Sparkling Gouramis

[Harlequins]

I've decided to sell my livebearers and opted on maybe getting some sparkling gouramis,

How many would be ideal in a 55 gal community tank please? and what ratio of males to females please.

Other fish are ember tetras,corys & harlequins-and maybe getting a shoal of glow light tetras.

Thanks

 

[Harlequins]

Well i finally bought 6 sparkling gouramis,they're so cute

 

[Twinklecaz]

Have you managed to get any pics? I've noticed you seem to have quite similar taste in fish as me

 

[Harlequins]

Only when they were in the bag,they're playing hide N seek in the plants at the mo

 

[Mikaila31]

6 is a good number. They are pretty impossible to sex so suggesting a ratio won't be very helpful. They are a bit small for a 55gal IMO. If you rarely see them you may want to go to a smaller tank. I kept 5 in a 20 gal high. Dense plant cover is best and will make them much bolder if they feel safe. Mine spawned for me in a quite tank with only the sparklers and some small rainbows. They will make noise too, there is a vid in my sig of mine chirping. I think it was a male behavior, but not totally sure. It is pretty loud though. I eventually lost all of mine to some weird gourami killing only disease. Some were dieing while others were spawning.

 

[Harlequins]

I did think about the size,but i'll see how they get on,i could always transfer to pygmy cory tank if they hide too much.
2 of them are getting bold now,and swimming around nibbling on plants.

Fab video by the way

 

[MBOU]

Sparkling Gouramis are BRILLIANT!!

They are really easy to sex!! You need fairly good eyesight as they are small LOL but the males have much longer fins than females, the males dorsal fin overlaps his tail whereas the females is rounded.

So long as they fit in your tank, the more sparklies you have, the better!!

 

[Mikaila31]

I still have to disagree that they are very hard to sex unless you light shine them and look for the ovaries. Mine spawned and I tried to tell them apart and these fish look 100% the same to me. I know none of mine had rounded dorsal fins or any noticeable difference in fin length. I defiantly had males and females. I've always assumed that the chripping is done only between males as a dominance or hierarchy display, and this anabantoid will do the same as others where the male guards the nest. These where the only times I could be fairly confident of a particular fish's gender.

 

[Biulu]

Lovely fish, but yes, they might get a bit lost in a 55 gallon. Your pygmy cory tank would be a good option if you hadrly get to see them.

 

[Harlequins]

Thanks for the info

It'll be interesting to see if they start to build a bubble nest

 

[Harlequins]

Here's a pic of one of the gourami's (and a glowlight)