Huny Sunset Gouramis

[guppy fan]

Hi,

I've decided to give away my guppies because I don't think I can provide an ideal environment for them. They keep tearing up eachother's tails. My naighbor (and experience tropical fish keeper) said it is because They are trieing tom mate, but thier are no females. To make them happy I would have to get them mates. I will soon be moving and there is no place I can give the fry too. So I got two sunset honey gouramis. I am now realizing that they might be to big for a ten gallon with four bronz corries. My lfs said that they'de grow to be four inches long, but after doing some reasearch I don't think this is true. I've had them a few days and I still haven't seen them eat. They don't come up to the top at feeding time to eat with my guppyes (the guppies will be going back tomarrow). they also don't eat it when It falls infront of them. I'm feeding flake food and sinking pellits. Sould I only be keeping one in my tank, or are they schooling fish? Should I take them back too and get smaller, more harde fish? They are in a ten gallon tank with two bronz cories, two more are coming tomarrow and the guppies will be leaving. I have a filter for a twenty gallon that filters 100 gallons an houre. Anny advice?


P.S. sorry for my bad english, I'm in a hurry.

 

[Chuka1212]

Wish I knew more about gouramis, but the fact that none are eating is a bad sign. Have you tested their water parameters? A 10 gallon tank, in my opinion, is one of the hardest sizes of tanks to keep, they are less forgiving of overfeeding and overstocking mistakes because there is relatively little water. With the guppies in the tank you are surely overstocked, and your fishes reluctance to eat could be caused by too much ammonia in the water, your filtration just can't handle that many fish in that small of tank. Once the guppies are gone (I would suggest immediate removal) I would imagine you would be ok with just two honeys and your corycats. I think that honey gouramis grow to about 2-3 inches and with your bronze cories at a full grown 2 inches each, you will be cutting it very close.

Another possibility is that they have a disease. what do they look like? Are they very frail and thin? Do they gasp? Have they lost their color? I don't know if honey gouramis are the same and dwarfs, but dwarf gouramis are very susceptible to bacterial infection. I lost the only two I have ever had to disease.

So I would test the water parameters, not add anymore fish, check/research diseases, or just consider upgrading to a bigger, easier to manage tank. I was sure happy when I got rid of my 10 gallon and moved on to 30, 20, 55 etc.

 

[guppy fan]

Thier color has faded slightly, and they are shy. They don't flip out like Greeny (one of my cories) deos when I come up to the tank too fast. I still haven't seen them eat, but other than that they look O.K. I would get a bigger tank if I could. I can't go to the pet shop untill monday, but maybe tomarrow I will put the guppies into a 1.5 gallon holding tank. I did a 55% water change, I hope that healps.