Chocolate gourami? (Confirmed samurai Gourami!)

[Pumpkinpie]

I got this guy last minute at at a fish store I trust and he was the last one and wild caught, which is why I’m a bit confused. the guy told me it was a “ valentines” gourami and he will order a few females for me with the next shipment. I knowing nothing about gourami believed him, and figured I will put a few in my community. when I got home I did some research and am now pretty sure it’s a chocolate and definitely not what he said it was. My water is fairly hard, and I’m not prepared for a chocolate gourami set up. He said something about the females being brightly colored, and will fight for the males attention, but I’m not entirely sure what that’s about. If you have any idea what these are, help is much appreciated!

 

[Colin_T]

It's a chocolate gourami but some places give them different common names. This is why scientific names (Genus and species) are useful for wild caught and unusual fishes.

They are not community fish and don't do well in hard alkaline water. They naturally occur in very soft acid water with a GH below 100ppm (usually less than 50ppm) and a pH below 6.5. Most chocolate gouramis are wild caught and need these conditions.

There is another thread about them at the following link. You will find a lot of good info there.
https://www.fishforums.net/threads/chocolate-gourami.452805/

 

[Pumpkinpie]

It's a chocolate gourami but some places give them different common names. This is why scientific names (Genus and species) are useful for wild caught and unusual fishes.

They are not community fish and don't do well in hard alkaline water. They naturally occur in very soft acid water with a GH below 100ppm (usually less than 50ppm) and a pH below 6.5. Most chocolate gouramis are wild caught and need these conditions.

There is another thread about them at the following link. You will find a lot of good info there.
https://www.fishforums.net/threads/chocolate-gourami.452805/

Thanks, I call the store and they cleared up the issue. The fish are actually confirmed samurai gourami (Sphaerichthys vaillanti see the more streamlined shape, and slightly different striping ?), that I’d absolutely love to keep. That doesn’t fix the issue of where to put them though. I don’t currently have any cycled tanks. I do know they have very similar care to chocolates. Thankfully I have lots of Vivariums, and quite a few carnivorous plants, so peat, botanicals, and low ppm water isn’t a issue. Is a vertical oriented aquarium ok? Or do they like more horizontal space?

 

[Pumpkinpie]

Oh and just to clarify, the single fish is currently in a mature 5+ year old, peaceful community tank with enders, true siamese algae eaters, Bristlenose, and a honey gourami. His fins have unclamped, and I have gotten him to eat micro pellets. I’m currently looking for my ppm meter, and will update the post when I have the readings edit: the tank is at a shocking 328ppm as I dosed fertilizers this morning, and I am currently doing a 75% water change

 

[Colin_T]

It's a variety of chocolate gourami, there's a number of different species and sub species of them.

All fish do better in tanks that are long and wide, rather than high. Fish swim lengthwise not up and down. The only reason fish swim up is to take food from the surface and that mostly occurs in aquariums, or to take air from the surface.

 

[Byron]

From the photo I would question this is a Samurai Gourami (Sphaerichthys vaillanti) but more likely another "chocolate gourami" species less often seen, Sphaerichthys selatanensis. The more common "chocolate" is S. osphromenoides. There is a fourth species, Sphaerichthys acrostoma, sometimes referred to as the Giant Chocolate Gourami. As Colin wisely said, using the scientific names can avoid mis-identification, though of course this applies to the exporter/importer too.

Reliable data on the "Samurai" here:
https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/sphaerichthys-vaillanti

 

[Back in the fold]

Of all fish, my biggest love is gourami's and anabantids. The Chocolate Gourami is my all time dream fish. Enjoy your specimen, gaze at it intently and know that there is a guy in Montana envying you greatly your prize.