How Does This Fish Combo Sound?

[beux]

60 Litre Tank

2 Honey Gourami

6 Pygmy Cory

5 Sparkling Gourami



Feedback would be appreciated!

 

[beux]

It's always my posts that never get replies.

 

[The-Wolf]

It's always my posts that never get replies.

I'm sorry you feel tha way.
maybe if you rephrased your questions people would be able to help/answer you more.

Personaly I think that the 5 sparkling gouramies in such a limited tank is overdoing things

 

[beux]

How big do they get? I thought they only got to 1.5", but yeah, thinking about it - maybe it is a few too many, I was kinda counting them all as 1" (which would be 13" of fish to a 16G tank) - but I should knock a few off.

Maybe four of the sparkling gouramis and four of the pygmys?

 

[The-Wolf]

for now I would (provided the tank is cycled) just go with the 2 honey gouramis, then a week of so later add the pygmy corys.
after that it all depends on wether the tank looks crowded to you or not.

the secrect of sucessfull fish keeping is patience

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I also think your original idea is too overcrowded. It's not all about inch per gallons.

A good tank is made up of bottom/top/middle dwelling fish so as to not overcrowd. It also has to be made up of compatible fish and although I am no gourmi expert I think you may exoerience aggression problems with the gourmi plans. I think you'd be best to stick to one kind of gourami. Perhaps a couple of female and one male of a smaller kind.

JMO though

 

[sean11]

this is a bad, idea i have 2 Gouramis in a 30 gal tank and they chase each other all day since i got them i dont think they havent had ripped fins. It got so bad i had to buy another tank for the smaller of the 2 and the bigger one chases my platenium angels. the honeys would be good they are very peaceful and they stay quite small.

 

[lljdma06]

The problem with your original stocking plan is that you have too many fish that would tend to occupy the top strata of the aquarium.

I have honey gouramis in a 15g, which is fine, they stay pretty small. Make sure the females out-number the males. A trio is a good start, 1 male, 2 females. I would also stick with just one gouramis species. In addition gouramis should be added last. You will have more success when gouramis, especially the ones you want to keep, are added when the tank is quite mature, over 6 months old.

The pygmy cories are a wonderful addition. Have you considered harlequin rasboras or Espie rasboras. A small school would look stunning and provide needed activity in the middle strata of the aquarium.

A word about two pygmy cories, at least the ones I have seen in stores. C. pygmaeus is smaller and tends to school throughout the entire tank, though they do spend time in the bottom. C. habrosus is more sturdy and is more likely to stay in the bottom. Both are excellent fish.

My 15g has 4 honey gouramis (still trying to figure out if I have an extra male and if it should go back to the LFS), 6 harlequin rasboras, and 7 c. pygmaeus. I don't consider my tank over-stocked but I also have a densly planted tank and a strict weekly maintenance regimen. All these fish were also added in the course of 6 months and the tank has been running for nearly three years. I have had bad luck with people taking care of my tank over the holidays, and children dumping food in my tank, resulting in wiped out tanks. If the extra gouramis is male, then it goes back to the LFS, if it's a female, then I see no harm in keeping it.

I think Wolf's advice is great. Never add everything at once and always pay attention when stocking a tank to where the fish are going to be. A balance in the three stratas (top, middle, bottome) should be observed. If you can look at your tank and see all your fish, it may be too crowded. It takes me about 15 minutes to find all of mine. Of course, if you have a large tank with big fish, it may be possible to find all your fish in a glance, but I don't keep those kind of fish.

I also have a trio of T. pumilus, which is the same genus as sparkling gouramis. In fact, they were labled sparkling gouramis at the LFS, but Linke and other authors refer to pumilus as the croaking gouramis. But who knows? Books are not always right. They are extremely hard to sex at the LFS. You need a flashlight and you need to know what ovaries look like in a fish. I am lucky, I think I got 1 male and 2 females. They are in a 10g, which could use a middle/bottom dwelling fish. Enough about me and my problems. Good luck with your fish.

 

[beux]

Thanks guys! Well you've all given me a lot to think about. Just to clear up I wasn't going to add them all at once, just that is what I was hoping for as the final stock. I will probably end up rethinking the sparkling gouramis and maybe just going with the honeys and the pygmy's.

I'm not rushing it (i posted this thread a week ago and have only just ordered in the pygmy's from the lfs - will take two-three weeks before they get the delivery)..

Anway, thanks!