I want a Gourami!

[Squishiebabe]

I have a 10gal, with 2 male guppies in it atm, and I really like the sound of gouramis. I was thinking a single male dwarf, but have been browsing and noticed that 'sparklers' or sparkling' gouramis sound pretty small and good as well.
Any suggestions? Stories and experiences would be great too....thx

 

[FishSticks]

Dwarf Gouramis are one of the first type of fish I ever kept. I started off with a 10 gallon aquarium and I could never find a way to keep more than 1 dwarf in that small of a tank, they always ended up killing each other. My only suggestion is that if you do decide on getting male dwarf gouramis, stick to your idea of a single one.

I personally think the sparkling gouramis aren't as good looking as the other gouramis. You have many choices look here

 

[sylvia]

Sparkling gouramies (trichopsis pumilus) are beautiful once the get some color on them. They can croak as well (like croaking gouramies) and they realy do sparkle. Also, they only get to around 1" so a trio would be nice in a 10 gallon (1 male, 2 females). They appreciate lots of plants for cover and are very peaceful towards other fish. Because of their minute size and disposition, you should be able to add a few mroe fish to that tank afterwards as well.

Dwarf gouramies (colisa lalia) are great but you should either go for a single male or stick to females only (in which case a couple would be nice). Females aren't as brightly colored. The downside to these gouramies is that they are quite fragile, easily catching disease and often dying without warning. If you get one that is healthy, however, in a well-maintained tank they'll thrive. Finding a healthy one though is difficult. Even apparently healthy looking ones in your LFS are likely to be carrying itnernal diseases which they may not reveal for several months. It's a great shame but they have been in-bred so much their immune system has become quite weak and they are susceptible to internal bacterial problems. Having said that, they are still worth your while but probably won't live 7 years (like most other gouramies do).

Another lovely choice, very similar to the dwarf, is the honey gourami (colisa chuna/sota). Be careful not to confuse the two. Honeys rarely get to over 1.5" and, as a trio, would thrive in your tank. They, like dwarfs as well, appreciate floating plants or tall rooted plants for cover. The females are duller but still beautiful and the male develops a lovely dark blue-black underside when mature. He is territorial but will do fine with females.

The above are the most suitable choices for your tank.

However, there are a couple more species you may wish to consider - firstly, the banded gourami, colisa fasciata, gets to about 4" and looks like a bigger version of the dwarf. It is much hardier though, IME males are mroe tolerant of each other and, IMO, a much more rewarding fish to keep. Due its size, however, you should stick to only one and don't add any other fish afterwards or your 10 gallon will be voer-stocked.

The other option is the thick-lipped gourami - colisa labiosa. This one gets to about 3.5" and is pretty much the same, as far as requirements go, as the banded. However, I must say I don't think this one is quite as beautiful as the banded though the males are still very colorful. Also, they do stay slightly smaller so are probably a better choice in a small tank.

With all these gouramies, you should have some plants in your tank and, especialy for the colsia species, some floating plants as well. They aren't fussy eaters and all those above, except for the dwarf to an extent, are quite hardy over-all.

 

[Squishiebabe]

I was wondering, if i got 2 gouramis of different sex, but different species as well (ex Dwarf and Sparkling) Will they mate?
Dont want any unexpected inbreds lol
I also saw these things called "neon blue gouramis" in with the dwarfs at my lfs...what are they really, are they dyed?? Do you know much about them lol?

 

[Annastasia]

Neon Blue Gouramis are usually a color variation of the Dwarf Gourami, so the info will be the same.

And no, I do not believe 2 different species like that will mate. Perhaps if you had different kinds of Dwarfs, they may, but not those kinds of Gouramis. They seem too far apart, and different.

 

[Squishiebabe]

Okay, I just do not want fry lol, so I think I'll start with one male, then once I get levels stable and everyone is disease free, I'll add two females.(maybe sparkling, maybe another dwarf) Then again i have read that its not like livebearer breeding, and its harder lol, you actually need to alter conditions in your tank possibly...so...hopefully you dont see me asking about what to do with fry lol, thanks

 

[Annastasia]

I wouldn't just put one Sparkler in. They like to be in small groups, like 1 male to 2 females, or 3 females. Maybe just stick to the Dwarfs? Or get a trio of Sparklers?

 

[Squishiebabe]

I'm prolly getting 1 dwarf, and could i later on get a trio of sparklers?
lol, i think i might just invest in a bigger tank once i get lots of money, and my 10gal could be for gouramis.
As for now, I think 1 dwarf, and maybe some different fish after. Will he be lonely though?

 

[Annastasia]

No, one male Dwarf should be just fine.

I don't know if you could add Sparklers. I've heard they are shy fish, and need a well planted tank. Also no aggressive fish...and I don't know how the Dwarf will act with them...maybe someone else will, though.

 

[Squishiebabe]

yep

 

[sylvia]

I noticed earlier you mentioned letting the tank stabilize - do you eman to say it isn't yet cycled? If so, let it cycle before adding the dwarf. As I think I made it pretty clear in my previous post, they are quite fragile. They won't tolerate fluctuations or bad water. Anyway, as your tank only has 2 guppeis in it, a single male dwarf and then later a trio of sparklers should be fine. Sparklers are tiny fish and male (assume they are male?) guppeis only get to about 1" so you won't be over-stocked. Planting the tank is a good diea for both the sparkling gouramies and the dwarf though.

 

[Squishiebabe]

No, I meant just let the new guy settle in , and the water to stay okay (I have a small tank, and now that i know, i worry about ammonia spikes, ect) I like only adding very few fish at one time anyway, that way i can see if anything is wrong with the fish ( QT tank is in use) and how it acts,and whatnot.
Are the honeys hardier?? I'm not good with fragile anything, lol, and definately not taking a fishy life by my stupidity or absent-mindedness lol. Do you think I should try the dwarf; i've got the guppies thriving, and they've had some pretty bad run-ins woth diseases and survived a cycle, lol (Damn petsmart )

 

[sylvia]

I think, if you feel fairly confident, you should go for the dwarf if that's the fish you like. They are fragile and can easily succumb to disease but, like I said before, if you pick out a healthy one (not from petsmart!), you may just get one that'll live a good long life. It isn't usualy the fish-keepers fault entirely when these die. They often carry disease from before and their in-bred background means they have a weaker immune system and that's why they are so much more susceptible to disease than many other gouramies.

If you don't feel confident trying the dwarf, a single male honey or a trio (1 male, 2 females) would work instead. They are very hardy little fish IME. You can still get the sparklers with them BTW. Honeys only get to 1.5" but make sure you are actualy getting colisa chuna/sota (honey gourami) and not a fancy color morph of the dwarf (colisa lalia) with which they are often confused.

 

[fishwatcher]

Just to let you know, my dwarf male Elvis has taken to building himself a bubblenest! It is awesome! He has been biting little pieces of my java moss and other plants and adding them to a floating banana plant leaf. Then he's blown bubbles under/in all of that. He is too cool! I'd go for one of those, then add a trio of dwarf honey gouramis a little later. I saw some at the lfs the other day, and they are so adorable and pretty!
My first dwarf was sick the day after I got him home, and never recovered. (PetSmart purchase...maybe just a coincidence?)This time, I got one from the lfs. He's doing great, knock on wood.
Let us know what you go with... good luck!

 

[Squishiebabe]

Well, went to the fishie store earlier, and i did pick up a gourami...a dwarf, but blue, the variation coloured.... the regular dwarfs didnt look to healthy, lol.
He seems great, even ate a few flakes (i was curious, lol, and he gobbled them up faster than my guppies could even see them lol) And its so intersting to watch him go up and take some air, like the bettas lol
I did notice though, after i got him home, that he has a tiny, tiny rip in his bottom fin, likely fin nipping because that tank was so overstocked, almost 13 male gouramis in a 10-12 gal...yikes!!
Is this anything to worry about? Theres salt in the tank already.
Also, I've had an internal parasite breakout in the past, but are there any other signs other than white poo, generally unhealthy looking, and visible worms showing?
Thanks for all your help, I'm going to read up a bit right now
EDITics are coming, i took a few while he was in the bag, I might never get another chance lol