# HELP Advice needed for 75 gallon tank with gold severum and



## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

I was recently on here and decided on the following stock: 1 gold severum, 1 blue acara, 4 Bolivian rams and 10 colombian tetras. 
After going to my LFS they told me a blue acara would not work despite my research. They talked me into buying 2 pearl gouramis and a single denison barb saying that they would be okay to keep with the severum and bolivian rams. I feel like an idiot and should have stuck with my original choice but felt so pressured. I am now reading that denison barbs should not be kept alone since they are schooling fish and will likely be aggressive alone. I am worried that I just put the rest of my tank in jeopardy because of this. I don't even think I can return them either. Should I get another denison barb? I feel that even 2 won't be enough and I don't want to overstock the tank. Any advice? Am I panicking for no reason?


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Well, it is what it is I suppose....
I'm guessing the LFS you went to didn't have a _Andinoacara pulcher_, Blue Acara to sell you? That's too bad.  
And so, you wound up with a couple of these, instead??
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Oh my.... As the featured fish in a much smaller, planted out 20 gallon aquarium or something? A pair of Pearl Gouramis would be pretty awesome. With a Severum?
I'm afraid even the pretty peaceful Severum won't be able to resist going after those things. For some reason in the aquarium, a lot of Cichlids really do act like thugs around Gouramis.  
So, If things ultimately get bad in there for those peaceful little Gouramis... if you wannt to keep them, you may want to consider moving them as the 'featured fish' into a smaller aquarium.
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And, as for your Denison Barb? A single Barb? Whha....?!!!! oh no, with those you're definitely gonna need more. They will do best in an aquarium when kept with a number of their own kind. And be careful, bullies can emerge in those things. So, you'll need some numbers to spread out the aggression. And unfortunately, the Denison Barb at 4/12 to 5 inches long in adult length, is not exactly a small growing species either. So, for your 75 gallon tank I would go with a minimum number of 6. A school of 8 would probably be better, but that would be pushing the stocking limits for your tank. Oh, and your Severum will probably find those nipping, chasing and busy Barbs kind of amusing. 
Your slow-moving and peaceful Pearl Gouramis? Not so much.... :?


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## fishboy75 (Jan 16, 2020)

Auballagh is 100% spot on with his advice. The Denison Barb is a great fish and will do well in that tank with the Severum. They are very active and when kept in good condition very colorful. But yes you need at least 6 for them to be comfortable and thrive. The only thing I will add for their care is they come from fast moving, highly oxygenated waters and also like the water a little cooler. So if you have a powerhead or WaveMaker you can add to the tank for current they would appreciate that. And I would aim to keep the temperature around 75-76 instead of 78 or higher.

Unfortunately, I would see about either taking the Pearl Gouramis back to the store or like Auballagh said, setting up a smaller, planted tank for them. They are extremely shy and will be intimidated at the very least by the Severum, if not bullied. They also aren't a good fit with the fast moving Denison Barbs either. I would likely not support the store you went to if possible as they gave you some bad suggestions all around. Good luck!


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

Auballagh said:


> Well, it is what it is I suppose....
> I'm guessing the LFS you went to didn't have a _Andinoacara pulcher_, Blue Acara to sell you? That's too bad.
> And so, you wound up with a couple of these, instead??
> -
> ...


They actually had 3 blue acaras. I went to get someone to help and she remembered that I had got the severum a while back and told me it wouldn't be a good fit. I felt super pressured into buying something else because of this. I actually had to decrease the current in my tank because my severum was being pushed around so I don't think the denison barb will be a good fit for this tank. As for the gouramis, I don't have an extra 20 gallon tank unfortunately. I am going to try to call when I get home from work and ask if they will take them back, even if I take a loss on the money. I will try to stand my ground and get the acara as I originally wanted to get. After this, I won't be supporting their business anymore. I don't think it was very responsible to sell me a fish that is meant to be in a group of 6 or more by itself.


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

fishboy75 said:


> Auballagh is 100% spot on with his advice. The Denison Barb is a great fish and will do well in that tank with the Severum. They are very active and when kept in good condition very colorful. But yes you need at least 6 for them to be comfortable and thrive. The only thing I will add for their care is they come from fast moving, highly oxygenated waters and also like the water a little cooler. So if you have a powerhead or WaveMaker you can add to the tank for current they would appreciate that. And I would aim to keep the temperature around 75-76 instead of 78 or higher.
> 
> Unfortunately, I would see about either taking the Pearl Gouramis back to the store or like Auballagh said, setting up a smaller, planted tank for them. They are extremely shy and will be intimidated at the very least by the Severum, if not bullied. They also aren't a good fit with the fast moving Denison Barbs either. I would likely not support the store you went to if possible as they gave you some bad suggestions all around. Good luck!


They crazy thing is that the denison barbs and gouramis were actually in the same tank at the store. They seemed like they knew what they were talking about and I mistakely trusted them. So frustrating.


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## fishboy75 (Jan 16, 2020)

ncm13579 said:


> fishboy75 said:
> 
> 
> > Auballagh is 100% spot on with his advice. The Denison Barb is a great fish and will do well in that tank with the Severum. They are very active and when kept in good condition very colorful. But yes you need at least 6 for them to be comfortable and thrive. The only thing I will add for their care is they come from fast moving, highly oxygenated waters and also like the water a little cooler. So if you have a powerhead or WaveMaker you can add to the tank for current they would appreciate that. And I would aim to keep the temperature around 75-76 instead of 78 or higher.
> ...


Well it's one thing to have the fish housed together temporarily to sell them than it is to keep them together long term. Still not responsible of the store because people will see them together and assume they are highly compatible. The pearl gourami can coexist with them but if you want to see them thrive and show their best colors and natural behavior, then no, it's not a good match. The barbs are way too active for them. The three-spot gourami, which comes in gold, blue, opaline and probably other colors I haven't seen, would be a better fit. They are way more assertive and actually tend to become bullies themselves.

As far as the blue acara not being a good fit, did the person tell you why? The gold Severum and Blue Acara are definitely in the same less aggressive category of cichlid. Is it possible you get two individuals that take a disliking to each other? Definitely. But it's also fairly unlikely one beats up on the other one to where they would need to be separated. Not saying that can never happen but it is unlikely. I guess see if the store will take all 3 back or let you trade in your gouramis towards a blue acara or more barbs.


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

fishboy75 said:


> ncm13579 said:
> 
> 
> > fishboy75 said:
> ...


So I traded in the denison barb and got the blue acara. I talked to another person (the manager) and she said that the acara would be perfectly fine. She also acknowledged that the denison barb should not be by itself. She asked me who sold me the fish yesterday. When I told her who it was she told me the girl isn't very good with fish. She also said try the gouramis and see what happens because they may end up being fine in the tank. Either way I got my money back on the $31 denison barb and spent $6 on the acara. We will see what happens. Fingers crossed.


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Holy Cow... $31 bones for a single Denison Barb?!!!  
Geeeze man... no wonder you were so upset.
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I'm still saying that the 2 Gouramis would be very cool in their own tank. Heck man - even a planted out 10 gallon would work out fine to keep a pair of those! The pair of Pearl Gouramis, plus a single Bristlenose catfish in with them for algae cleanup duties? With lotsa live plants, that would be a pretty neat tank!
So, keep an eye on things in the 75G. I know you have been wanting those Pearl Gouramis since well, the 'get-go'? And, so it's probably kind of tough to give them up. But, it would be a shame at this point to see a couple Cichlid thugs put the beat down on those little guys...


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

Auballagh said:


> Holy Cow... $31 bones for a single Denison Barb?!!!
> Geeeze man... no wonder you were so upset.
> -
> I'm still saying that the 2 Gouramis would be very cool in their own tank. Heck man - even a planted out 10 gallon would work out fine to keep a pair of those! The pair of Pearl Gouramis, plus a single Bristlenose catfish in with them for algae cleanup duties? With lotsa live plants, that would be a pretty neat tank!
> So, keep an eye on things in the 75G. I know you have been wanting those Pearl Gouramis since well, the 'get-go'? And, so it's probably kind of tough to give them up. But, it would be a shame at this point to see a couple Cichlid thugs put the beat down on those little guys...


Ya that was a lot of money for 1 fish so getting more just wasn't an option. I will keep an eye out and hope for the best. I have a 10 gallon with 2 black widow tetras, 1 white skirt and 1 red minor tetra so maybe I could place them in there for the time being if the cichlids are too rough until I figure out a more permanent solution. I have read that people have successfully kept the pearl gouramis with severums and blue acaras so maybe I'll get lucky. If not, maybe I can try to get a 20 gallon and find a place to set it up.


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

Auballagh said:


> Holy Cow... $31 bones for a single Denison Barb?!!!
> Geeeze man... no wonder you were so upset.
> -
> I'm still saying that the 2 Gouramis would be very cool in their own tank. Heck man - even a planted out 10 gallon would work out fine to keep a pair of those! The pair of Pearl Gouramis, plus a single Bristlenose catfish in with them for algae cleanup duties? With lotsa live plants, that would be a pretty neat tank!
> So, keep an eye on things in the 75G. I know you have been wanting those Pearl Gouramis since well, the 'get-go'? And, so it's probably kind of tough to give them up. But, it would be a shame at this point to see a couple Cichlid thugs put the beat down on those little guys...


I've actually decided to get a 20 gallon tank for the gouramis and gift it to my grandma for her birthday next week. She used to have a lot of fish before my pop-pop died. Since she lives by herself, it will give her something to do. Plus I got her a smaller tank a while back for some guppies and she was so happy (until they died). I think this will make her so happy. I found a 20 long for like $40 or I can find one of those kits that comes with everything (I'll probably buy a different filter though). Any plants you would recommend? I have to fake plants left over too from my tank in addition to another back of pfs that I could use too. Also, since they're labyrinth fish, do I need an air pump for an air stone?


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## jwm2k3 (Oct 14, 2016)

Most LFS near me will take any fish back. I never expect a refund at all, I just walk in with my bucket and say "I have some donations..."

Get the fish you really want


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

jwm2k3 said:


> Most LFS near me will take any fish back. I never expect a refund at all, I just walk in with my bucket and say "I have some donations..."
> 
> Get the fish you really want


I kept the gouramis because I kind of got attached to them lol. I returned the barb and got the blue acara. They had to give me a $26 credit because of the price difference. Was super happy but I ended up having to remove the severum from my tank because he was aggressive towards the acara. Just my luck. He is now temporarily in a 20 gallon since he is still small approx. 4 inches and will add him once all of the other smaller fish have been added.


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