new tank mates

Question
hello,i have kept tropical fish since i was a baby pretty much . i know alot about them but ive only had guppies,mollies,tetras,swords and angels never gouramis. i have a 20 gal for the angels and a 10 gal for guppies i would like to introduce gouramis into my tanks because i really like their colors and temperment. i would like to know out of dwarfs,blue,and pearl gouramis which ones should i put in which tanks?as you could probably guess im seeking your information opposed to petstore information because usually the people working there dont have a good knowledge of it or just want to sell a "product." i really dont want the fish picking on each other it breaks my heart to see them sick or upset.  im only seeking the best information possible :)thanks.

Answer
Dear Amy,
Gouramis are gorgeous and interesting labyrinth fish whom should be well suited to your aquarium.

       Dwarf Gouramis (Colisa Lalia)
These colorful little creatures are a shy species but do very well in planted aquariums especially those with floating plants for security. You should be able to keep a pair of Dwarf Gouramis in either of your aquariums. Males may fight together but a pair should work out well. Females are easily told from male by their lack of bold striping but instead have a silvery coloration that is beautiful all their own and is a real contrast to the males brilliant coloration. These gouramis are usually quite hardy and are often even sold by children in their native india range in small jars!

      Blue Gouramis (Trichogaster trichopterus)
Blue or three-spot gouramis are hardy medium sized fish with a blue-gray background with two black spots on their sides, one near their tail, one in the middle of their body, and the third spot is their eye. Blue gouramis have several color variants which are all extremely gorgeous in their sparkling colors. Gold, Opaline, and even 'lavender' gouramis are all derived from the original three-spot gourami and all do well in most aquariums as long as they feel secure. These gouramis do well with angelfish but they may or may not do well with guppies. It is recommended that you only keep pairs or keep females. One male does just excellent also. A good dealer should be able to pick out a pair or just one male or female for you. The easy way to tell the difference is the male's dorsal fin is much longer and pointed than the females, which is short and neatly rounded. Remember two males may become very territorial towards one another.

   Pearl Gouramis (Trichogaster leeri)
The delicate pearly beauty of these gourami are well-worth keeping. They should do well with your Angelfish. When well cared for they really become beautiful. In spawning condition the male develops a bright ruby throat patch. They are much more peaceful than the blue gouramis and stay a bit smaller. Just a few of their drawbacks is they tend to be a bit shyer than some of the other gouramis and not as hardy. As long as your aquarium is well-established and has good water quality and sufficient cover in the form of thick plants, floating ones too...A pair should do excellent in your angelfish aquarium.

Gouramis tend to be one of my favorite aquarium fishes. There are so many species, and all have their own interesting behaviors and facinating breeding behaviors, most gouramis build bubblenests but not all of them do.
Overall, gouramis would be a fine choice for either of your aquariums, with the smaller species being best suited to your guppy aquarium, and better yet the 20gal should be very good for all species you mentioned.

~I'm very glad you came to me for advice. That was very responsible of you. Time after time, I get people telling me what the petstore employees told them to do and everytime--no exageration either---the petstore was wrong.
Thanks for coming to me anyway, when it comes to the lives of all fish and other aquatic creatures who can certainly suffer the consequences of misinformation, only the most accurate and real information should be provided to give them the best and most ethical care possible.

Best wishes and Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~