Dan - 2011-10-13 I have a 30 gallon hexagonal tank, and I purchased a rainbow shark, which I love. After a terrible turn with a trio of angelfish in the tank, I opted to go with a few opaline guorami (two to be exact). The shark just chills out in the monolith at the bottom, and the guarami chase each other around attempting dominance...while this is entertaining, I do fear that as these guys mature they will get increasingly aggressive. What can I add to the tank to offset the attention they focus on each other? because o the shape of the tank (I'm told), schooling fish will be a bad choice.
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Anonymous - 2011-10-13 You probably got yourself two male gourami. If you can, take one back and either get a female or another fish entirely. This just happened with two of mine, and now I'm playing hospice nurse to the loser. Males will not share a space together, sorry! I know I inadvertently bought two males; it can happen since juveniles haven't really started to show their male or female characteristics.
Democratfish politics - 2023-03-06 I have a pair of opaline gourami and 1 female 3 spot blue gourami fish they are democrat im growing the I feed them a secret fishfood that will grow them over 6 inches long and they be able to use self-defense against convicts and green severum cichlids
Elde - 2017-08-14 Hi there! I just want to ask about bubble nest. Because i always see bubbles sticking to the leaves of my artificial plant, but after sometime it disappears.. Do you think it is a bubble nest? Now i dont have a female gourami, only male.
Anonymous - 2014-03-23 I just got a new tank, I have about 9 fish in a 10 gallon. One of my Opaline gouramis was always playing in the mirror so I got another. The first day they were chasing each other around a lot. (Not in a violent way) and I believe it's a male that I already had and I just got a female. Everything seemed fine until yesterday, I checked the tank and there was a chunk of tail (or the biggest fin in the back I don't know what it's called lol) of the female and now she stays in the cave. I have a lot and the male tries to hug her but she swims away and is almost never at the surface anymore. Will she heal and what do you think is the cause of this?
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Crystal - 2017-06-30 Gouramis are territorial, so I think the male is letting the female know whose boss! Put some large rocks and plants in several different areas so the less aggressive fish have a place to hide.
Mika - 2008-07-16 I have 4 gourami opaline and they all seem to get along fine. It's so cool though, because whenever I put my hand in to arrange something or check on the plants, they all come up to my hand and rub against it. I can get a few of them to eat flakes out of my hand now. ^,^ I love them!
Jamie - 2009-02-06 Part 2....after I read more on the fish I returned most back to the pet store. These are not schooling fish, they are more like betta and as they get larger (mine were all very young) they will fight each other. Best to only have one in a tank and even then he/she may bully other smaller fish. Some people say a male and two females is a good mix. The thing to remember is they may grow to be 4 inches.
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Berenice - 2015-12-17 I have a male and two females. I am waiting to see what happens, but I am expecting some fighting, it's early days..
misty - 2014-10-13 I HAVE 4 opaline gourami's in a 45 gallon bamboo tank the biggest one has all others herded on left side the big one chases the rest if they come toward center they all seem healthy eat great but what can I put with them awful big space for only 4 fish.
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Clarice Brough - 2014-10-13 Hey Misty, sounds like a great tanks and yes, a little slim with inhabitants. See the Social Behaviors section above for some great compatible fish:)
Flora - 2011-06-28 A couple weeks ago, my family bought some fish. I'm not sure of all the breeds, but their are two gourami fish in there. I have a pearl gourami and there is also a Opaline gourami. I believe the Pearl is a male and I think the Opaline is as well. There is also a guppy in there as well and I'm slightly worried. From what I've read, smaller fish tend not to last with gouramis. Should I be worried for the guppy? Also, the Opaline gourami has some strange behaviour. Whenever we switch the light off in the tank, it goes crazy. It swims to the top incredibly fast and then zooms around for a while. It tends to circle around the thermometer, on the side of the tank, as well. It chases my pearl gourami around constantly. Is there anything wrong?
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Charlie Roche - 2011-06-28 Since the Gouramis are omnivores and will grow up to at least 6 inches and will eat all kinds of live fresh food, I'd say it's a good chance the Gouramis will eat the little guys. Guppies are pretty small and I would think the Gourami would think it might make an excellent meal. I have no idea about switching the light off in the tank. It might just be a startled reaction that he needs to get used to. Are you switching the light off when the room is dark? You could try switching the light off when the room light is on and then switch the tank light off. I leave a nightlight on for my birds - I don't know if throwing a fish into darkness fast would startle them.
Alex Burleson - 2012-02-12 If you notice your Guppy with nipped fins, or the Gouramis chasing him, remove the fish and place it into another aquarium. Fish are known to act like that when the lights in the aquarium are turned off. No one is entirely sure why, however it may be due to the fact that unlike the Sun, which doesn't simply turn off like a light switch, the aquarium lights do. In an attempt to solve this issue, I would dim the lights in the room the aquarium is located before bed time. Additionally, I would turn the aquarium lights off at a set time, every light, so that the fish can become biologically predisposed as to when the lights are going off. This, should minimize the behavior in the fish.
Daisy - 2013-08-06 I had over 30 guppies with a gold gourami and an opaline gourami. They were fine and got along great. When they all died I bought more guppies and they were fine too.
fin - 2011-11-30 I have a female opaline gourami with a female blue gourami. It was smaller than the blue one but more aggressive, so it was the under dog of the tank. Now, my opaline defeated my blue gourami and took most of the territory. They still fight daily but my tank is big and there are plenty of hiding spots. The funny thing is that it won't attack my cherries and doesn't attack back when nipped by my mollies. It just tries to swim away. It does go for any new fish for a couple days though. Its still an awesome fish!
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Charlie Roche - 2011-11-30 She just wants to be top dog and makes sure everyone knows it. Sounds fun.
ann - 2011-07-09 Today I had bought a opaline male and a blue female....but when I put them in my tank my female died...whereas my male is good. Could any one say what went wrong???????????????????????
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Charlie Roche - 2011-07-09 You placed the bag with the water and fish inside the tank and let it sit for a couple of hours before releasing the fish. Right? Someimtes a change in temperature - but rare and wouldn't think this was it. Just a precautionary thing to do. My guess is that somehow the female was sick or ill or just a coincidence. There is really no way to know but I would check the tanks temperature, PH etc just to be sure. I am sorry. It seems strange though. I'd ask the fish store.
leigh - 2011-11-08 Did you check the water? If the water is fine the move may have stressed her out. How long was she in the tank before she died?
The Opaline Gourami is a long time favorite with aquarists, and a very attractive fish that comes in a variety of color patterns!
I have a 30 gallon hexagonal tank, and I purchased a rainbow shark, which I love. After a terrible turn with a trio of angelfish in the tank, I opted to go with a few opaline guorami (two to be exact). The shark just chills out in the monolith at the bottom, and the guarami chase each other around attempting dominance...while this is entertaining, I do fear that as these guys mature they will get increasingly aggressive. What can I add to the tank to offset the attention they focus on each other? because o the shape of the tank (I'm told), schooling fish will be a bad choice.
You probably got yourself two male gourami. If you can, take one back and either get a female or another fish entirely. This just happened with two of mine, and now I'm playing hospice nurse to the loser. Males will not share a space together, sorry! I know I inadvertently bought two males; it can happen since juveniles haven't really started to show their male or female characteristics.
I have a pair of opaline gourami and 1 female 3 spot blue gourami fish they are democrat im growing the I feed them a secret fishfood that will grow them over 6 inches long and they be able to use self-defense against convicts and green severum cichlids
Hi there! I just want to ask about bubble nest. Because i always see bubbles sticking to the leaves of my artificial plant, but after sometime it disappears.. Do you think it is a bubble nest? Now i dont have a female gourami, only male.
I just got a new tank, I have about 9 fish in a 10 gallon. One of my Opaline gouramis was always playing in the mirror so I got another. The first day they were chasing each other around a lot. (Not in a violent way) and I believe it's a male that I already had and I just got a female. Everything seemed fine until yesterday, I checked the tank and there was a chunk of tail (or the biggest fin in the back I don't know what it's called lol) of the female and now she stays in the cave. I have a lot and the male tries to hug her but she swims away and is almost never at the surface anymore. Will she heal and what do you think is the cause of this?
Gouramis are territorial, so I think the male is letting the female know whose boss! Put some large rocks and plants in several different areas so the less aggressive fish have a place to hide.
I have 4 gourami opaline and they all seem to get along fine. It's so cool though, because whenever I put my hand in to arrange something or check on the plants, they all come up to my hand and rub against it. I can get a few of them to eat flakes out of my hand now. ^,^ I love them!
How big is the tank?
Part 2....after I read more on the fish I returned most back to the pet store. These are not schooling fish, they are more like betta and as they get larger (mine were all very young) they will fight each other. Best to only have one in a tank and even then he/she may bully other smaller fish. Some people say a male and two females is a good mix. The thing to remember is they may grow to be 4 inches.
I have a male and two females. I am waiting to see what happens, but I am expecting some fighting, it's early days..
I HAVE 4 opaline gourami's in a 45 gallon bamboo tank the biggest one has all others herded on left side the big one chases the rest if they come toward center they all seem healthy eat great but what can I put with them awful big space for only 4 fish.
Hey Misty, sounds like a great tanks and yes, a little slim with inhabitants. See the Social Behaviors section above for some great compatible fish:)
A couple weeks ago, my family bought some fish. I'm not sure of all the breeds, but their are two gourami fish in there. I have a pearl gourami and there is also a Opaline gourami. I believe the Pearl is a male and I think the Opaline is as well. There is also a guppy in there as well and I'm slightly worried. From what I've read, smaller fish tend not to last with gouramis. Should I be worried for the guppy? Also, the Opaline gourami has some strange behaviour. Whenever we switch the light off in the tank, it goes crazy. It swims to the top incredibly fast and then zooms around for a while. It tends to circle around the thermometer, on the side of the tank, as well. It chases my pearl gourami around constantly. Is there anything wrong?
Since the Gouramis are omnivores and will grow up to at least 6 inches and will eat all kinds of live fresh food, I'd say it's a good chance the Gouramis will eat the little guys. Guppies are pretty small and I would think the Gourami would think it might make an excellent meal. I have no idea about switching the light off in the tank. It might just be a startled reaction that he needs to get used to. Are you switching the light off when the room is dark? You could try switching the light off when the room light is on and then switch the tank light off. I leave a nightlight on for my birds - I don't know if throwing a fish into darkness fast would startle them.
If you notice your Guppy with nipped fins, or the Gouramis chasing him, remove the fish and place it into another aquarium. Fish are known to act like that when the lights in the aquarium are turned off. No one is entirely sure why, however it may be due to the fact that unlike the Sun, which doesn't simply turn off like a light switch, the aquarium lights do. In an attempt to solve this issue, I would dim the lights in the room the aquarium is located before bed time. Additionally, I would turn the aquarium lights off at a set time, every light, so that the fish can become biologically predisposed as to when the lights are going off. This, should minimize the behavior in the fish.
I had over 30 guppies with a gold gourami and an opaline gourami. They were fine and got along great. When they all died I bought more guppies and they were fine too.
I have a female opaline gourami with a female blue gourami. It was smaller than the blue one but more aggressive, so it was the under dog of the tank. Now, my opaline defeated my blue gourami and took most of the territory. They still fight daily but my tank is big and there are plenty of hiding spots. The funny thing is that it won't attack my cherries and doesn't attack back when nipped by my mollies. It just tries to swim away. It does go for any new fish for a couple days though. Its still an awesome fish!
She just wants to be top dog and makes sure everyone knows it. Sounds fun.
My opaline's are in the midst of doing there spawning ritual 'again'. Is it possible to post ~ some photos on this site.
To post photos on Animal World UPLOAD PHOTO just go to this link and upload your photos. They would be interesting.
Thanks for the info ~ I have posted a few photos.
Today I had bought a opaline male and a blue female....but when I put them in my tank my female died...whereas my male is good. Could any one say what went wrong???????????????????????
You placed the bag with the water and fish inside the tank and let it sit for a couple of hours before releasing the fish. Right? Someimtes a change in temperature - but rare and wouldn't think this was it. Just a precautionary thing to do. My guess is that somehow the female was sick or ill or just a coincidence. There is really no way to know but I would check the tanks temperature, PH etc just to be sure. I am sorry. It seems strange though. I'd ask the fish store.
Did you check the water? If the water is fine the move may have stressed her out. How long was she in the tank before she died?