Chocolate Gourami

[The_Budmaster]

hey!

Well we finally managed to get some Chocolate Gourami. We have 4 of them in a 10 gallon species tank, using a peat/gravel substrate. The peat has brought the ph of the water down to 6.4, without peat the water is normally 7.6.

we've had them for 4 days & 1 of the 5 we bought died, hopefully the other 4 will be ok but i've heard that they are very hard fish to keep alive.

I'll try to get some good pics once they've settled in, but i dont want to disturb them right now.

Anyone else have any experience of keeping chocolate gourami??

 

[Starry^]

YAYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
they are so VERY very cute!!!!
I found a good pic online of a chocolate gourami, but hopefully will get some good pics soon of our ones soon.
they are so shy!we walk into the bedroom and they hide away behind the leaves..

Starry^

 

[Morrgan]

Congrats on the new gouramis. I've heard that they are quite tricky fish to keep too, so good luck!

 

[FanOFish]

I wish you well please keep us updated. I have never even seen one offered in a lfs but only read about them in books.

 

[The_Budmaster]

thx FanOFish.

Managed to take a few pics today as they seem to have settled in ok.
I'll post 1 or 2 more in the aquarium pics section

 

[Colisa lalia]

Tropical Fish Hobbyist just ran an article on them, you should pick up a copy. Also chocolates are VERY AGGRESSIVE. Yes, aggressive not peaceful. To other fish they are fin, but they act like male bettas to each other. Often times they die because another chocolate kills them. You should pick up the TFH, next month's will continue the article in the December issue, because it is so long.

 

[The_Budmaster]

any chance you copy the article at all? I cant get that magazine in the UK

 

[Inchworm]

Congradulations on the new gouramis, Budmaster. They look like truly spectacular fish!

I've never seen one offered for sale. They are small, aren't they? Dwarfs?

 

[The_Budmaster]

yes they're very small, ours are maybe about 2-3cm. I dont know if they're babies but i'm gussing that they'll still grow a little bit

 

[suemack]

hi there - I had 2 chocolate gouramis, both male I think, had to keep them in different tanks because of the aggression. One recently died after he decided to take on a pair of keyholes that were guarding eggs (hadn't realized the KH's were old enough to breed) I could only keep them in well planted tanks with young guppies and cories - didn't seem to worry about them though they have picked on some of the bigger adult females and were intolerant of my dwarf apistos.

Haven't been able to get them interested in flake foods but happily eat Tetratab min, frozen daphnia, brine shrimp and bloodworms and when they have been in the tanks with the guppies - newborn fry (an entire drop disappeared)

My water is very soft - use rain water (tank supply) that has negligable GH and the pH is 6.5ish. I have java fern planted and water sprite floating in the tanks and the CG's seem to spend a lot of time hanging out in the sprite. I also do frequent small w/changes as my guppies grow better that way.

These guys have been in my tanks for about 9 or 10 months now, tried unsuccessfully on a number of occasions to put the 2 fish in the one tank - eventually had to move one in with the keyholes which was ok for a few months till they matured

Have had no problems with disease with them though if the water is slightly overdue for a change they do change colour and get stressed. Cool fish with attitude ++ I originally hoped I had a pair until they nearly killed each other

cheers - sue