chocolate gouramis

[Earthgirl]

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Dwarfs]

Google rocks!!!

 

[Earthgirl]

thank you very much dwarfs, that helped a lot!

 

[Dwarfs]

Glad to help!

 

[BlueIce]

Sphaerichthys osphromenoides
Common Names: Chocolate Gourami
Synonyms: Sphaerichthys osphromenoides osphromenoides
Family: Belontiidae
Origin: Sumatra, Borneo, Malay Peninsula.
Main Ecosystem: Flooding
Temperament: Timid. Should not be kept with very active or agressive species.
Diet: Carnivore
Care: Feed with live bloodworms and brine shrimp. The Chocolate gourami will accept frozen food in an ideal tank, but flakes will be ignored. This is a very difficult fish to keep, prone to diseases and poor water quality. You must maintain perfect water conditions in a mature, planted tank to prevent bacterial infections and skin diseases. Keep these fish only if you can provide the right conditions, and keep them steady. The Chocolate Gourami requires consistent parameters to remain healthy. Soft water is essential.





pH: 6.0 - 7.0


Temperature: 25°C - 27°C
(77°F - 81°F)

Hardness: 1.0°dH - 4.0°dH


Potential Size: 5cm (2")
Water Region: Middle-Surface
Activity: Diurnal
Breeding: To initiate breeding, use peat extract and a pH 0f 6.2. Reduce the water level and raise the water temperature gradually over two days by 2°C. Then add some cooler water to the tank. When spawning, the female will hold the eggs in her mouth for 14 days, during which she does not eat, therefore she must be in prime condition.
Gender: The male has a yellow border along the edge of it's fins.
Comments: Rare in Australia. The Chocolate Gourami is a species recommended for the advanced aquarist looking for a rewarding challenge.

 

[Doggfather]

Heres an extract from a post i wrote about them...

Chocolate Gourami are hard fish to take care of since they require pristine water quality and the corrected water paramaters can conditions. If they aren't kept in the right conditions they will fold up their fins, refuse to eat and look drab. Knowing what size the tank is could help a lot! and what the water parameter are would also be a great help.

These fish are also prone to skin parasites and bacterial infections. The water needs to be changed frequently for them to be happy and the ph should be kept between 6.0 - 6.8 at all time. Having the water at around 6.5 would be best. Hardness should also be between 2 - 4 degrees. Having the water filtered through peat would be a good idea since chocolates prefer swimming in blackwater but if you can't get hold of some peat, use some commericially avaliable blackwater treatments. Chocolates also need high temperatures and the tank should be between 27 - 28 degrees.

Feeding these fish may also be a problem. They need large amounts of live food such as bloodworm, brine shrimp, daphnia and mosquito larve, although they may accept flake food (this is a big maybe, most fish don't even bother giving it a second glance) they will still need these livefoods in their diet to keep them healthy which can get expensive for the owner.

Finally, these fish are very shy. Your other fish like the dwarf gourami have probably formed territories already and the chocolates are finding it hard to come out in the open and form their own terriotry.

The best thing to do would be to take them out of the tank and return them and since they prefer to be kept in groups of 6-8+ start a species aquarium.

Good Luck

Also, could you please post your tank size and water parameters, it will help us a great deal!!!

smile.gif

and another extract from another post i wrote...

Chocolate gouramis are an extremly delicate fish which prefer a heavily planet blackwater aquarium with din lighting. They prefer peaceful tankmates and like to be kept in groups of 6 and above. An acidic Ph (6.0 - 6.6) will be best and soft water. Unless kept in perfect conditions they will not look their best, fold up their fins and refuse to eat.

These fish should be fed on live food, but if you can't afford/obtain these foods, frozen will do. They will reject any type of flake food, except in rare cases. They prefer temperatures of 28 Degrees C.

These fish are also very hard to breed and will either mouthbrood, or build a bubble nest. If you wish to breed these fish, condition them for weeks with live foods.

The water must also be effectivly filtered but it must not be turbulent. It is also a good idea to include lots of bog/drfit wood in the aquarium. A species tank is best.

Hope that helped you smile.gif

*Btw, the type sold are usually Wild caught so, again, perfect conditions must be maintained. Also, frequent water changes

 

[the skunk]

Doggfather, have you had any success with spawning chocolates yet???

 

[tekknocolor]

Google rocks!!!

I'd never seen one before now! Very nifty!


-- Leigh Ann