Can Gouramis Live In Unheated Tank Without A Problem?

[ApolloJ]

My three spot seems to be doing fine so far...i'd say he's adapted, but some people insist in using a heater...also while we're talking about Gouramis, I was wondering, I had to keep mine in a separate tank because it's extremeley violent, however, the tank feels so lonesome with just a gourami and a Pleco in there, so what would happen if I purchase a female gourami? then again...i'm kinda afraid he might harass her to death...

 

[kelly528]

Not unless you live in the *** Sahara. It may not seem to affect them but it will compromise their immune system, slow their metabolism and invite disease and parasites such as ich. Get a heater and gradually up the tnak to their preferred temperature.

1m:1f is kind of iffy (they're real wifebeaters) but 1m:2f is definitely safe.

Can I ask what type of pleco you have and how big your tank is?

 

[ApolloJ]

Not unless you live in the **** Sahara. It may not seem to affect them but it will compromise their immune system, slow their metabolism and invite disease and parasites such as ich. Get a heater and gradually up the tnak to their preferred temperature.

1m:1f is kind of iffy (they're real wifebeaters) but 1m:2f is definitely safe.

Can I ask what type of pleco you have and how big your tank is?

It's a common Pleco, growing moderately...the tank is 10 Gallons, however my store said there wouldn't be any problem without a heater, in fact they said as long as I keep the water's quality, he would be ok, but i'm not sure I could trust them, I mean that's why I asked if a heater was a must on this forums, they've lied about something to me in the past, they said my plecos would basically just survive off the slimy stuff on the glass and poop on the ground, I actually found that strange...so I did research and now I give them cucumber cause they mostly die of starvation, at least that's what many have experienced because the pet store doesn't inform you enough sometimes...

 

[Forestpisces]

You need to take the pleco back and get a heater, the plec will grow to roughly 2ft long and they a huge waste producers. Gouramis are not a cold water fish they are soley tropical and need temperatures of at least 24 degrees celcius.

 

[ApolloJ]

You need to take the pleco back and get a heater, the plec will grow to roughly 2ft long and they a huge waste producers. Gouramis are not a cold water fish they are soley tropical and need temperatures of at least 24 degrees celcius.

I'm aware the Pleco will get that big, besides I find them to look pretty cool once they grow into adults, so I'll buy a new tank when I see more growth, about the heater, I may think about getting it if it isn't expensive

 

[Forestpisces]

The heater is not optional it's a neccesity in keeping tropical fish, they are by no means expensive and cost as little as a lightbulb to run. As for the plec i really think you should take it back, a full grown common plec needs a BARE MINIMUM of a 6ft/2ft/2ft and the filteration to match, it will be creating too much ammonia for you filter to handle even at such a small size. I urge you to re-think your stocking and choice not to use a heater. Tropical fish need heaters and common plecs need space and heavy duty filteration, you could easily have a nice pleasant community of small fish in there without the plec and a heater, or return both fish get a heater and get 1 dwarf puffer.

All in all what i am telling you is that without the correct stocking, water chemistry and a heater, you will not keep fish successfully.

 

[Honeythorn]

It isn't a question of thinking about it. Your fish both of them, are tropical and require a heater. That's all there is to it. If you don't want to have a heated tank then don't keep tropical fish The shop told you wrongly. Heaters are NOT expensive an you can easily get one on ebay. In fact it's probably cheaper on ebay.

You are supposed to research the fish you like the look of BEFORE buying them. By doing that you find out what size tanks they require when adults, what temperature they need, what food and what they are compatible with. You run great risk of failure and death by not doing this.

Your 10 gallon tank is utterly unsuitable for both of those fish. The plec in particular. It isn't a case of waiting to see if it grows and then getting a tank for it, you need a tank NOW that will be big enough to deal with the plec when it is an adult. Common Plecs grow pretty quickly and they grow very large. They produce a lot of waste and if nothing else the filter for a ten gallon tank will not be able to cope with that amount of waste in the slightest.

You also need to feed him something other than just cucumber. Pleco wafers or wafers/tablets for bottomfeeding fish are readily available in fish stores and most pet stores. Cucumber alone will not give your plec all the nutrients he needs to be healthy. He needs actual food.

If you want to keep the plec you will need to get a tank about 5-6 feet long. Plus an external filter. If you haven't space for such a tank then you need to return him. Trying to cram him into a smaller tank would be extremely cruel.

If you return the plec and get a 20-30 gallon HEATED tank, your gourami will be vastly more comfotable and you could add some tankmates such as danios, rasboros, tetras, barbs, endlers, guppies, ( not all of these in one tank obviously ) the list goes on and on for choice.

You can look for larger second hand tanks on ebay, at car boot sales, in classified/free ads in the paper, craigslist, there are plenty of places to find a bargain and a lot of tanks often come with free equipment such as heaters and filters thrown in with the price.

You have no excuse.

 

[ApolloJ]

It isn't a question of thinking about it. Your fish both of them, are tropical and require a heater. That's all there is to it. If you don't want to have a heated tank then don't keep tropical fish The shop told you wrongly. Heaters are NOT expensive an you can easily get one on ebay. In fact it's probably cheaper on ebay.

You are supposed to research the fish you like the look of BEFORE buying them. By doing that you find out what size tanks they require when adults, what temperature they need, what food and what they are compatible with. You run great risk of failure and death by not doing this.

Your 10 gallon tank is utterly unsuitable for both of those fish. The plec in particular. It isn't a case of waiting to see if it grows and then getting a tank for it, you need a tank NOW that will be big enough to deal with the plec when it is an adult. Common Plecs grow pretty quickly and they grow very large. They produce a lot of waste and if nothing else the filter for a ten gallon tank will not be able to cope with that amount of waste in the slightest.

You also need to feed him something other than just cucumber. Pleco wafers or wafers/tablets for bottomfeeding fish are readily available in fish stores and most pet stores. Cucumber alone will not give your plec all the nutrients he needs to be healthy. He needs actual food.

If you want to keep the plec you will need to get a tank about 5-6 feet long. Plus an external filter. If you haven't space for such a tank then you need to return him. Trying to cram him into a smaller tank would be extremely cruel.

If you return the plec and get a 20-30 gallon HEATED tank, your gourami will be vastly more comfotable and you could add some tankmates such as danios, rasboros, tetras, barbs, endlers, guppies, ( not all of these in one tank obviously ) the list goes on and on for choice.

You can look for larger second hand tanks on ebay, at car boot sales, in classified/free ads in the paper, craigslist, there are plenty of places to find a bargain and a lot of tanks often come with free equipment such as heaters and filters thrown in with the price.

You have no excuse.

Haha...you don't really need get pumped up about this Honey, the simple fact of the matter is the pet store just won't accept him or any other fish back, even if I wanted to, many would agree the pet store just cares about the money, but that's business for ya, I seem to have been just one of the many people who just got little information from the sellers babe, all I can really do for now is get a heater when I can pass by the store, and if you insist about the Pleco leaving, there's nowhere it can go, my friends, family, they're all unfamiliar to fish keeping, and since he looks rather small right now, they'd think they don't need such a HUGE tank as the one you're descibin' me. Blame teh fish store, don't take it out on innocent people!

 

[Forestpisces]

Honeythorn isn't taking it out on you, it's just that on this site people expect you to research a fish to at least some extent before buying it, there may be other fish/pet shops that will take the fish off your hands, there is always somewhere. And your doing the right thing by getting a heater even though the gourami is technically too big for that tank. if it is on it's own you may get away with it but it would deffinately be happier in a 20gal.

 

[Honeythorn]

the simple fact of the matter is the pet store just won't accept him or any other fish back, even if I wanted to,

Take it to a different store. Try several, one of them will take him if he is in good health.

since he looks rather small right now, they'd think they don't need such a HUGE tank as the one you're descibin' me

Had you bothered to research the species before buying it as you should have done, you would know that common plecs DO grow to well over 12 inches in length and DO require the size of tank and type of setup I mentioned. Go ahead and ask them in the catfish section, check it out in the species index. Go and find a fully grown specimen and see how big they really grow. I am not wrong. He's small now because he is a juvenile fish. He needs SPACE to grow and you do not have enough of it at the moment. You either need a 5-6 foot tank or you need to sell or give him to a fish shop who has room for him.

If you keep him in the ten gallon he will outgrow it and be unable to even turn around let alone swim properly.

Blame teh fish store, don't take it out on innocent people!

No, I will blame you. Most fish stores do indeed mis-sell a vast number of species and they are wrong to do so, but YOU are the one buying the fish so it is YOU who must do the research and provide the correct setup for the fish since YOU will be the one looking after it.

There is no room for laziness in this hobby, if you want fishkeeping to work, get off your backside and do the research the fish require you to do before buying even so much as a tank. It is not the job of fish stores to do everything for you.

 

[ApolloJ]

the simple fact of the matter is the pet store just won't accept him or any other fish back, even if I wanted to,

Take it to a different store. Try several, one of them will take him if he is in good health.

since he looks rather small right now, they'd think they don't need such a HUGE tank as the one you're descibin' me

Had you bothered to research the species before buying it as you should have done, you would know that common plecs DO grow to well over 12 inches in length and DO require the size of tank and type of setup I mentioned. Go ahead and ask them in the catfish section, check it out in the species index. Go and find a fully grown specimen and see how big they really grow. I am not wrong. He's small now because he is a juvenile fish. He needs SPACE to grow and you do not have enough of it at the moment. You either need a 5-6 foot tank or you need to sell or give him to a fish shop who has room for him.

If you keep him in the ten gallon he will outgrow it and be unable to even turn around let alone swim properly.

Blame teh fish store, don't take it out on innocent people!

No, I will blame you. Most fish stores do indeed mis-sell a vast number of species and they are wrong to do so, but YOU are the one buying the fish so it is YOU who must do the research and provide the correct setup for the fish since YOU will be the one looking after it.

There is no room for laziness in this hobby, if you want fishkeeping to work, get off your backside and do the research the fish require you to do before buying even so much as a tank. It is not the job of fish stores to do everything for you.

You're just spreading Drama.

 

[Honeythorn]

No, I'm telling you the truth and you seem unable to cope with this.

 

[Azeron]

Lol @Pleco eating poop and ''green stuff'' seriously r0fl give that pet shop owner a slap

 

[kelly528]

So the lesson of the day is never go on the word of a LFS! Ever!

And yeah I have to agree that you need to take the pleco bakc to any LFS who will take it-- Fish grow based on the concentration of a hormone they secrete in the water. The more of the hormone there is, the less they grow. In the wild this system works just fine, but in captivity, where they are kept in dramatically small tanks, it will stunt them. This means that their skeleton will stop growing but their organs will not. So even though your pleco may not seem that big even in a few months, the reality is that he is dying from 'organ compression', a condition where the organs fail due to excessive pressure from the skeleton and surrounding organs.

Just save your question for the forum from now on-- it's by far the most reliable source for answers.

 

[Honeythorn]

Actually plecs are one of the few fish who do not seem to suffer stunting. It will however continue to grow until it literally cannot swim, which is equally as cruel.

They're big active fish that need a long tank to have space to swim.