Gourami Help

[wishyfishy]

Hi, I have just got a coral blue gourami and a honey red gourami in the same tank, they seem to be doing fine together. Should I leave them as they are or are they better with some the same? As there is room for more if need be. They are with tetras.

I remember a friend had 2 3 spot gouramis in the same tank years ago and 1 got killed by the other.

Any advice apprieciated

 

[sylvia]

What size tank? How many tetras and which species?

Three-spot gouramies are very different fish to dwarfs and honeys. Gouramies range from the common Betta splendens (aka Siamese fighting fish) to the huge 30" Osphronemus goramy. 'Gourami' is just a general term just as you might use 'cichlid' or 'livebearer'.

Your poweder blue will deffinately be a dwarf gourami male (Colisa lalia) but your other fish may either be a dwarf or honey (Colisa chuna/sota is the honey). Do you know what it is? If not, can you post a picture?

Whether you can add more fish will depend on the very first two questions I asked. However, provided the fish are both male, they'll be fine on their own and may even be better off that way as they'll be less tempted to fight than if there were females around or if they were crowded and therefore had to compete mroe actively over territory.

 

[wishyfishy]

Thanks for the detailed reply sylvia It is very good of you.

The tank is approx 24 US gallons.

I have 15 tetras, neons, black neons and silvertips. 5 of each and a few apple snails.

He's pictures of the 2 gouramies I was asking about.

Thanks

 

[Fifi]

the pictures are not that good ....it is hard 2 tell wot they are

can anyone help???!!!???

 

[_cRaCkEr_]

Looks like it's a Honey and a blue gourami....

really can't tell with the pics

 

[wishyfishy]

Sylvia.....Where are you? I need your expert advice!!

My poor blue gourami has been attacked A small part of its tail is missing. not sure who its been attacked by, it happens at night, its such a lovely laid back fish. I have said above who its tankmates are, at present it is in a breeding box as I thought I was going to lose it yesterday but it seems abit better today.

Anyone with any advice/ideas please send me a reply.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Lady_Lesley]

From the pic's they both look like females... but i could be wrong as the quality isnt that good. The blue is a blue gourami, the other looks like a honey gourami.

I love gouramis, i have 13

1 pearl, female
2 blue, both male
2 royal red, 1 male 1 female
2 indian, 1 male 1 female
4 gold, all female i think, still bit to early to tell though
2 kissing, possable 1 male 1 female, but still too early to properly tell

 

[Captain Retardo]

You have a Dwarf Gourami and a Honey Gourami, both of which I want to get (the variants that you have I mean (Cobalt blue and Sunset))

Honey Gouramis look slimmer than dwarfs

 

[wishyfishy]

Thanks to those who replied.




R.I.P. Blue.

 

[sylvia]

Well, the last poster was correct to say that you had a dwarf (not a blue - 'blue' gouramies are a color variant of 'three-spot' gouramies - that is trichogaster trichopterus and grow to 6" and are far mroe aggressive and far hardier than dwarfs). Dwarf gouramies are of the species Colisa lalia. The other is also, indeed a honey (Colisa chuna/sota). Like everyone else, I'd have said that it's difficult to tell the sex of the fish because the color and fin shape is realy important. however, I'd agree that the powder/cobalt blue looks female (mainly due to the shape of the body - you see how the belly looks quite plump in those photos?) With the honey, however, I suspect it's a male (though I could be wrong here as I've always found this particular color morph tricky to sex ) and it's probably responsible for the damage in the other gourami's tail. Anyway, I'm sorry you lost the dwarf but don't feel too bad as she may well have been sick already. these fish are particularly fragile and often carry all sorts of diseases and will suddenly die or develop nasty symptoms.