Quick cycle of 10 gal

[Colin_T]

The flame dwarf gourami is simply a red colour mutation of the normal dwarf gourami and will have the same diseases.

Regardless of what the shops say, all dwarf gouramis bred in Asia are a risk and potentially have the Iridovirus and or TB. The shops will say their fish are good and they might be, but they can't guarantee the fish don't have those problems.

In Australia gouramis have to be quarantined for 1 month and have documentation from a vet saying they are free of the Iridovirus before they are allowed to be sold. In fact we can't even bring them in unless they have the documentation. Even tho we have these safe guards in place, most dwarf gouramis die within 6 months of being brought in, and those that die and are tested usually have the Iridovirus or TB.

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Some of the Aphyosemium & Epiplaty Killifish will be fine with dwarf gouramis but they only live for 1-2 years.
Blue or gold Ramirezi dwarf cichlid (rams) should be fine too.
A common bristlenose catfish should be fine in the tank but don't any catfish until the tank has been set up for a month or more, so the filters can establish properly. And if you have suckermouth catfish make sure you have a bit of driftwood in the tank for them.

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It's disappointing to hear about your teacher's pleco in the little tank

 

[J CZA]

The flame dwarf gourami is simply a red colour mutation of the normal dwarf gourami and will have the same diseases.

Regardless of what the shops say, all dwarf gouramis bred in Asia are a risk and potentially have the Iridovirus and or TB. The shops will say their fish are good and they might be, but they can't guarantee the fish don't have those problems.

In Australia gouramis have to be quarantined for 1 month and have documentation from a vet saying they are free of the Iridovirus before they are allowed to be sold. In fact we can't even bring them in unless they have the documentation. Even tho we have these safe guards in place, most dwarf gouramis die within 6 months of being brought in, and those that die and are tested usually have the Iridovirus or TB.

----------------------
Some of the Aphyosemium & Epiplaty Killifish will be fine with dwarf gouramis but they only live for 1-2 years.
Blue or gold Ramirezi dwarf cichlid (rams) should be fine too.
A common bristlenose catfish should be fine in the tank but don't any catfish until the tank has been set up for a month or more, so the filters can establish properly. And if you have suckermouth catfish make sure you have a bit of driftwood in the tank for them.

----------------------
It's disappointing to hear about your teacher's pleco in the little tank

Yea. I looked for locally bred ones. I really did. I wonder if i get 2 if i could breed them. Would the offspring have the same illnesses? If there born in good water. Than I could have one without illness. I think 2 german blue rams would be nice too. Would they get sick if the dwarf is sick?. I found a large fish store in a state below me, im in NY it might be in Tennessee... They might sell females. I'm not sure, it sucks how dwarf gourami got this way. There supposed to live long lives... and if he dose die from one of those diseases do i fully clean out the tank?

 

[Colin_T]

If the adult fish have the virus and they breed, then the young will usually get it. However, if you can get babies while the adults are healthy and haven't developed symptoms of the virus, then you could potentially get young that are free of the disease. But you would have to move the young fish into a clean tank without the parents as soon as possible to reduce the chance of them contracting the virus.

The virus lies dormant in the fish and when the fish is stressed, the virus kicks in and spreads. While the virus is dormant it won't be spreading to other fish. So if you can breed the fish while the virus is dormant, then get the young out asap, you have a chance of getting virus free fish.

As for TB, if one fish has it, then it is in the tank and all fish will pick it up.

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If the gourami gets sick from the virus or TB, then all the other fish in the tank could develop the same problems.

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If the fish does die from the Iridovirus or TB, then those diseases remain in the aquarium until the tank and everything in it is disinfected with bleach or boiling water.

The problem with disinfecting the tank and equipment is the remaining fish are still infected so it is pointless disinfecting a tank, only to put the fish back into it and have them contaminate it again. This is why most people don't bother disinfecting anything and simply live with it in their tanks. They lose fish here and there and just replace them.

If a fish does die from this, you either wait until all the fish in the tank die and then disinfect, or don't bother disinfecting at all.

 

[J CZA]

If the adult fish have the virus and they breed, then the young will usually get it. However, if you can get babies while the adults are healthy and haven't developed symptoms of the virus, then you could potentially get young that are free of the disease. But you would have to move the young fish into a clean tank without the parents as soon as possible to reduce the chance of them contracting the virus.

The virus lies dormant in the fish and when the fish is stressed, the virus kicks in and spreads. While the virus is dormant it won't be spreading to other fish. So if you can breed the fish while the virus is dormant, then get the young out asap, you have a chance of getting virus free fish.

As for TB, if one fish has it, then it is in the tank and all fish will pick it up.

----------------------
If the gourami gets sick from the virus or TB, then all the other fish in the tank could develop the same problems.

----------------------
If the fish does die from the Iridovirus or TB, then those diseases remain in the aquarium until the tank and everything in it is disinfected with bleach or boiling water.

The problem with disinfecting the tank and equipment is the remaining fish are still infected so it is pointless disinfecting a tank, only to put the fish back into it and have them contaminate it again. This is why most people don't bother disinfecting anything and simply live with it in their tanks. They lose fish here and there and just replace them.

If a fish does die from this, you either wait until all the fish in the tank die and then disinfect, or don't bother disinfecting at all.

Damn. That disease is harsh. But im not sure im "educated" enough or have enough xp to breed. Maby im not sure. Personally what do you think is best. I really like this breed of fish. If i did breed them is it a good thing to do? I'm not sure if id have to wait for the fish to grow up... if it needs to.. Than not Getting tank mates is better?

 

[Colin_T]

Fish are easy to breed, clean water, lots of food and no predators.

Get a pair (male & female) and put them in a tank with an air operated sponge filter (or slow flowing power filter) and lots of floating plants like Water Sprite. Feed them 3 or 4 times a day with a variety of food and let them do their thing.

The male gourami will build a bubblenest among the floating plants and then display to the female. She will lay a few eggs and the male will fertilise them. Then he picks up each egg and coats it in a bubble and puts it in the bubblenest. This continues until the female has released all her eggs. The male sometimes chases the female away from the nest and then looks after the eggs and fry. The eggs hatch after a few days but remain in the nest for about a week. Then the fry start swimming around. Feed fry on very small fish foods like infusoria.

There is more info on breeding fish at the following link.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/back-to-basics-when-breeding-fish.448304/

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If you buy dwarf gouramis they are adults when you get them and can breed straight away if they are in good condition. However, they usually need a few weeks to settle into their new home and be fed up to get them into breeding condition.

The more people that breed fish, the better. As long as you produce nice looking fish with good body shapes and no deformities then breed away. Locally bred fish are generally hardier and have fewer diseases compared to the fish imported from Asia.

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Breeding tanks are single species tanks, only 1 species and usually only 1 pair of fish per tank. If you want a community tank then get 1 male gourami and a few other fish. If you want to try and breed them, buy a pr of gouramis and nothing else.

 

[J CZA]

Fish are easy to breed, clean water, lots of food and no predators.

Get a pair (male & female) and put them in a tank with an air operated sponge filter (or slow flowing power filter) and lots of floating plants like Water Sprite. Feed them 3 or 4 times a day with a variety of food and let them do their thing.

The male gourami will build a bubblenest among the floating plants and then display to the female. She will lay a few eggs and the male will fertilise them. Then he picks up each egg and coats it in a bubble and puts it in the bubblenest. This continues until the female has released all her eggs. The male sometimes chases the female away from the nest and then looks after the eggs and fry. The eggs hatch after a few days but remain in the nest for about a week. Then the fry start swimming around. Feed fry on very small fish foods like infusoria.

There is more info on breeding fish at the following link.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/back-to-basics-when-breeding-fish.448304/

------------------------
If you buy dwarf gouramis they are adults when you get them and can breed straight away if they are in good condition. However, they usually need a few weeks to settle into their new home and be fed up to get them into breeding condition.

The more people that breed fish, the better. As long as you produce nice looking fish with good body shapes and no deformities then breed away. Locally bred fish are generally hardier and have fewer diseases compared to the fish imported from Asia.

------------------------
Breeding tanks are single species tanks, only 1 species and usually only 1 pair of fish per tank. If you want a community tank then get 1 male gourami and a few other fish. If you want to try and breed them, buy a pr of gouramis and nothing else.

It seems relatively simple. But if im going to breed gouramis I might need more tanks ect... maby when im settled and know the behavior of the breed. I'm sure there's high demand for locally bred dwarfs. I'll keep this in mind.. thanks

 

[J CZA]

Fish are easy to breed, clean water, lots of food and no predators.

Get a pair (male & female) and put them in a tank with an air operated sponge filter (or slow flowing power filter) and lots of floating plants like Water Sprite. Feed them 3 or 4 times a day with a variety of food and let them do their thing.

The male gourami will build a bubblenest among the floating plants and then display to the female. She will lay a few eggs and the male will fertilise them. Then he picks up each egg and coats it in a bubble and puts it in the bubblenest. This continues until the female has released all her eggs. The male sometimes chases the female away from the nest and then looks after the eggs and fry. The eggs hatch after a few days but remain in the nest for about a week. Then the fry start swimming around. Feed fry on very small fish foods like infusoria.

There is more info on breeding fish at the following link.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/back-to-basics-when-breeding-fish.448304/

------------------------
If you buy dwarf gouramis they are adults when you get them and can breed straight away if they are in good condition. However, they usually need a few weeks to settle into their new home and be fed up to get them into breeding condition.

The more people that breed fish, the better. As long as you produce nice looking fish with good body shapes and no deformities then breed away. Locally bred fish are generally hardier and have fewer diseases compared to the fish imported from Asia.

------------------------
Breeding tanks are single species tanks, only 1 species and usually only 1 pair of fish per tank. If you want a community tank then get 1 male gourami and a few other fish. If you want to try and breed them, buy a pr of gouramis and nothing else.

It looks like the fish that the local shop got me was a orange honey gourami... since its back fin is white and it has no blue on the top fin... he is big tho... maby 3 in. They have great tank prices like a 20 gallon for $74 and a 29 for $96... I'd get my next tank there. Should i get another fish for the honey? Or is it fine by himself.. and I have betta tropical omega one flakes, that will work as good food right?

 

[Colin_T]

Honey Dwarf Gouramis (Trichogaster chuna) only grow to 2 inches maximum so if the fish is 3 inches, it might not be a Honey Dwarf Gourami.

If it is a true Honey Dwarf Gourami they are usually hardy fish that do a lot better than normal dwarf gouramis (Trichogaster lalius) . They will eat anything and a food for Bettas should be fine to use.

Gouramis are usually fine in prs (1 male & 1 female), but two males might fight. If you can get a pr (1 male & 1 female) then do so. If you can't sex them then just get 1 fish.

And get some Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides) too if you can. It is a floating plant that is great for gouramis and Bettas and does well in most tanks.

 

[J CZA]

Honey Dwarf Gouramis (Trichogaster chuna) only grow to 2 inches maximum so if the fish is 3 inches, it might not be a Honey Dwarf Gourami.

If it is a true Honey Dwarf Gourami they are usually hardy fish that do a lot better than normal dwarf gouramis (Trichogaster lalius) . They will eat anything and a food for Bettas should be fine to use.

Gouramis are usually fine in prs (1 male & 1 female), but two males might fight. If you can get a pr (1 male & 1 female) then do so. If you can't sex them then just get 1 fish.

And get some Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides) too if you can. It is a floating plant that is great for gouramis and Bettas and does well in most tanks.

Yea i always look for floating plants every time I go to the fish store, but they never have it. The local place and petsmart. I dont know about a female since the only spare tank I have is a 3 gallon and they would be in a 10 gallon together for a while. Over the summer if i get a 20 gal or a 29 gal than do you think it would be safe to add him with other fish? I know their not aggressive but with sickness wise. Or would I find out before than. And i think hes maby 2.5 in.

 

[Colin_T]

Honey Dwarf gouramis are generally clean as far as diseases go. They can get the Iridovirus (but so can any fish), but they don't get it anywhere near as often as the normal dwarf gourami. And they are usually free of TB too so they are a good fish to get.

They are also peaceful and go well in community tanks so you can mix them with other species and their own kind. Although in a small tank males might argue a bit but they don't rip each other to pieces like some fish do.

Male fish don't show full colour until they are a year old. Then they develop some nice colouration.
google Honey Dwarf Gourami and look at the pics to see what they turn into when mature

Water Sprite is often sold as a normal planted plant rather than a floating plant. If the shops don't have it, ask if they can order it in or buy it online. It's a cheap common plant so any petshop should be able to get you some in. It's usually available from most online pet stores and places like Ebay, Gumtree & Craig's List.

 

[J CZA]

Honey Dwarf gouramis are generally clean as far as diseases go. They can get the Iridovirus (but so can any fish), but they don't get it anywhere near as often as the normal dwarf gourami. And they are usually free of TB too so they are a good fish to get.

They are also peaceful and go well in community tanks so you can mix them with other species and their own kind. Although in a small tank males might argue a bit but they don't rip each other to pieces like some fish do.

Male fish don't show full colour until they are a year old. Then they develop some nice colouration.
google Honey Dwarf Gourami and look at the pics to see what they turn into when mature

Water Sprite is often sold as a normal planted plant rather than a floating plant. If the shops don't have it, ask if they can order it in or buy it online. It's a cheap common plant so any petshop should be able to get you some in. It's usually available from most online pet stores and places like Ebay, Gumtree & Craig's List.

Yea, i think hes a honey since his back fin is white and he dosent have any blue... so for the tank upgrade he won't infect the fish. I was looking at getting some german blue rams if their simple enough w some other tank mates. Are killifish any good? I like their color. The mature ones look spunky. If you search up orange honey gouramies he looks all orange with white on his back fin. If i get other honey will the color they are matter?

 

[Colin_T]

If you post a pic of the fish we can confirm that it is a Honey Dwarf or something else

If it is a Honey Dwarf he should be fine and not likely to introduce any horrible diseases.

You can mix different colour forms of Honey dwarf gouramis and they will all be fine. However, I think the original colour form is the nicest. But it's all personal preferences. If you like the orange Honey Dwarf, get one.

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Blue or Gold rams can be peaceful and they can be agro. Most are pleasant and peaceful and get along with everyone else. But sometimes you get one that turns nasty and attacks things in the tank. If you get a young pr and have a cave in the corner for them they are usually fine. But watch them and if they start causing problems then return them to the store or move them into another tank. But they are normally peaceful and very few cause any problems.

German blue rams are simply Blue Ramirezi dwarf cichlids bred in Germany. They also come in a gold colour form. If the rams are not from Germany they will be from Asia. Try to get German ones because they are better quality and have fewer health issues and diseases.

Rams don't normally take much dry food but will if trained to. They will eat most frozen or live food tho and are generally easy to keep.

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Killifish are generally pleasant altho some people say they nip fins but I never had that problem. But I also never kept them with male Bettas or Guppies.

They are generally small fish that grow to 1-2inches and live for 1-2 years. They breed when 3 months old and will lay eggs in plants or on the substrate (depending on species). Most live in the top half of the tank and males are much more colourful than females. All the brightly coloured pictures you see of killifish are males.

Aphyosemion & Epiplaty killifish are the easiest to keep.

 

[J CZA]

If you post a pic of the fish we can confirm that it is a Honey Dwarf or something else

If it is a Honey Dwarf he should be fine and not likely to introduce any horrible diseases.

You can mix different colour forms of Honey dwarf gouramis and they will all be fine. However, I think the original colour form is the nicest. But it's all personal preferences. If you like the orange Honey Dwarf, get one.

-----------------------
Blue or Gold rams can be peaceful and they can be agro. Most are pleasant and peaceful and get along with everyone else. But sometimes you get one that turns nasty and attacks things in the tank. If you get a young pr and have a cave in the corner for them they are usually fine. But watch them and if they start causing problems then return them to the store or move them into another tank. But they are normally peaceful and very few cause any problems.

German blue rams are simply Blue Ramirezi dwarf cichlids bred in Germany. They also come in a gold colour form. If the rams are not from Germany they will be from Asia. Try to get German ones because they are better quality and have fewer health issues and diseases.

Rams don't normally take much dry food but will if trained to. They will eat most frozen or live food tho and are generally easy to keep.

-----------------------
Killifish are generally pleasant altho some people say they nip fins but I never had that problem. But I also never kept them with male Bettas or Guppies.

They are generally small fish that grow to 1-2inches and live for 1-2 years. They breed when 3 months old and will lay eggs in plants or on the substrate (depending on species). Most live in the top half of the tank and males are much more colourful than females. All the brightly coloured pictures you see of killifish are males.

Aphyosemion & Epiplaty killifish are the easiest to keep.

he looks like a flame honey gourami. It looked like he has fuzz on his head and he was itching himself of the plant decor (good thing there bot plastic) after a day or so it went away with the clean water and he isnt itching himself anymore. He's looking better and i haven't seen anything on him in the past few days. He if full grown almost 3 inches when i got him so i don'tknow how old he is.

 

[Colin_T]

He is just an orange colour form of the Honey Dwarf Gourami and should be fine

 

[J CZA]

He is just an orange colour form of the Honey Dwarf Gourami and should be fine

That's good. I'm thinking of getting a 29gal with a few more honey gourami a pair or german blue rams, some corys and maby some other small fish for color.