cycle fish/gourami

[KurseD]

after going through 3 schools of 4 barbs/silver dollars in a week trying to cycle my 55gal tank, i decided to get a pair of juv. giant black gourami's. the pair survived my entire 5 week cycle process. they made it thru all the PH changes, nitrate/trite spikes, and bio load cycles, with apperantly no ill effects. not sure if it has anything to do with their labryinth organ, but these are diffenatily my choice for cycling a new tank/canister filter without using any chemicals (aside from water conditioner).

[twinturbo]

gouramis/paradise fish/betta can survive any cycle.

[viciouspisces]

yeah giant gouramis are tough -can put up w/ all kinds of water issues thatd most likely do in other fish(i read once somewhere that they are somtimes raised beneath pig pens cause theyll eat anything and survive terrible water conditions) .But how big are your pair? Id be concerned about aggression towards each other -giant gouramis can be seriously grumpy.

[viciouspisces]

ahhhh sorry ....just realized maybe you were taliking about the 'other' giant gourami -not osphronemus :duh: lol cant edit my post now -so just disregard

[KurseD]

my pair are both around 6in. (think i have a male and female, one's tentacle's is alot longer then the other) they are growing super fast and super fat, they will eat just about anything i put in there (even a shoal of tiger barbs). but they don't seem that aggressive to there tank mates (inc. shark and birchir) unless there really hungry. there pretty skittish though, will they be that skittish when they get bigger?

[viciouspisces]

my pair are both around 6in. (think i have a male and female, one's tentacle's is alot longer then the other) they are growing super fast and super fat, they will eat just about anything i put in there (even a shoal of tiger barbs). but they don't seem that aggressive to there tank mates (inc. shark and birchir) unless there really hungry. there pretty skittish though, will they be that skittish when they get bigger?
are they osphonemus???? (like in my avatar?-the kind that grow 2'?)Thats the only type I have any experience with,I belive theres another gourami somtimes called 'giant' but doesnt get anywhere near 2' (someone correct me if Im wrong) .If thier osphronemus types, yeah ,you'll see amazing growth (and appitite for anything ..lol)Mine is not(never been) what Id call skittish tho -had her over a year (from 5" to 17"now)-shes grumpy but definetly a 'gentle boss ' of the tank,but then Ive never kept her in anything less then 100g.Got any pics? :)