Noble Gouramis

[petecrab]

I got a Noble Gourami today, the LFS said they are a recent find... so i thought i would try one and add it to my 2 pearl gouramis, but it doesnt seem to do much, he just sits in the corners and watches the other fish, he doesnt eat the food, im not sure whats up with him.
Has anybody else had some of these?

Pete

 

[Mickslack]

I got a Noble Gourami today, the LFS said they are a recent find... so i thought i would try one and add it to my 2 pearl gouramis, but it doesnt seem to do much, he just sits in the corners and watches the other fish, he doesnt eat the food, im not sure whats up with him.
Has anybody else had some of these?

Pete

[snapback]896068[/snapback]​

Guarmis tend to pair up if you have a male and female check to see if they have differant length dorsal fins (female is shorter) if so he will continues to do so if they are the same length try moving things around in the tank they normally acept new fish better, or you could get the opposite sex pearl guarmi, it is entirley up to you

 

[sylvia]

By 'noble gourami' I assume you are talking about ctenops nobilis. It is also often called the 'indian gourami', 'chameleon gourami' or 'frail gourami', which I feel is a more fitting name - considering they are rather fragile. Besides the fact that they have not been bred extensively in captivity (and thus are not adapted to your typical tap water and wide-ranging water chemistry), they are also naturaly very shy and may refuse commercial foods. They should be kept with peaceful species that aren't likely to harass them. More than likely the pearls you put the fish in with do not appreciate the intruder's presence. A species tank is much more likely to bring out their personalities and you should try some small live foods to get it to eat with lots of plants - including floating and tall-growing species - to make them feel more at home. Males are aggressive towards each other just like any other gourami but that doesn't mean they aren't susceptible to being bullied by other species. The best temperature to keep them at is debateable but it's generaly the lower end at about 70-72 deg F and usualy it's reccomended that they are kept at a lower pH/hardness (often as low as 4-6) though I wouldn't consider this critical and they can live in quite alkaline water. They are one of the most difficult gouramies to keep and not a fish to buy on impulse. It's not so much that they need specific water conditions but that they lack adaptability and suffer most when water quality is lacking. Do as much research as you can on them if you plan to keep this one alive. The first sign of distress will probably be clamped fins. Getting this one (you say it's male?) a couple of females may help encourage him to come out more (assuming his health is ok) but your best bet would be to move him to his own heavily planted tank, add a few more of his species and a few peaceful dither fish.