# Gourami as Dithers



## knfanning (Mar 5, 2009)

I was wondering if anybody has experience with using gourami as dithers for CA's. I have a 4' / 55 gallon tank.

What I have already
6 Giant Dannio

I will be adding 3 from this list (not 3 of each)
Firemouth
Blue Acara/EBJD only would add one or the other
Salvini
EBJD
Convict

Now the question I really want to know is which type of gourami would be recommended(will proabably want to add 2/3) and if any of the cichlids on my list would spell certain doom for a gourami.

THANKS!


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

Gouramis will not be good "dithers" because they are slow, but I successfully kept them with adult firemouths, and convicts as well as a juvenile Tex an right now with a juvenile red devil...... Keep in mide they were blue gouramies and full grown adults and in the tank before the cichlids....


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## knfanning (Mar 5, 2009)

I'm not looking for them to be target fish. I remember reading that dithers are just there to show the shy fish that everything is okay and encourage them to come out. I could be wrong but I remember reading that somewhere on the boards here.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

knfanning said:


> I'm not looking for them to be target fish. I remember reading that dithers are just there to show the shy fish that everything is okay and encourage them to come out. I could be wrong but I remember reading that somewhere on the boards here.


That is a logical / rational use of dithers...

Gouramis can make good dithers for some Cichlids... for more docile fish such as Firemouthes they should work fine... for more aggressive Cichlids they may not...

Other than the Salvini, I think your Cichlid list looks good to be compatible with Gouramis as dithers... The few Salvinis Iâ€™ve raised have been quite aggressive.

If you go with a Blue Dempsey I would suggest growing it out a bit before forcing it to contend with tankmates. Although I'm sure you have or will read up on these guys before investing in one.


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

If you go this route, you will want to use one of the 2-spot color morphs ... (Blue, gold, platinum, opaline) these are the rough customers in the gourami family best suited to life with these cichlids.


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

I kept a 3-spot gourami with cichlids in my 135g. He lived large and got fat eating convict fry from right under the parents noses. He was never bothered by any of the cichlids despite the best efforts of the Cons who tried, but failed to catch or harm him... He got along well with the JD and the Severums.

He would swim at the top - out of range of the cons, but as soon as they were distracted he would dart in and take multiple fry at a time.

You would be surprised at how fast a sufficiently motivated gurami can be. I was.


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

Here's an old clip of my tank... You can see that the cichlids are more interested in each other then they are in the guorami. The cons were getting ready to spawn at this point, but even afte they had fry and their aggression ramped up the guorami was too cagey and too wiley to ever get caught off gaurd.

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/i ... CF2072.flv


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## knfanning (Mar 5, 2009)

What would be a good number to keep or do they even need to be in groups?


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

mine was solo. whenever I kept 'dwarf guorami's' in numbers in the past they inevtiably killed each other off.
you may be able to keep multiples - especially if you keep different species.


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

I'd go with 1 male/2 females if you are going to do more than one. They can be sexed on the length/pointiness of dorsal and anal fins ... much more accurate for gouramis than it is in cichlids.


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## Afrowanksta (Feb 4, 2007)

I kept a Gourami with my African Peacocks and Haps. I had no problems, and the Africans mostly ignored him.


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## Riceburner (Sep 3, 2008)

I've got a blue 3 spot in with my JDs and cons.


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## knfanning (Mar 5, 2009)

I think I will try to get 1-M/2-F opaline gourami's. I really like their coloration. Thanks everybody for the input/advice


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## pugwash (Sep 11, 2006)

I'd agree the opaline's look the best, but I've always questioned whether they are watered down versions of the blue gourami with their breeding and their aggression more passive.?.

Only curious since I'm viewing blue gourami's as dithers.


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

If by 'watered down' you mean inbred and linebred, then yes. :thumb:


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