how hardy are dwarf gouramis

[dwarfgourami]

How mature do you think a tank needs to be before adding dwarf gouramis?

I am still going through fishless cycling of my 2 tanks and then am going to start with guppies or platies. but how long do you think before the dwarf gouramis could go in? Have heard wildly conflicting advice, anything from 6 months to "straightaway", what do you reckon? I want to do what's best for them, they are such lovely little things.

I was thinking of maybe a pair, as they do do females in my lfs.

 

[jimw13uk]

I would leave it a month - make sure your water is stable and the put them in - they are quite hardy but I wouldnt risk it with them

They are beuaties - I had a breeding pair up until monday night - my male died for some strange reason and so now have to go and get another one and hope they get on

 

[Mr Miagi]

I wouldnt go for the 6 month option, i think that a bit over reacting, but a couple more weeks til your tank has cycled properly and you could add a pair. Provided u have enough tank space. What size tank is it? Or are they should i say?

 

[pseud]

Yeah, I'm interested in what size tanks it is too. Speaking from experience, two males don't do well together in a small tank (I currently have a male and female in a 20 gallon and they're doing ok)

 

[pseud]

[/b]Oh, and I cycled my tank with two dwarf gouramis. (Before I knew about cycling. I don't recommend it though)[/b]

 

[dwarfgourami]

It's a 60 ltrs and a 70 ltrs respectively, and they would be in there with small peaceful community fish (probably corys, but maybe guppies or platies). I was thinking either one male on his own or one male+one female (my local lfs sells females). Am doing a fishless cycle on both tanks at the moment and my nitrites are just beginning to come down.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Sorry I'm still not making myself clear, am I? )

What I meant was that I have the two tanks as described available (or will have when the nitrites have come down), and that I am thinking of putting one pair either in the 60 ltrs or in the 70 ltrs (probably in the 70 ltrs), together with a small school of corys (so I don't think overstocking should be a problem). Or do you think I should be nice to the lad and let him have 2 females? Or perhaps that counts as being nice to the ladies?

 

[GSD]

not very!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[guppy_man]

i got 2 males and 2 males in a 20 gal with 3 guppies 2 mollies 2 tetras and 1 pleco and 3 cories i gotta give him away hes getting to big .

 

[sylvia]

Dwarf gouramies only get to 2"...

Anyway, if you want to be nice to both sexes, 2 females is the way to go. Though a pair does usualy work, you'll need to provide the female with extra cover and floating plants so she can escape the male's attentions when she needs to. Otherwise, your plan sounds good to me and when you add them isn't that important as long as your tank is fully cycled. Dwarfs are not the most hardy of fish but they aren't the most fragile either. They are deffinately one of the most beautiful though

 

[dwarfgourami]

Thanks everybody, looks like my first tank has cycled so I'm getting really excited . Adding a little ammonia every day and waiting for the weekend- trip to the fish shop!

 

[squirrelrabbits]

Back in my more ignorant days, I placed a single male dwarf in a tank that was still cycling... He seemed fine but he did die and I blame myself for not having done more research. He was obviously lonely without a partner (he hung out with every fish he met, whether they wanted him to or not) and the water had perhaps too many nitrites, even though I was doing water changes several days a week.

That tank is now cycled and this time I bought two (a pair of males) and made sure my water paramters were very good... but one is building a nest and began really persecuting the other. I had to separate them when I woke up one morning to find the more mild mannered fellow was bleeding from his face... (He's in the hospital tank now getting melafixed!)

I would get one male and three females (or two males and 5-6 females) but I wouldn't do it while ammonia or nitrites are high unless you can test and do a water change every day.

You are lucky btw that you can find females. In my area, you can't get them and eventuially I am going to have to order online. My local LFS has told me that big chains like walmart and petsmart are weilding alot of power these days with tropical fishg suppliers. He told me that because they won't buy females dwarf gouramis, a lot of suppliers are just killing their females.

 

[eudielynn]

I added two dwarf gourami's to my tank about a month after it finished cycling. So far no problems. They seem happy and healthy.

 

[LoachLover]

I would go two months and make sure the tank is mature.