Dwarf Vs. Blue

[Future_herp.]

Okay, so pretty much ive narrowed it down to two species of fish for my 29 gallon.

Dwarf Gourami:
Pros: coloration(Mostly the males but im gettting pairs)
Size (only reach like 2 inches so i can get a greater number of fish and still have a smaller bioload)
Cons: Less hardy, can they cycle my first tank? I was going to put 1 in every two weeks, is this okay?

Blue Gourami:
Pros: hardy, adaptable, this is important because it is my first tank.
Cons: they get quite large, and i have heard conflicting things about their aggresiveness.

I have read 2 books and recieved 2 more for christmas and i will be reading those shortly, and the most in-depth one ive read said that the fish will be much happier at your tap's ph and that the chemicals that you buy just cause swings in the ph, and a raise in the osmotic pressure (the amount of substances trying to reach equilibrium by entering your fish's body)

Is the whole PH thing accurate? I tested some Tap water and its about 7.4-7.5

I will post some pics tomorrow of my tank, it turned out really well, its been running for about 6 hours now. I've got an airstone, and a hang on the back type of filter that has mechanical/biological/activated carbon, among other stuff. The only things i still need is a hardness test, and a gravel siphon


PPS if i get a pair of angelfish in a year, how willl they interact?

Gee that was long, Please reply!

[tmfleo1]

Ph is very important it can go from acid to nutral to alkalinity depending the type of fish depend on the type of water conditions if I recall most Gouramis are at either nutral to alkalinity or right in between would be good

[Future_herp.]

what do you suppose I do about it then? i believe the recommended is somewhere around 6-7.2 or something.

What is your oppinion on the better fish?

[tmfleo1]

As for the blue Gouramis and dwarfs I've had them both in community tanks with no problems . Blue gouramis are hardier dwarf gouramis are prone to dropsy and are less hardy

[Lfsabch]

not only are dwarfs more prone to dropsy but more prone to bacterial infections, i see that alot at work its always the dwarfs to get sick before t he other gouramis.,

as for aggression, dwarfs like to hide at first and may come out later,

blues depending on male female ratio can be tame or super aggressive, its all in the specific fish and tank layout, might be aggressive and then it may not, no way of knowing, just get alot of females