25, 2012 at 10:59pm

In my humble opinion, there are so many other species that are way more interesting than gouramis that would do very well in a 35.

you could go with dwarf cichlids instead. they are relativelly peaceful, dont eat/uproot plants (they actually love dense plant cover) and dont really grow past 3-4 inches.

you could go with 2 pairs of 'bolivian' or 'german blue' rams. 1 or 2 harems (1 male to 2-4 females) of apistogrammas would wok also.

All these fish are also realativelly easy to find at your LFS, especially the rams

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Permalink Reply by R S on July 26, 2012 at 12:15pm

I checked out the german blue rams. They're super cool! I think i may get those instead of gouramis. So you would recommend 2 to 4 of them. half of them males, half of them females?

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Permalink Reply by Breezer on July 28, 2012 at 6:59pm

great choice, yes they do well in pairs of 1 male 1 female. you could go with 2 pairs if you have some cover and hiding spots in you aquarium.

just a warning; the german blue rams are a little harder to keep than the bolivians who are more of a hardy species and grow a little bigger. but if youve had some experience and keep your water quality in check you should do fine.

enjoy