A Walstad Tank...

[connorlindeman]

Hey, really new to the forum, but absolutely loved reading through this and seeing the progress, I really want to head out and buy some more plants for my tank now

Thanks!
I'm always tempted to buy more plants

 

[connorlindeman]

Day 26:

One of the Amanos has molted.

 

[connorlindeman]

Day 26
The growth has been absolutely unreal.
Never had this much success with plants.

 

[connorlindeman]

Had some Ricciocarpos Natans hitchhike in with some other floaters so I added them to this tank.

 

[connorlindeman]

Might trim the hornwort today. I want to fill in some of the emptier spots.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

That is looking GREAT! It needs fishies! fishies! fishies!

 

[connorlindeman]

That is looking GREAT! It needs fishies! fishies! fishies!

Thanks! Gotta find out when my lfs is gonna have them in stock.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Thanks! Gotta find out when my lfs is gonna have them in stock.

Cool. What did you decide to get?

 

[connorlindeman]

Cool. What did you decide to get?

I am pretty sure it's gonna be sparking gourami.
I might start with a larger group, hoping to get both male and female. Maybe 6.
If there's aggression, I can remove some of them.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I am pretty sure it's gonna be sparking gourami.
I might start with a larger group, hoping to get both male and female. Maybe 6.
If there's aggression, I can remove some of them.

Perfect choice. Have you kept them before? Be prepared to hear them talking things over. They sound like a sped up typewriter. So funny. With all that plant cover, I'm pretty sure a group would do OK long-term. They do need extremely soft water, but I'm sure you're prepared for that.

 

[connorlindeman]

Perfect choice. Have you kept them before? Be prepared to hear them talking things over. They sound like a sped up typewriter. So funny. With all that plant cover, I'm pretty sure a group would do OK long-term. They do need extremely soft water, but I'm sure you're prepared for that.

I have not kept them before.
My water is on the upper end of the range that seriously fish suggests.
18-215 ppm. Mine is roughly 180, so I think they should do fine.
My water is neutral. Also fine according to seriously fish.
I hope that I can get both males and females, but it seems that males are more commonly sold in stores than females.

 

[Byron]

I doubt most store staff would know the difference in gender. I acquired six of these, and lucked out with 2 male and 4 female, but until they began interacting I could not tell, they were small. Like all gourami, males are territorial so make absolutely certain you acquire the entire intended number at the same time.

You need not worry about aggression, it is normal and should play out very well. They must have a good cover of floating plants and plants near the surface, and you certainly have that. Do not have surface fish in with them though, like hatchetfish. The male gourami guard the nest of eggs and they will nip any fish getting close. I had rasboras and a group of dwarf loaches in with mine and they lived together for years. They will spawn regularly.

The males will as @WhistlingBadger said communicate with clicks that are loud enough to be clearly heard. This species, Tricopsis pumila, is related to the "Croaking Gourami" Trichopsis vitatta. In a 1992 study, Friedrich Ladich et. al. determined that this sound is important not only in breeding displays but also in antagonistic displays of males to establish dominance. The "croak" is a series of double pulses generated by rapid beating of the pectoral fins. Another study by Ladich in 1998 established that the sounds vary according to the individual fish and the sound frequency had a role in determining the outcome of the encounter between rival fish.

 

[connorlindeman]

I doubt most store staff would know the difference in gender. I acquired six of these, and lucked out with 2 male and 4 female, but until they began interacting I could not tell, they were small. Like all gourami, males are territorial so make absolutely certain you acquire the entire intended number at the same time.

You need not worry about aggression, it is normal and should play out very well. They must have a good cover of floating plants and plants near the surface, and you certainly have that. Do not have surface fish in with them though, like hatchetfish. The male gourami guard the nest of eggs and they will nip any fish getting close. I had rasboras and a group of dwarf loaches in with mine and they lived together for years. They will spawn regularly.

The males will as @WhistlingBadger said communicate with clicks that are loud enough to be clearly heard. This species, Tricopsis pumila, is related to the "Croaking Gourami" Trichopsis vitatta. In a 1992 study, Friedrich Ladich et. al. determined that this sound is important not only in breeding displays but also in antagonistic displays of males to establish dominance. The "croak" is a series of double pulses generated by rapid beating of the pectoral fins. Another study by Ladich in 1998 established that the sounds vary according to the individual fish and the sound frequency had a role in determining the outcome of the encounter between rival fish.

Thanks for that information. Very interesting.
Fingers crossed I get males and females.
No other fish are gonna be added. Just the gouramis.
Can't wait to hear them communicating. That will be pretty cool!

 

[connorlindeman]

Should I get red crystal shrimp, red cherry shrimp, or both? They won't interbreed.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Should I get red crystal shrimp, red cherry shrimp, or both? They won't interbreed.

I wouldn't get either, if it were me. Sparkling gouramis love to eat shrimp. Mine would even have a go at the amano shrimp that were three times as big as them. It was no more than a minor annoyance to the amanos, but my guess is that if a shrimp is small enough for the SGs to tear to pieces and eat, they will.