[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I too advise against housing African cichlids with the Blue Gouramis. I've been in the freshwater tropical fish hobby practically since I was 12 and have made every mistake in the book. I used to also work for pet stores (aquariums). African cichlids are too territorial and can get very large depending on which species you get.

Pearl Gouramis are a great suggestion by snow if you ever decide to trade in the Blues.

If you decide to keep the Blue Gouramis, I would not get any more fish. The Blue Gouramis can still get larger believe it or not.

I also have to make some comments about fish only saltwater tanks...they will ultimately fail in the long run, every single one of them.

It's not natural. The fish are actually pretty stressed out, but you can't see that. Saltwater fish have very complex social interactions and behaviors that most people are completely oblivious to.

For example, Fairy Wrasses (Cirrhilabrus spp.) have a much more complex heirarchy and social structure than one dominant male and several females. This is too oversimplified of a paradigm. Their true social structure is: one dominant male, a few subordinate males, one or a few dominant females, and several subordinate females. Each social network of Fairy Wrasses is actually not terribly large, only consisting of about no more than ten or fifteen individuals in one specific locality. The territory of each social network is not very large or long ranging, however, it is large enough to render most tanks under 100 gallons useless. Dominant males will only display their brilliant colors if and only if the above mentioned social structure is provided in captivity. If a Fairy Wrasse is kept in solitude out of contact with others of it's own species, they look dazed and confused, can be less active compared to if they were kept in a group and are less likely to be hearty eaters (this is kinda hard to believe, but it's true). Only when Fariy Wrasses are kept in groups will you start seeing the myriad of complex individual behaviors and social interactions these guys can have. Fairy Wrasses and other saltwater fish seem to be quite hardy if they are given a proper social network in captivity.

One other problem I've found with fish only tanks is that there isn't adequate hiding places and sleeping quarters for these fish to feel safe and secure.

Another thing I've found is that the salinity in a saltwater tank must be maintained at a higher salinity than the normally prescribed 1.023. I used to keep the tanks between 1.025 and 1.027. If the fish are kept at this salinity, you can see the colors on your fish totally pop. This is because 1.023 is the average of all the oceans in the world. In reality, the seas and oceans the tropical saltwater fish come from have a salinity closer to 1.025 to 1.027.

Then of course there's the parasite issue. They have tons of them. You just can't see them because they're transparent, especially the parasitic copepods. And no, hyposalinity doesn't help much, it only stresses your fish out more. There is a drastic difference in the markings and coloration of your saltwater fish if they're kept in hyposalinity compared to when they are kept in salinity levels closer to what they'd actually encounter. I know because when I bought fish from the wholesaler I thought they were marked and colored a certain way (because the salinities at the wholesalers are kept much lower and usually not monitored properly). When I brought them home and kept them in my tank, they looked like totally different fish.

So there you go, if you ever want to try out saltwater fish again, these are some things to consider.

BTW there's a secret to getting saltwater Butterflyfish to eat like pigs. Keep in mind, the general rule with purchasing Butterflies is that if they're young but not smaller than 2 inches, it is easier to acclimate them to captivity in an aquarium. One: select appropriate species of Butterflyfish that don't have specialized diets of only coral polyps. Two: select individuals that appear healthy and sturdy and seem to have some sort of appetite. Three: always quarantine them and get rid of their parasites asap. Four: buy them by pairing up each species that you intend to purchase of approximately the same size and only if they seem to get along with each other; then buy pairs or small groupings of other species of Butterflies (at least pairings or small groupings of 3 different species that appear to be compatible with each other). Five: acclimate them properly to a tank that's large enough to house them all and provide enough hiding and sleeping places. Then watch the feeding frenzy over a relatively short period of time.

My personal record for keeping saltwater fish alive was about 3 years. It was a nano goby Eviota pellucida.