Royal Gourami.

[kniesh]

Hi, I recently decided to fill my 40 gal with gouramis as my main focal point. I already had pearls and have bought a few dwarf which are mt favourite, but there are gouramis listed in the fish shop i go as royal gouramis. I cant seem to find any information on them does anybody know if this is the right name etc... They are about the same size as a full grown pearl an a really bright red with a blue lining. Thx

 

[sylvia]

I doubt 'royal gourami' is their correct name... Could you describe them a bit more? My initial reaction was to assume they were 'noble gouramies' (ctenops nobilis), which are extremely fragile fish, but the 'red lining' and size (because you're unlikely to get one that large still alive in an LFS) make me think them more likely to be something like the indian/banded/striped gourami (colisa fasciata) or the thick-lipped gourami (colisa labiosa). Then again, there are varieties of dwarf gourami (colisa lalia) that are labelled as 'royal' whatever (eg: royal neon blue dwarf) - it's just a fancy name to improve sales However, pearl gouramies grow to at least 4" - a dwarf couldn't reach this size.

Once again, a more detailed description is called for... did it have stripes? Which direction did they go in? What color was it exactly? What size are the pearl gouramies you compared them to exactly (perhaps they were not fully grown)? Did they resemble a dwarf/pearl gourami in shape (ie: were they a 'typical' lateraly compressed gourami shape or more elongated like a licorice gourami)? Any other details would also be of benefit - such as whether you could tell the fish were of different sexes in the tank or how active they were.

Here are some pictures of the fish I mentioned within this post. If any even vageuly resemble the unknown fish, mention it and explain in what ways it deffers...

Thick-lipped: http/www.greenparktropical.com/Fish/imag...d%20Gourami.jpg

Banded: http/www.fishdeals.com/anabantids/gourami/banded_gourami/

Licorice: http/www.azgardens.com/images/Gourami-Licorice.gif

Noble (last pic): http/homepage2.nifty.com/chokolate-gourami/shoukai.html

Royal neon blue dwarf (just an ordinary dwarf): http/www.fish2u.com/malneonroybl.html

I assume you already know what a pearl and dwarf look like as you reffered to both in your own post

 

[kniesh]

Thx for the reply. The first picture of the thick lipped is very similar and they have that blue outline on the top only. The only difference is the colour, they are a much brighter an fuller red. The size is about 3 inches maybe slightly smaller but obviously they will grow bigger as shops only tend to sell juveniles. Anyway it is very alike in shape to the thick lipped and much like a larger version of my dwarf, but again different colours. thx.

 

[sylvia]

The thick-lipped gourami varies in color: http/tropicalfishgallery.com/species-gal...an/labiosa.html
These only get to 3.5"

However, I'm beginning to think what you saw was simply a color morph (probably that known as 'flame' commercialy) of the dwarf gourami:
http/mstecker.com/pages/tropicalfish_fp.htm (scroll down)
http/www.elmersaquarium.com/10gouramis_dwarf.htm
http/www.greenparktropical.com/Fish/gourami.htm
These get to 2.5" maximum for larger males. 2" is more typical a size. they are usualy nearly fully grown when you see them at your LFS.

 

[kniesh]

Thx for that, they are definately the flamed dwarf gourami. Do these just have the same requirements as the normal dwarf, and will they school together? Mine are twice the size of the normal dwarf.

 

[kniesh]

While i have ur attention sylvia, u seem very knowledgable about gouramis. I relly want to make this tank as colourful as possible. I have got 3 powder blue dwarfs, 1 pearl (had 5 but were all poisoned... since been addressed and will add more pearl), various corys (bronze an peppered) and 3 ruby sharks (2 albino an one black). I am looking to add more colourful gouramis besides the flame already mentioned, do u have any suggestions? Its a 40g with plenty of room left. I was gonna add some honey gouramis.

BTW, I lost nearly a full tank after buying some fake plants, I boiled them b4 putting them in, but it would appear within 2 days they destroyed 80% of the tank. Needless to say i was devestated. Thx in advance

 

[sylvia]

Yes, the flame dwarfs have the same requirements as any other dwarf - they are all the exact same species (colisa lalia) - just different colors.

To be honest, I would not add any more top-dwelling gouramies to your tank. Gouramies are territorial and it's generaly best to provide at least 10 gallons per male when it comes to dwarfs and pearls. females work alright together though and seem to enjoy each other's company. Also, most gouramies won't 'school'. Pearls do if you keep them in large numbers in a good-sized tank and sometimes you get individuals that seem to like to 'hang out together' but they aren't true schooling fish and do better in conditions which are not crowded.

Note that your ruby sharks will kill each other once mature and may also pose problems for their peaceful tankmates. This is no over-statement. How large are they right now? Sharks majorly dislike each other. At least 1 will end up being bullied to death if you keep all 3. They should be kept singly.

If you want mroe colorful fish, I'd suggest some rainbows. Pracox rainbowfish are a manageable size. A group of 6-7 would look stunning. they are bright blue with red fins. They look drab when stressed at your LFS but quickly color up in the aquarium once settled in.

Boesmani rainbows and melanotaeinia lacustris (turquoise rainbowfish) are another couple of rainbow species I like. These get larger though so care should be taken to not end up over-stocking. note that rainbowfish are schooling and must be kept in groups - 5 or more is reccomended.

Swordtails are another, very common but vibrant, fish I like to add to a tank, as a trio (1 male, 2 females) just to add a little extra activity and color.

If you are still after gouramies, consider some of the species that don't spend their time in the upper layers - croaking gouramies (trichopsis vittatus), for example, aren't the most colorful of fish but they have bright blue eyes and can actualy 'croak'. They get to about 2".
If I were looking for peaceful, as well as hardy, fish, I'd go for the croakers: http/tropicalfishgallery.com/species-gal...an/vittata.html
http/www.solodvds.com/remarks.asp?Name=C...uramis&ID=7
Unfortunately, none of these pictures show their blue eyes.

Note that it's best not to get any voerly-active schooling fish (such as the rainbows) if you want peaceful mid-dwelling gouramies and the sharks could also pose some threat as well.

Heavily plant your tank if you plan to mix lots of gouramies. It'll keep territoriality and aggression to a minnimum. if you can't use live plants, fake ones work just as well (but don't boil them - you are likely to expose deadly chemicals from paint/plastic if you heat them that much - that would explain your deaths).

 

[kniesh]

Thx again. Feel bad about those plants now. There a lots of fake plants and many hiding spots in the tank. I done a lot of research on the ruby sharks and found that they arent as aggressive as red tailed sharks. I also asked the guy in the fish shop( trust him) and he said the same. So long as kept in groups the aggression is equally shared... apparently. The black one has chased the 2 albinos a bit but nothin too bad an they tend to stay at oposite ends of the tank, both planted. Thx for the advice about gouramis, much appreciated..

 

[xanthianacid]

I totally have empathy for you in this situation. I really get annoyed at LFSs who misname fish, and even more ticked off when you try and correct them and they do nothing about it.
It isn't good all round, ie researching them, preparing for them, making the decision whether to risk it for a less hardy fish etc etc. They should be up with the names at least, so those of us can make an informed decision!

 

[sylvia]

Concerning the sharks, it's true that they are less aggressive than RTBSs - but this does not automaticaly make them peaceful. For aggression to be devided and therefore be made less likely to result in the death of a fish, you need more than just 3 individuals. In fact, this is exactly why I said that 'at least one' is going to end up dead if you aren't careful. particularly when aggressive fish are kept in threes, two tend to gang up on the third, lowest ranking, one. A similar situation can be seen with pairs but, at least, then it's only one fish bullying the other - not two. A good example of when large numbers are used to lower aggressin is with mbuna cichlids or tiger barbs - in both cases, keeping 3 defeats the purpose and can actualy make matters worse. Anyway, while they are immature, they should be fine together. Just be aware of the possible aggression you may face in future and be ready to re-home two of the sharks if any chasing or violent behaviour becomes apparent.