They are great fish but whether they are worth buying or not is a different matter. There are certain things you need to be prepaired to provide as these fish can be quite fragile. For a start, most get to around 2-3" and are non-aggressive. They actualy need to be kept in a group to thrive - 6 or more is best. Their water prefferences is another issue as they need quite acidic water - particularly if you plan to breed them - I'd say at a pH from 5-7. They also need excellent water quality and some will require live foods. A planted tank is always best with these - with some caves and things too. A species tank, or a tank with some small, peaceful fish is ideal. Fry will require small live foods. The other thing to keep in mind is that there are, I believe, 4 species often labelled 'chocolate gouramies' of some kind. Though these have similar requirements and are all quite peaceful, it may be advantageous to you to ascertain the exact species so that you can provide the correct environment more accurately as they grow to slightly different sizes and have slightly different water parameter prefferences. These fish have been considered more difficult to keep than discus (and we all know about their reputation) but are well-worth the effort if you are prepaired to take the time to offer them what they need. They are not, however, a fish to buy on impulse and you must make sure you research them thoroughly and set-up their tank correctly before purchasing them as they are rather unforgiving of mistakes and fluctuations in water quality.
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