New Sparkling Gouramis

[jollysue]

My LFS got a new shipment of sparklers. The girl that is best at sexing in the shop and I scruitinized each little one. I described the arrow that was described to me and Elisabeth. She found one. "There!" we both cried.

One lone girl in a pack of now 7 males. She may need her own isolation tank.

 

[cometcattle]

Congrats jollysue!

Are your Sparklers Trichopsis pumila or Trichopsis schalleri?

 

[jollysue]

Well *hehe* the first batch are the silvery ones, pumila I believe it is, comet. The new ones are a little different looking, but it could be from having different spawn parents. They seem to have a cream or yellow cast. They are still settling so the color is not full yet. They are more rounded in shape, too, more discus like. Once when glancing quickly, I had to double take. I thought I saw a honey, but it was one of the new sparklers.

I can't remember the pictures of the schalleri now. The lfs girl didn't know there was another one.

I got a famioly of badisbadis too.

I will look up the schalleri later tonight.

 

[jollysue]

The Miniature South Sea tank is up and running. It is indeed trichopsis schalleri. It is just starting, and it is an awesome tank.

There is the trio of sparklers (schalleri), 3 or 4 scarlet dario dario (formerly badisbadis) one of whom is a spectacular male--if a 1/2" bitty thing can be spectacular; about 12 pygmy cories; some pandas; and an Orange flash trio from apistodave (a trio of apistogramma agassazi and another Orange flash female will be here later in the week), and 3 frogs

There are also 2 female honeys and 4 trichopsis pumila in quarantine.

 

[sylvia]

That sounds like a wonderful combination of fish! Great choices

 

[jollysue]

Thank you, Sylvia. I am just delighted with it. I had help with much of the selection. Comet cattle informed me of the two varieties of sparklers, and most importantly Lucky 62 suggesed the main idea and inhabitants, even giving me links to look at and chose from. It's taken awhile through a few rough bumps. Some guys (like my beautiful and graceful Honey Boy) didn't and won't make it to the completed tank. Some have gotten stuck in an unending quarantine and medication cycle, although they have never shown symptoms themselves.

I said there are 3 or 4 scarlet dariodario, but there should be more like 6 or 7. The girls were perhaps hiding among the pygmy cories.

Can you recommend a Honey breeder?

Will tricopsis pumila and schalleri inter breed?

 

[sylvia]

Sorry, can't help with the breeder.

As far as the schalleri crossing with the pumilus, I have never kept the two together but would think that, theoreticaly, they could. However, generaly speaking, if there are males and females of both species, they will tend towards breeding with their own kind and you'll hopefuly avoid hybrids. Gouramies are generaly quite difficult to hybridize anyway so it shouldn't be much of a worry. Still, keep an eye on them and don't let them spawn/raise fry if you know the offspring are hybrids.