what are good tankmates for a GG? ive heard many different things. id like to have oscars but id also like to be safe in my choice of tankmate as well.
gar as a good tankmate?
- Thread starter nitrofish1
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I have a red tailed giant gourami. Apparently their behavior really varies from individual to individual. Mine is very docile, even shy. I have him in a 180 with some polypterus and a lone male jack dempsey who is equally docile. All get along great. I've never seen any kind of aggression between any of them. The gourami is over a foot long and the jack 7-8" long. The polys are 4.5" to 10" and still have lots of growing to do.
I do have two more polys and four spotted gars in a grow out tank that will be going in this tank once they are big enough. Because none of the fish in my tank are fast movers or aggressive(even when it comes to feeding), I figured I would be safe adding the gars. By the way, I will not be adding all 4 gars in the tank. I just bought four because they were 2" and I figured I'd lose half of them. Of course, they are now 4" and all alive. What to do? lol
Anyway, long story short, it all depends on your individual gourami. And keep in mind that just because he is not aggressive at 4-6", doesn't mean he wont be aggressive when he's 12-24". And for a 180, I'd suggest the red tailed gourami. It stays a bit smaller.
Oscars are the same. Some are very aggressive, and others very docile. But one thing, they are ALL eager feeders and that causes stress to slow feeders like gars.
Well, I hope this helped.
Steve
I do have two more polys and four spotted gars in a grow out tank that will be going in this tank once they are big enough. Because none of the fish in my tank are fast movers or aggressive(even when it comes to feeding), I figured I would be safe adding the gars. By the way, I will not be adding all 4 gars in the tank. I just bought four because they were 2" and I figured I'd lose half of them. Of course, they are now 4" and all alive. What to do? lol
Anyway, long story short, it all depends on your individual gourami. And keep in mind that just because he is not aggressive at 4-6", doesn't mean he wont be aggressive when he's 12-24". And for a 180, I'd suggest the red tailed gourami. It stays a bit smaller.
Oscars are the same. Some are very aggressive, and others very docile. But one thing, they are ALL eager feeders and that causes stress to slow feeders like gars.
Well, I hope this helped.
Steve
so its just a matter of trial and error on tankmates? and should i add them all at the same time so they can grow up together and lessen chances of aggression as they age? i mean i wouldnt be adding them all at the same time but within a short period of time.
what types of cichlids would go well with a GG? that is to say if the GG isnt aggressive. would pretty much any kind work? i mean like on the lesser side of aggressiveness in cichlids, like staying away from oscars and cichlids like that.
what types of cichlids would go well with a GG? that is to say if the GG isnt aggressive. would pretty much any kind work? i mean like on the lesser side of aggressiveness in cichlids, like staying away from oscars and cichlids like that.
for example like parrotfish
im not too familiar with all the different types of cichlids available.
should i ask this question on the cichlid forum?
im not too familiar with all the different types of cichlids available.
should i ask this question on the cichlid forum?
That's a tough question. I usually work on a trial and error basis, but I make educated trials if you know what I mean. I will not try keeping a 2" oscar with a 18" gar, and I will not try keeping a super active and aggressive fish with a shy and slow fish that can't compete for food.
As for adding them all at the same time, that usually is ideal when they are small enough not to kill(overwhelm) your biological filtration, but it doesn't always work. Some fish grow much faster than others and if you get them all at the same time, one might grow so fast that withing months it will be big enough to eat the slower growing fish.
And finally, about cichlids...
It all depends on ...many things. Are you talking about GG tanks mates only? Are the gars out of the questions now? If so, then most cichlids that are not overly aggressive could work. And parrots would be a good choice. Other good choices include angels, severums, convicts(aggressive, but small), jack dempseys(depending on individual behavior), and firemouths, just to name a few. Of course, if you wanted a gar too, then a lot of these fish would be out of the question as they would become meals to a full grown gar.
As for adding them all at the same time, that usually is ideal when they are small enough not to kill(overwhelm) your biological filtration, but it doesn't always work. Some fish grow much faster than others and if you get them all at the same time, one might grow so fast that withing months it will be big enough to eat the slower growing fish.
And finally, about cichlids...
It all depends on ...many things. Are you talking about GG tanks mates only? Are the gars out of the questions now? If so, then most cichlids that are not overly aggressive could work. And parrots would be a good choice. Other good choices include angels, severums, convicts(aggressive, but small), jack dempseys(depending on individual behavior), and firemouths, just to name a few. Of course, if you wanted a gar too, then a lot of these fish would be out of the question as they would become meals to a full grown gar.
i believe that the gar is out of the question now, cuz id get the needlenose ones but theyd become a meal and yeah.... would it be a good idea to get a juvenile GG when the other cichlids are a almost large size to where the GG is the smallest in the tank starting out? i realize that they grow very fast, but would this also help in curbing aggression? thanks for the suggestions
It depends on the kind of cichlids you want to have. Cichlids can be very territorial to new tankmates so it might be a better idea to introduce the gourami first, if he is smaller.
