10g tank for dwarf gourami

This was supposed to be a quarantine/planting tank, but plans went sideways when I realized that this dwarf gourami, Mr. Bluerami; was bullying my cories and pretty much all others on my 29g tank.

My son grew attached to him, so returning him (it was a gift) or otherwise getting rid of him wasn't an option.

Had to do another hurried fish-in cycle, thankfully aided by the established bb in the fake coral decoration and helping along with seachem stability.

The nerite hitched a ride on the fake coral, so he's there now permanently as well.

Just today I got 3 plants for this tank, and in the future I hope I can get a floating plant carpet in it. That's TBD, because besides bullying other fish, another hobby of choice for Mr. Bluerami seems to be to eat any floating plants in sight.

He eats like he's been kept hungry all his life and the next meal is never guaranteed.

Perhaps in the near future (and once I DO get a quarantine/planting tank) I'll change the substrate to sand on this one as well.

The light is a special tube that's supposed to help plants grow. I like that its not too bright and it brings out the colors of both the fish and the plants. I do have the "regular" tube for this cover too, I might change it later on, the pinkish hue is due to this light.

Thanks! Any feedback is always welcome

For a rushed tank setup no one can complain on how it is... Good on you for recognising what was wrong and eliminating the issue! In the future I would slowly start swapping decor and stuff if you want... I like a natural look so thats why I recommended that but if you like that then just add on to it so he has more hiding spots.

I don’t mean to thread-jack but I wonder if you know what type of plant is in pic 8?

Rocky998 said:

For a rushed tank setup no one can complain on how it is... Good on you for recognising what was wrong and eliminating the issue! In the future I would slowly start swapping decor and stuff if you want... I like a natural look so thats why I recommended that but if you like that then just add on to it so he has more hiding spots.

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Thanks!

I like how it looks now, however we want to swap the fake coral decoration for some driftwood, perhaps I'll attach some plants to it, I definitely want it to be as natural and "alive" as possible, more heavily planted and yes, with more "hiding" spots.

I still hope I can put some other fish there, but I know the tank size and this guy's temperament are potential barriers that have to be taken jnto consideration.

enricosonic said:

I don’t mean to thread-jack but I wonder if you know what type of plant is in pic 8?

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I'm a sucker for knowing plants too. No worries, I like comments and sharing info. It's a crested Java fern.

enricosonic said:

I don’t mean to thread-jack but I wonder if you know what type of plant is in pic 8?

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Do you mean image 134244? That looks like java fern windelov to me.

It should not be planted in the substrate. The rhizome should be above the substrate. While it can be grown with the rhizome resting on top of the substrate it is all too easy to accidentally cover it. So it is usually grown attached to decor.

outofwater said:

Thanks!

I like how it looks now, however we want to swap the fake coral decoration for some driftwood, perhaps I'll attach some plants to it, I definitely want it to be as natural and "alive" as possible, more heavily planted and yes, with more "hiding" spots.

I still hope I can put some other fish there, but I know the tank size and this guy's temperament are potential barriers that have to be taken jnto consideration.

Click to expand...

Glad to hear that! Due to his violent nature I wouldnt do any other fish in there... As the reason you separated him was due to him being aggressive

Essjay said:

Do you mean image 134244? That looks like java fern windelov to me.

It should not be planted in the substrate. The rhizome should be above the substrate. While it can be grown with the rhizome resting on top of the substrate it is all too easy to accidentally cover it. So it is usually grown attached to decor.

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Thanks for that! I have some weighted tie ins from previous purchases, I'll use that right away. I wish they included such important info on the plant packaging

outofwater said:

Thanks for that! I have some weighted tie ins from previous purchases, I'll use that right away. I wish they included such important info on the plant packaging

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Me too, mine has been in the substrate for weeks.

Rocky998 said:

Glad to hear that! Due to his violent nature I wouldnt do any other fish in there... As the reason you separated him was due to him being aggressive

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He's a dick, plain and simple. but I noticed it wasn't him just being inherently violent, it was because he's so damn hungry all the time. When we first got him he was fine on the 29g tank, staying on the top section, but in 3 days flat he decimated the floating plants, so he started descending to the middle (bothering the neons) and the bottom, chasing and nipping at the cories, just to scare them away from the food. The only fish he left alone was the oto,, and I think that's because the oto just stayed motionless when he came near. So, he's too damn hungry for his own good.

@Essjay what about the other 2? One is an Asian water fern, and a Nana. Should those also not be planted, just kept on the surface?

Thanks!

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Essjay said:

Do you mean image 134244? That looks like java fern windelov to me.

It should not be planted in the substrate. The rhizome should be above the substrate. While it can be grown with the rhizome resting on top of the substrate it is all too easy to accidentally cover it. So it is usually grown attached to decor.

Click to expand...

The one on the right in the full tank shot looks like Bolbitis heteroclita ........ yes google just confirmed that's what Asian water fern is. That's usually grown attached to decor as well. I think I read somewhere that this plant has 2 distinct leaf forms - plants grown under water (submersed) and plants grown out of water (emersed). If what I read is correct, you have the emersed form and now it's under water the new leaves may be a completely different shape. Strictly speaking, since it's a fern they aren't leaves, they are fronds.

Is the nana an anubias? It's hard to tell from the photo. If it is, that too needs to be attached to decor as it also has a rhizome.

Essjay said:

The one on the right in the full tank shot looks like Bolbitis heteroclita ........ yes google just confirmed that's what Asian water fern is. That's usually grown attached to decor as well. I think I read somewhere that this plant has 2 distinct leaf forms - plants grown under water (submersed) and plants grown out of water (emersed). If what I read is correct, you have the emersed form and now it's under water the new leaves may be a completely different shape. Strictly speaking, since it's a fern they aren't leaves, they are fronds.

Is the nana an anubias? It's hard to tell from the photo. If it is, that too needs to be attached to decor as it also has a rhizome.

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Yep, anubias. So all these 3 need to be weighed down for now. I'm glad I asked, and glad I saved the old weighed tie ins from previous buys.

As the plan is adding driftwood once I get that, I'll superglue these to those.

Thanks a lot, much appreciated.

Provide it with some floaters etc....
I don't like DG's (and most fish) kept single but okay that is my opinion.

Please realise that what we see as agression is often caused by human factors or misunderstood behaviour.

DoubleDutch said:

Provide it with some floaters etc....
I don't like DG's (and most fish) kept single but okay that is my opinion.

Please realise that what we see as agression is often caused by human factors or misunderstood behaviour.

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Moved a portion of duckweed and other small floating plant, and put a bamboo there. And put the other plants on weighed tie ins for now. Still work to do, but he seems to like the changing setup.

As for another fish, we'll see. If his temperament allows, I'd like to pair him with a girl gourami, but I need to finish setting this tank up with more plants (or wait for these to grow) and put driftwood before I attempt that.