A Dwarf Gourami Mini F A Q

[Metka]

Blue gourami are not dwarfs. Blue gourami are a three-spot gourami variant.
You can have 3 if you want, or 4, but the more you have the less aggressive behaviour will affect one individual fish, as it will be spread out among the group. You should still try and get at least 2 females to 1 male ratio.

 

[JezTaylor]

Thanks for this. I've been looking to get a pair of Dwarf Gouramis so it was certainly useful.
 
Coming back on to the point about pairs, I only have a 64 litre tank so there's not a huge amount of room for the female to get some space. Would you say it's better to have a male by himself? Also, what about putting a pair of females together? Is the reason this isn't so common because the males are more colourful?

With regards to different varieties... my LFS has some labelled "red neon drawf gouramis" and some labelled "sky blue dwarf gouramis". Is colour going to be the only difference here? In other words, if I got one of each, would they behave as a pair?
 
Thanks

 

[JezTaylor]

I'm gutted. Last week I noticed a pink mark next to my Dwarf Gourami's mouth. I've had him for nearly three months and he's still his usual active self and still has his appetite, but presumably it's the disease you've all mentioned. I'm going to treat the water with Melafix just in case it's a bacterial infection... but doesn't look good 

 

[TwoTankAmin]

So an old thread still going. I was too lazy to read it all. I did read the incorrect statement in the original post about myobacterium being mostly in sw fish.

 
Is this the same as Fish TB?

Though the external symptoms are similar to Fish TB, the problem with dwarf gouramis is caused by a completely different bacterium. Fish TB being primarily an issue with marine fish, not freshwater ones.

Fish TB is known to infect humans (albeit very rarely), but the dwarf gourami sickness, whatever it is, poses no known risk to humans. However, it is a good idea to wash your hands after handling sick fish, or for that matter anytime after you have worked in your aquarium.

 
This simply is not true:
 

Abstract
Mycobacteriosis in fish is a chronic progressive ubiquitous disease caused by Mycobacterium marinum, M. gordonae and M. fortuitum in most cases. The aim of this study was to describe the morphology and distribution of lesions in 322 freshwater ornamental fish across 36 species.

from http/onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2761.2010.01202.x/abstract;jsessionid=97F11328BB10D75CEEE0879A8F1F2F92.d02t01?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+unavailable+for+approximately+4+hours+between+09%3A00+EDT+and+14%3A00+EDT+on+Saturday%2C+28+September+2013+as+we+make+upgrades+to+improve+our+services+to+you.+There+will+also+be+some+delays+to+online+publishing+between+25+to+28+September+2013.+We+apologize+for+the+inconvenience+and+appreciate+your+patience.+Thank+you+for+using+Wiley+Online+Library!&userIsAuthenticated=false&deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=
 
So mycobacterium isn't found in gouramis? Think again:

 

Abstract
Thirty-five aquarium fish were investigated for the presence of mycobacteria by culture and molecular methods. The following species were examined: goldfish Carassius auratus auratus, guppy Poecilia reticulata, 4 three-spot gourami Trichogaster trichopterus, dwarf gourami Colisa lalia, Siamese fighting fish Betta splendens, freshwater angelfish Pterophyllum scalare, African cichlid fish Cichlidae spp., cichlid fish Microgeophagus altispinosus, cichlid fish Pseudotropheus lombardoi, blue streak hap Labidochromis caeruleus, sterlet Acipenser ruthenus, southern platyfish Xiphophorus maculatus, and catfish Corydoras spp. Isolates of mycobacteria were obtained in 29 cases (82.9%).

from http/www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/20053094559.html;jsessionid=0CDF1A8FAD455A98EFFC7F68D06D2690
 
And finally, not science, just a well well respected site:

 
Dwarf Gouramis are known carriers of Mycobacteria infections, and while not apparently dangerous to humans, at least some of these fish-borne Mycobacteria strains can cause unsightly and uncomfortable rashes.

from http/www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/dwfgbeh.htm
 
It is so easy to roll off statements of "fact" without really having any clue about them other than one is repeating something they saw posted some place. Finally, there are different strains of mycobacteria.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

If you want fish with mutiple colors in a 10 gallon tank then I think Gourami are the way to go. I've lost mine mainly to swim bladder disease and there is nothing you can do about it. Swim bladders help the fish navigate up and down, and in air breathing gourami's they NEED to get to the top of the tank to get that breath of fresh air. If their swim bladder is faulty they may sit on the bottom, the may swim strangely etc. It happens in a number of species not just gourami - but that's the ONLY problem I've had with gourami.

I guess you could research out some Rainbow fish - they are slim and get to 4-5" which is pretty big for a 10 gallon so don't get any more than 2. They are especially cool because the change colors (I call them mood rings) - an orange male may get all excited and turn bright red. Others may get a yellow tail and then it goes back - but as fish they are rather boring.

The genetically modified Tetra's are beautiful. Scientists in the old days bred fish to change color when exposed to certain polutants or other chemicals in water ways, before then you had inject a fish with a color to get a colored fish. But someone clever took the genetically modified tetras (and danio's and others) and changed the fist to certain colors permanently - they are born that way - no painful needle and they really are pretty - all are pretty small

If you're just after a single color (often yellow) look for plecos - some are all yellow and hide in caves, eat mainly pellets at night so you'll rarely see them. To get really colorful fish you have to switch to saltwater tanks.

 

[jlind9669]

Dwarf gouramis are one of the two most widely sold gouramis (the other being the three-spot gourami), and virtually every aquarium shop will sell them. They are generally peaceful, accept flake food readily, and are not fussy about water chemistry (though soft, acid water is best). However, despite being widely sold and seemingly easy to keep, they are in fact not easy fish at all. As with any pet animal, it pays to do your research first.

Latin name

Currently, the Latin name for these fish is Colisa lalia. You will see other names though, such as Polyacanthus lalius and Trichogaster lalius.

Identifying dwarf gouramis

In their normal form, males are characterised by oblique red and blue stripes, while females are plain silver. There are a variety of artificial forms as well, including some that may be hybrids with other gourami species. These varieties include all-blue forms (sometimes called neon, blue, or powder blue dwarf gouramis) and ones with a red body instead of the stripes (sometimes called flame, red, or sunset dwarf gouramis). Females of all these artificial varieties are more or less plain silver and similar to the wild-type fish.

So what's the problem with dwarf gouramis?

Put simply, these fish are astonishingly prone to mysterious bacterial infections. Once the fish begin to get sick, death is more or less inevitable. The symptoms are typically:

1 - Lethargy
2 - Loss of appetite
3 - Appearance of bloody patches (sores) on the skin
4 - Death

Is this the same as Fish TB?

Though the external symptoms are similar to Fish TB, the problem with dwarf gouramis is caused by a completely different bacterium. Fish TB being primarily an issue with marine fish, not freshwater ones.

Fish TB is known to infect humans (albeit very rarely), but the dwarf gourami sickness, whatever it is, poses no known risk to humans. However, it is a good idea to wash your hands after handling sick fish, or for that matter anytime after you have worked in your aquarium.

But I thought gouramis were hardy?

In the wild state, they are. But dwarf gouramis are bred on farms, where antibiotics have been used freely to minimise losses. Once shipped to the retailer, the dwarf gouramis no longer receive antibiotic medication, and the internal bacteria can then start to cause problems. Inbreeding for colour varieties has probably lowered their intrinsic hardiness as well.

What can I do?

Above all observe two rules: only buy fish from tanks containing healthy specimens, Never, ever buy a dwarf gourami from a tank where there are sick, lethargic, or otherwise unhealthy-looking fish.

Secondly, quarantine your fish rigourously. Dwarf gouramis should be quarantined before being added to the community tank, and any new gouramis (of any species) should be quarantined before being added to a tank with dwarf gouramis in it.

Anything else?

The bacteria seem to be opportunistic, so improving conditions generally helps prevent problems. Specifically, keep the water clean, and don't overstock the tank. Feed the fish on a varied diet, and use a good quality flake food as a staple. Dwarf gouramis like the water warm (25-28C, 77-82F); cooler conditions depress its immune system. Ideally, use soft, acid water, but whatever the water chemistry, perform frequent water changes. Do not combine with tankmates liable to stress the fish, such as tiger barbs, territorial cichlids, and so on. The less stressed the gouramis are, the healthier they are going to be.

Social behaviour

Like other gouramis, males can be aggressive towards females. Ideally, keep multiple females to every one male so that any aggression is spread out. However, since these fish are normally sold as pairs, you may not have that option. In this case, keep the tank thickly planted and provide lots of caves for the female to hide in. Do not keep a pair in a tank less than 60 cm in length (approx. 20 US gal.). Thanks to Fillet 'O' Fish for this.

Cheers,

Neale

Will gourami be harmed by a little salt water to support crab health?

 

[DoubleDutch]

Not want to be rude and I like the idea of a factsheet but there are some assumptions made, (partly) incorrect info given and some important facts not mentioned. To mention some :

The current name for Dwarfs is Trichogaster lalius (again).

The variaties indeed aren't hybrids but linebred colorvariaties.

Females of the cobalt blue variaty is blue as well (though males will breed with the colorless females of the other variaties).

These fish are temperature sensitive as it comes to breeding. Higher temps cause them to be in matingmood constantly (with agression / woring the male out as a result).

The mentioned fish tb (which isn't only in Marinefish) has been proven to be a result of the not mentioned Irido virus (Dwarf Gourami Disease or Dwarf Gourami Irido Virus. An incurable viral issue getting worse and worse. BTW : the bloating ( spleen and kdneynecrosis) , colorloss, infections (bacterial and fungal), ulcers are symptom of this viral issue.

In my opinion they can be kept in pairs (as stated by others) though indeed in a planted tank (with floaters as well)

Personally I think this beautiful fish is destroyed and would call for an importban from South East Asia as the only sollution to solve this issue.

I'd only buy local bred fish.

Edit : I seem to have missed the biggest part of the posts so far. Apologies to the members that allready pointed out certain things.