Dwarf Gouramis

[fatfishman]

I want to get some dwarf gouramis for my fish tank and i have heard from many people that you should keep two females for every one male. Ideally for my tank i would like three 1 male, 2 females the problem with this is that all the places i have seen that have them only sell them in pairs.

Would it be alright to have 1 male and 1 female or would the male become to aggresive towards the female ?

 

[Davo86]

Firstly, What size is the tank?

 

[fatfishman]

My tank is 180liters, so 47 us gallons

92cm long, 55cm deep and 41cm wide

 

[Davo86]

Well i would say there is enough space for them both, Although i do think that as you say the ratio of 1:2 or even 1:3 would work much better, in the lfs where i work we will happily sell individual gouramis to customers that we know already keep them, so it may be worth asking for 3 and seeing their reply,

Another factor which may help reach a decision is what other fish you keep already??

 

[fatfishman]

Well i would say there is enough space for them both, Although i do think that as you say the ratio of 1:2 or even 1:3 would work much better, in the lfs where i work we will happily sell individual gouramis to customers that we know already keep them, so it may be worth asking for 3 and seeing their reply,

Another factor which may help reach a decision is what other fish you keep already??

At the moment i only have some black neon tetras, as my tank has only just finished cycling and been set up for just a week and i know that i would have to mature the tank and get the water perfect before adding any gouramis as they are particularly delicate.

 

[SouthernCross]

Unless you can get them from a breeder try and avoid dwarfs if you can. So, SO many people on this forum (including myself) have had problems with them. They generally carry a virus and die after you've only had them a few weeks/couple of months. Do a search on this forum for dwarf gourami and you can see for yourself. My old thread is a good one to flag in particular.

47 gallons is quite a lot of space to work with, you could easily keep a trio of a bit larger sort if you wanted. Also, female dwarfs aren't all that pretty.

Depending on what other species you want to keep, there are all the colour variations of the 3-spot, i.e. blue, gold, opaline, etc. They tend to be a bit more aggressive. On the other hand there's pearl gouramis - beautiful, and more peaceful. These fish are around the 3-4 inch mark. If you wanted smaller ones though, honey gouramis are similar size to dwarfs, but much hardier.

Before you go buy them, be sure you know how to sex them. Getting your ratios right might save you some heartache down the track. If you don't know how, there's plenty of people here who can help you with what to look for.

Best of luck.

 

[fatfishman]

Ok thanks very much guys.

SouthernCross do you keep pearl gouramis ?

 

[SouthernCross]

Yep, I keep a M/F/F trio (thats my male in my av) in a 3 ft 39 galoln with platies, cardinal tetras, cories and a BN.

Lovely fish.

 

[Flagfin]

Hi fatfishman - its a longshot but where do you live? Only because my lfs is selling my home bred dwarfs at the moment and the reports I've had back are that they seem to be doing well and are quite robust. (They must be pretty hard cos they survived me rearing them!!!!). They would also sell what ever number you wanted. I'm in Merseyside.

 

[fatfishman]

Hi fatfishman - its a longshot but where do you live? Only because my lfs is selling my home bred dwarfs at the moment and the reports I've had back are that they seem to be doing well and are quite robust. (They must be pretty hard cos they survived me rearing them!!!!). They would also sell what ever number you wanted. I'm in Merseyside.

I live in the UK very close to Luton if you Know where that is.

Where abouts is Merseyside its up north isnt it

 

[Flagfin]

Hi fatfishman - its a longshot but where do you live? Only because my lfs is selling my home bred dwarfs at the moment and the reports I've had back are that they seem to be doing well and are quite robust. (They must be pretty hard cos they survived me rearing them!!!!). They would also sell what ever number you wanted. I'm in Merseyside.

I live in the UK very close to Luton if you Know where that is.

Where abouts is Merseyside its up north isnt it

Hya - Yes I know Luton - and yes Merseyside is up north (about 200 miles). The nearest big town would be Liverpool. A long way to go for dwarf gouramis! I knew it was a long shot but just thought i would try

 

[fatfishman]

Hi fatfishman - its a longshot but where do you live? Only because my lfs is selling my home bred dwarfs at the moment and the reports I've had back are that they seem to be doing well and are quite robust. (They must be pretty hard cos they survived me rearing them!!!!). They would also sell what ever number you wanted. I'm in Merseyside.

I live in the UK very close to Luton if you Know where that is.

Where abouts is Merseyside its up north isnt it

Hya - Yes I know Luton - and yes Merseyside is up north (about 200 miles). The nearest big town would be Liverpool. A long way to go for dwarf gouramis! I knew it was a long shot but just thought i would try

Yeah oh well would have been good, but thanks alot anyway