With their bright colors and unique personalities, gourami fish are popular additions to many home aquariums. But an important question for any prospective gourami owner is whether these fish prefer to swim together in a group, known as schooling behavior.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll examine the schooling tendencies of the most common gourami species to help you determine if they are right for your tank.
If you’re short on time, here’s the quick answer: While some gourami species exhibit loose schooling behavior, most are not obligate schooling fish that require a group to thrive. Certain gouramis, like the dwarf gourami, may even become aggressive toward one another when kept in too small a group.
An Overview of Gourami Behavior
What is Schooling Behavior?
Schooling behavior refers to fish swimming together in a coordinated way. Schools of fish can number in the thousands. Schooling offers protection from predators as there is safety in numbers. The school moves in synchrony, changing direction together in an instant.
This coordinated movement in large groups confuses predators. In a school, fish spend about 90% of their time staying in formation with the others (Reference: https://www.thesprucepets.com/schooling-fish-1378493).
The Social Nature of Gourami Fish
Unlike schooling fish like tetras, Gourami tend to be much less social and do not gather in large coordinated groups. Males can be aggressive and territorial, though some types, like the Pearl Gourami, are known to live peaceably together when given ample space.
Females may exhibit social behaviors like gathering to spawn together. But overall, their interactions tend to be small scale. Gouramis spend more time exploring plants and finding food alone or in pairs rather than interacting with a large community (Reference).
Some key factors impact their behavior like tank size, temperature, diet, tank mates. More solitary in nature, they appreciate plants and decorations for hiding and resting in their aquarium habitat.
Schooling Tendencies of Popular Gourami Species
Dwarf Gourami
The dwarf gourami is a shy fish that tends to stay close to plant cover and other hiding spots. They rarely school in the traditional sense. However, dwarf gouramis may loosely shoal together, especially when young.
But most of the time, mature dwarf gouramis will be found solitary or in pairs among the plants.
Pearl Gourami
Similar to the dwarf gourami, pearl gouramis are not schooling fish. They may loosely group together when young, but adults are usually solitary and territorial. The pearl gourami is a labyrinth fish that prefers to stay close to the water surface near vegetation, roots, and other cover.
This makes schooling difficult.
Kissing Gourami
The interestingly named kissing gourami is very social by nature and will group together in small schools. Often a dozen or more can be seen slowly swimming together and touching lips, which is how they got their name.
When spawning, they exhibit a unique communal nest-building behavior not seen in other gouramis. So of the popular gouramis, kissing gouramis are the most likely to school.
Moonlight Gourami
While not a true schooling fish, it’s common to find moonlight gouramis loosely grouping together in small numbers, especially when young. They may swim together leisurely, but are not synchronized swimmers by any means.
Moonlights do enjoy the company of their own kind and are very peaceful community fish. They rarely show aggression towards one another like some gourami species.
Honey Gourami
Lastly, the honey gourami has slight shoaling tendencies when juvenile but become more solitary with maturity. It mostly hangs out by itself looking for bits of food among the plants and driftwood. Occasionally, they may group loosely for short periods but they do not properly school at any life stage.
Creating the Right Aquarium Environment
Tank Size Considerations
When keeping gouramis, bigger is usually better when it comes to tank size. Most gourami species need at least a 20-30 gallon aquarium, while larger gouramis like the giant gourami require a minimum 55-75 gallon tank. This gives them adequate room to swim around and exhibit their natural behaviors.
Overcrowding gouramis in too small of a tank can lead to increased aggression and stress. Having enough space reduces territorial disputes and allows each fish to establish its own domain.
In addition, a larger tank makes it easier to maintain stable water parameters. The increased water volume helps dilute fish waste and provides a buffer against rapid pH and temperature changes.
Tank Decor and Plants
Gouramis appreciate a well-decorated aquarium with plenty of hiding spots. Adding rocks, driftwood, and aquatic plants helps mimic their natural habitat. Use robust plant varieties like Java fern, anubias, and Amazon swordplants that can withstand nibbling.
Floating plants are also a great choice as gouramis tend to dwell near the surface. They will appreciate resting underneath the leaves of plants like hornwort, duckweed, and water lettuce.
Make sure to leave open swimming areas as well. Allow about 2/3 of the tank to have free space for cruising around.
Water Parameters
Gouramis do best in soft, slightly acidic water conditions. The ideal pH range is 6.0-7.5. Hard alkaline water above 7.5 can increase their susceptibility to diseases.
Water temperature should be kept between 75-82°F. Warmer temperatures in that range help encourage spawning.
Perform regular partial water changes of 25-30% weekly or biweekly to replenish minerals and prevent nitrate accumulation. Use a quality dechlorinator to remove chlorine and chloramines whenever new water is added.
Test kits should be used routinely to monitor ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, hardness, and temperature to make sure levels are within the proper limits.
Caring for Your Gourami Group
Feeding Gouramis
Gouramis are omnivorous and will eat both plant and meat based foods. It’s best to feed them a varied diet consisting of high quality flakes, pellets, live or frozen foods like bloodworms or brine shrimp. Feed juveniles 2-3 small meals per day and adults 1-2 times daily.
Only feed an amount they can consume within 2-3 minutes to avoid waste buildup. Fasting 1 day per week can also help prevent digestive issues.
Monitoring Health and Behavior
Keep an eye on your gouramis to spot signs of disease early. Healthy specimens should have vivid, vibrant colors, smooth skin with intact scales, and be active swimmers exploring their environment. Watch for clamped fins, ragged fins, bloated abdomens, white stringy feces, or abnormal spots/growths which could indicate parasites or bacterial infections requiring medication.
Also monitor tank conditions like ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and temperature which can impact health if unsuitable. Ideal levels are: ammonia and nitrite at 0ppm, nitrate under 40ppm, pH between 6.0-8.0, temperature 72-82°F. Water changes help control buildup of waste materials.
Potential Aggression Issues
Gouramis can show aggression towards one another, especially males competing for dominance. This is why some keepers recommend only one male per tank. However, others have success housing multiple males together if plenty of sight breaks are provided via decor and plants.
Generally larger tank footprints over 55 gallons help disperse aggression.
Signs of aggression include torn fins, nipped tails, missing scales, reclusive behavior where some fish hide while others dominate the tank. Remove bullies promptly to an isolated tank before injuries become severe.
Also be sure any slower moving, long-finned varieties don’t get picked on by short-finned tankmates.
Conclusion
While most gourami fish don’t school in the classic sense, some do prefer loose groupings. Understanding the social dynamics of your chosen species is key to picking compatible tankmates. With ample space, hiding spots, and a balanced diet, a small group of gouramis can make a stunning addition to planted community aquariums.
Their unique personalities and interactions will provide endless entertainment as you observe their behaviors each day.
