Gouramis

[Aqua_Princess64]

A few minutes ago I was doing research on fish to put in my 12 gallon when I came across the Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami. I have some questions about them because now I want one or two:
1. How many should I get?
2. Is a 12 gallon tank too small for dwarves?
3. Will they be compatible with the fish in my siggy in the 12 gal. tank?
4. What do you feed them?
5. If I get them, should I get females or males?
6. How do you tell males and females apart?
Srry about all those questions but if I get them I want them to be as comfortable as possible. Anyway, thanks for all your help!!!
~Aqua~

 

[juliethegr8t]

1. You're either going to want one male, or a pair, though I'd suggest just one male.
2. It should be just fine for one boy.
3. I think they should all be fine if you have plenty of hiding places and lots of plants so the gourami can establish some territory and everyone will have places to hide if he decides to pick on them.
4. They eat normal flake food.
5. You probably want males because they are prettier.
6. Males are much brighter than females - females are pretty much just silver, and most lfs don't even stock them. The males also have a pointed dorsal fin, whereas the female's is rounded.

Dwarf gouramis are wonderful fish, I've had a few myself, and right now the boy I have is one of my favorite fish. He has such a great personality. They can be territorial though, you don't want to keep 2 males together because they will constantly fight. It can sometimes be a mistake to keep a male and a female also, because the male will bother the female a lot - especially in a tank as small as yours. So get a pretty little boy and you should be set.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Aqua_Princess64

Dwarf gouramis are just like their larger relatives, only smaller. They are every bit as territorial and require a lot of space at the top of the tank.

One would be good, but I think two might be a bit too many for your small tank. It's quite likely that you will only be able to get males; for some reason they do not seem to sell females in this country.

They are easy to feed and seem happy to have any thing I put in the tank including spirulina disks, which sink to the bottom. They are especially fond of tubiflex worms and blood worm, either live or freeze dried.

 

[Aqua_Princess64]

Thanks guys!!!! I think I'll get 1 male Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami next weekend (I just added 2 guppies yesterday and I don't want to overload my tank) I can't wait!!!!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Aqua_Princess64

I do think you'll be happy with the gourami, and it is a good idea to add the fish slowly so that the bacteria will have time to catch up.

Now that you have the space at the top of your tank accounted for and with the guppies in the middle, have you given any thought to adding cory cats to the bottom? With the fish you have, and the gourami you plan to get, you will still have room for 3 of them which is enough to keep them very happy!

 

[Aqua_Princess64]

Yea, I've thought about getting cories. There are just so many fish to choose from and it's so hard to choose!!!