question about gouramis

Question
Hello,
i have well, quite a bit of questions and i hope you can answer them. i have a 38 gallon tank and i was wondering how i would be able to set it up for gourami(s?) at the moment i have it al set up with 5 danios and the water temp at around 80. i have the danios in there because the petstore people told me that i need fish to do something to the water, i think it has to do with something about ammonia, but I'm not sure. I've had the water sit in the tank for a week, then i put the fish in, they have been there for 3 days. i don't know what to do with the water pH or hardness, i was hoping that you could tell my how to check and get to where it needs to be. i was planning on getting a few gourami and maby 2 schools of silver dollars, tiger barbs, or diamond tetras or something like that. and possibly a an angel fish or 2. basically are these fish compatible, and how do i set the tank up for them? the main fish that i want to get are the gouramis. Thanks for your time,
Shawn

Answer
Hello,

Yes, all your fish selections are compatible. Just make sure that you don't overstock your tank. You shouldn't have anymore then about 30 inches of fish in a tank of your size.

As for setting up your aquarium specifically for gouramis, there is not much that needs to be done. You simply need to make sure that the ammonia and nitrite levels are safe (you can buy test kits from most pet stores). ph and hardness are not usually worth the time it takes them to adjust, as neither are significantly harmful to your fish.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Stephanie