Chocolate Gouramis

[moeldner]

I currently have the following:

57 USGal (215L): 6 x McCulloch Rainbow, 1 x Dwarf Gourami, 18 x Cardinal Tetra, 1 x Common Bristlenose Catfish, 9 x Harlequin Rasbora, 3 x Otos, 2 x Bolivian Butterfly's, 3 Siamese Algae Eaters

And as it is my birthday this month, some friends have offered to by me some fish. Chocolate gouramis have caught my eye in the past, and was wondering if I would have any problems between them, and any of the fish i currently have? I imagine the bristlenose may be the issue, but she's very docile, and I hardly see her.

The other options I've been considering are:

a. Discus (pair) (bristlenose will be an issue - may be able to rehome her though)
b. Male bristlenose as a breeding partner
c. ? (any other suggestions)

The tank is planted (Val, anubias, amazon swords, red val, crypts, java moss) and has bog wood in abundance. I also have a reasonable current running through it from an extra power head (rainbows love this) and have an airstone at the other end to give a fair amount of surface disturbance.

Please be aware that i am considering replacing 2 bolivian butterfly's (so will have 4) I recently lost, and may replace the dwarf gourami I lost last week too (very bloated before death - suspect constipation with infiection). I may add a few more cardinals and harlequins as well, but htis shouldn't make much difference - only talking about 5-6 more (total of both) at the most).

All of this will be happengin sometime in January, and I wont be doing it all at once. I will also be adding more filteration in the near futue in the form of a fluval 203 or 304.

My water tests are at 0 Am, 0 Nitrite, 10 Nitrate and 7-7.2 ph. These stats have not changed since I started this tank up a few months ago.

So - any advice?

 

[sylvia]

First of all, search this section of the forums for 'chocolate' (hopefuly that'll bring up any threads with a mention of chocolate gouramies in them). Read everything. You should quickly gather that these are not easy fish to keep and have some rather specific requirements - the most obvious thing is that they are best kept in a large species tank with only other chocolate gouramies. You'll also notice they need to be kept in large groups and that they are rather prone to catching various diseases off other fish. Considering the highly active SAEs, the rather imposing rainbows and the bolivians (are these rams you're talking about - they can get somewhat aggressive when breeding), your tank isn't suited to a fish that is extremely easily stressed and very fragile. Furthermore, your dwarf gourami should not be replaced yet (in fact, don't add anything to your tank for a while) as it almost deffinately died of dropsy (symptom of an internal bacterial infection to which many gouramies are especialy prone) and it would be very risky to add anything in the aftermath in case some of your fish (particularly the remaining gourami) are carrying the same disease (it can take a while to show up. It would be especialy foolish to add chocolate gouramies (which, like I said earlier, are prone to catching such disease) when you cannot be shure of how healthy your remaining fish are. Anyway, I'm by no means telling you to deffinately not get any chocolates - I'm just suggesting you research them a lot more beforehand (both by searching here - which should bring up quite a lot of info - and by doing a google.com search or similar internet search). Good luck regardless

Actualy, scrap all that - you don't have room for new fish anyway. You are fully (if not over) stocked and neither discus not chocolate gouramies are a good fish to add to an over-stocked tank (neither are dwarf gouramies). Also, just so you know in future, the bristlenoses are fine with the gouramies. IMO, they are also fine with discus. However, a lot of people feel plecs (and that would include otos BTW) are risky to keep with discus because they are liable to suck on their slime coats or develop a tendency towards hanging off their bodies. I have never seen this, heard of this actualy happening or experienced it myself. I honestly think this was just some one-off that has now become a 'fact' within the hobby and is just an over-reaction. Having said that, never take risks if you feel there's any danger of something going wrong.

 

[moeldner]

First of all, search this section of the forums for 'chocolate' (hopefuly that'll bring up any threads with a mention of chocolate gouramies in them). Read everything. You should quickly gather that these are not easy fish to keep and have some rather specific requirements - the most obvious thing is that they are best kept in a large species tank with only other chocolate gouramies.

I have been researching these guys for a while, but was introduced to the idea recently that they may cope well in a community tank. I wasn't sure on this which is why I'm asking for advice. Almost everything I've seen has said species tank, so I will leave it for now. I love these fish, and know I can keep them happy, so maybe it's something to look to in the future. They are not very common around here, and can be hard to source anyway.

You'll also notice they need to be kept in large groups and that they are rather prone to catching various diseases off other fish. Considering the highly active SAEs, the rather imposing rainbows and the bolivians (are these rams you're talking about - they can get somewhat aggressive when breeding), your tank isn't suited to a fish that is extremely easily stressed and very fragile.

Furthermore, your dwarf gourami should not be replaced yet (in fact, don't add anything to your tank for a while) as it almost deffinately died of dropsy (symptom of an internal bacterial infection to which many gouramies are especialy prone) and it would be very risky to add anything in the aftermath in case some of your fish (particularly the remaining gourami) are carrying the same disease (it can take a while to show up.

I will not be adding fish for a few weeks yet (3-4), and I am treating the tank with a course of melafix and pimafix as a general tonic in case the gourami had died of something other than constipation.

It would be especialy foolish to add chocolate gouramies (which, like I said earlier, are prone to catching such disease) when you cannot be shure of how healthy your remaining fish are. Anyway, I'm by no means telling you to deffinately not get any chocolates - I'm just suggesting you research them a lot more beforehand (both by searching here - which should bring up quite a lot of info - and by doing a google.com search or similar internet search). Good luck regardless

Thanks for the advice - appreciate it. I am doing research, and have been looking at these guys here and on the web for a few weeks. Just thought I'd get specific advice about my set up before plunging into anything.

Actualy, scrap all that - you don't have room for new fish anyway. You are fully (if not over) stocked and neither discus not chocolate gouramies are a good fish to add to an over-stocked tank (neither are dwarf gouramies). Also, just so you know in future, the bristlenoses are fine with the gouramies. IMO, they are also fine with discus. However, a lot of people feel plecs (and that would include otos BTW) are risky to keep with discus because they are liable to suck on their slime coats or develop a tendency towards hanging off their bodies. I have never seen this, heard of this actualy happening or experienced it myself. I honestly think this was just some one-off that has now become a 'fact' within the hobby and is just an over-reaction. Having said that, never take risks if you feel there's any danger of something going wrong.

This is why I thought the bristlenose would be aproblem. The guy at my regular LFS has discus, and he has had problems keeping bristlenose with them fot his reason. He strongly recommends not keeping them together.

I realise my stocking levels are high, my tanks dimensions are 99wx47dx60h cm (or approx 40x18.5x23.5 inches), and I hace tried targetting different levels, which is why I have gone to a "overstocked" level. I do regular water changes, and m looking to increase my filtration.

My rainbows love the top level of the tank where the most current is, the harequins seeem to enjoy the bubble wall at the end of the tank and the current as well. The gourami has a few spots he hangs out in at various places, and the rams and ottos spend most of their time around the bottom with the bristlenose. The cardinals hang out amongst the val at the back of the tank.

Anyway, thanks for the advice - more research and thinking will be required. Apreciate you taking time to comment.