Dwarf Gouramis (Colisa Lalia)

[Minibar-JG]

Hey guys, Joe again! Just wondering if you have any tips on keeping dwarf gouramis (colisa lalia). I originally planned to get a couple of angels, but I lack experienced, and have heard rumours of them eating neons so I decided to remove from my fish list. I plan to acquire a 55 gallon tank, and have no looked into the dwarf gouramis. How many would you advise I keep, also a male to female ratio? I was thinking either 2 males & 2 females or 1 male & 2 females, any comments would be of help here! I don't know much about dwarf gouramis, as I have never kept them before! Thanks for reading!

 

[Minibar-JG]

made a few mistakes here, sorry guys! corrections --> 'and i hav not looked into the gouramis'** 'hot wud u adivise i keep them'***

haha FAIL a mistake in my own corrections of my first mistakes! 'how'***

 

[matt_storey]

Dwarf Gouramis are great! Ive had a couple, and from the information i've been given is to have 1 male and 1 female. Never to keep more than 1 male! They'll fight. They can be quite sensitive to water conditions and can develop 'dwarf gourami disease'.

Dont let this discourage you though, theyre lovely to keep.

As for Angels with Neons, I have 11 neons in a tank with an angel. 4 months in so far so good. The angel was added as a juvenile which may play part in it.

 

[Minibar-JG]

Thanks for the tip, not sure which I will settle on, maybe both! Haha, cheers mate!

 

[trianglekitty]

Thanks for the tip, not sure which I will settle on, maybe both! Haha, cheers mate!

I'm by no means an experienced fish person, but I adore my male dwarf gourami- he's got a huge amount of personality and always comes over to see me when I'm near the tank. He eats from my hand and gets in the way when I'm trying to gravel vac because he has to be in the middle of the action. I never thought I'd get so attached to a fish (he's my first), but if a fish could be cuddly, he is. He started off very shy, but in a very short period became very outgoing. He's also proven very hardy (I rescued him from a coworker who tried to kill him through neglect).

I will say he's got a problem with territorial aggression- he's fine with existing fish who already share his tank, but will go after newcomers. My understandings is that dwarfs can vary widely in aggressive tendencies, with some being very docile and some...not so much.

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

maybe you can try honey gouramis if u want a peaceful tank? plus you can stock a larger number of them due to there naturally small size

 

[ZoddyZod]

Dwarf Gouramis are great! Ive had a couple, and from the information i've been given is to have 1 male and 1 female. Never to keep more than 1 male!

I would advise against keeping only 1 female with a male. There is a chance that the female will be harrassed constantly, even to the point of death. Best to keep 2 or 3 to divide the males attention.

I used to have a fantastic looking DG and think they are one of the best looking fish you can have in a tropical tank. However, be warned that they are highly prone to a DG specific disease which is incurable. When buying, check the tank closely and observe all the DGs in there. Make sure none are sitting on the bottom and inactive as this may be a sign that they are infected. Try to pick from a tank of healty looking and lively specimens.

 

[Minibar-JG]

Thanks for the tips zoddyzod and fisharefriendsnotfood10. And trianglekitty, your gourami sounds great!

 

[Manosa0429]

After a few years out of the hobby (my tanks were disassembled during my divorce) I just re-established a 30 gallon.

I have 1 honey gourami and 2 dwarf gouramis in there. They get along great and with the other fish (some tetras some mollies and a cory).

The gouramis are the prettiest fish in tank. Sometimes they chase eachother, as all three seem to have staked out its own section of the tank and does not like other gourami visitors, but they are very friendly with the other fish. The chases they do have are good-hearted.

 

[Joshwainwright]

It's always nice to buy a pair of Dwarf Gouramis (1 male, 1 female.)

You never know, you may end up breeding them!

 

[CletePurcel]

I bought a pair of Dwarf Gourami at the weekend. The shop I go to only sells pairs, but they are quarantined for 2 weeks before sale.

Pics are here:
http/myaquariumlog.blogspot.com/2011/02/got-dwarf-gorami-pair-male-and-female.html

They look great, but the male does chase the female around a bit.

 

[Joshwainwright]

Very nice!

Usually I like the males better but I love how bright your female is!

 

[CletePurcel]

Very nice!

Usually I like the males better but I love how bright your female is!

Thanks, Josh. The female is beginning to hide today as the male is getting a bit more aggressive. I hope she will be OK.

The shop said they will exchange so if it doesn't work out I will try another male. Unfortunately I can't just buy another female.

 

[Joshwainwright]

Hopefully they will settle down soon enough.

Keep your eye on the little devil!