Dwarf Gourami - Stocking ?

[MoreCoffee]

Hi,

I have a 130Ltr tank, heavily planted with lots of cover including bogwood, rocks and some
floating plants.
All the water reading are good ...
no NH3/4 or NO2 and
NO3 is about 12.5
PH 7.5 (down from 7.8 due to addition of CO2 system)

I've not really kept Gourami's before and have a question about how many is Dwarf Gourami's
it is best to keep. A week ago I added a pair (1 male 1 female) should I add more females ?

The tank is currently understocked .... other occupants are 6 Corydora, 3 Otocinclus and
6 Amano shrimps ... so there is plenty of room for another female or two.

Currently the pair seem happy enough, the male occasionally chases the female, but not
to the extent that she looks stressed out. Maybe an extra female would distract his attention
a little more

I'm thinking that a group of 1 male and 2 females would be better (or maybe 3 females), I'm not
looking for the best 'breeding group' just the best level to keep the fish happy and stress free.
However it goes that without saying that happy fish are more likely to breed

One thing I dont have available just at the moment is an established tank that I could move the females
to if they did spawn, how long should the females be moved for ?
...... I could easily buy one (say a 60Ltr) but it would need time to cycle.
I do have a small hospital tank, but at 5Gal it's way too small to use as a holding tank for 1 or more females.

Hoping for some quick replies as my LFS still has some females from the same group/tank that the
pair came from, and they seem to be in good health and about the same age/size etc.

Many thanks

Mr G


===========EDIT==========
Appologies ......

Just seen the posting by Jen asking almost the same question and the reply from syvia pretty much
answering my questions. I guess for Dwarf G's a group of 1M & 2 F is about best.

.... I'll check the current postings next time before diving in with a question )

==========================

 

[lljdma06]

You could easily have 1 male and 3 females, if you'd like. In addition, if you'd like a nice schooling fish for a planted tank, I really recommend Harlequin rasboras. They school mid level and are very attractive complement to the gouramis, which are a nice centerpiece fish.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Many thanks ..... it looks like my male is in for some extra companions

Then he wont look as lonely as he does in my profile pic !!



Mr G

 

[MoreCoffee]

Just added a second female to the tank ... I THINK !!

The fish came from a tank full of female dwarf gourami's at LFS, however now it is in the tank with better lighting, I can see some very faint lines/markings on the body, and although the body colour is silver/grey there are also two small spots of blue (one near the tail and one behind gills).

...I need to know if this new 'female' is a juvenile male in disguise ?

In all other respects it looks and acts the same as my female (who is all silver/grey with no faint markings) and both of the 'females' hang out together with no chasing.
The male treats them both the same, tollerating them and then chasing them off, but nothing agressive.


Thanks

 

[sylvia]

Can you post a picture? It's probably a female if it's silver in color but it would eb good to make sure.

I'm not clear on what you were asking about moving the female(s) out if the gouramies spawned. Do you mean moving them out while the male guards the nest and while the work towards becoming free-swimming? If so, you need to keep in mind that you'll also have to remove the male as well once the fry can swim.