The Puffer Forum

I use only Trichogaster trichopterus, the 3-spot or Blue Gourami, but in any of its many color forms. Several Gouramis will eat hydra, but you have to control prepared foods or they will eat those instead of working for a living. The fish in the Trichogaster genus are the best IME. Get youngish fish so that you don't have hormone issues within the group.

If i do get one of them, do you think they will be good in a 20 gallon with 3 tiger barbs, 3 spanner barbs, a spotted pim and pleco, cause I wouldnt want to leave it with the DP's.
Would a dwarf gourami work also. They are pretty nice looking fish, not sure if the barbs will bother it though...

I wouldn't keep one w/DP or an adult one in a 20g--they grow up to 6".

what about a dwarf gourami?

I do not keep the fish long-term. I played with family for several years and have little further interest in them. I also have a massive distrust of SE Asian dwarf Gouramis - they are the typhoid Marys of the fish world, tending to carry all sorts of drug-resistant septicemias. I would only have dwarfs that I know are locally bred without antibiotic use and would probably keep them in eternal QT and only use their offspring which I had bred myself - so not useful as cleaners.

All IME & JMHO, of course.

Im guessing there arent too many ppl who would want to lend out their gouramis for clean purposes..

Well, the owner of my LFS is one, but we are old friends (is anybody shocked at that?).