Sparkling Gourami Care

[matt295]

well, i got a 20 gallon tank for christmas from my dad and i was thinking about putting in some sparkling gouramis with celestial pearl danios and maybe some corys. i have been looking around on the internet for info but i want to make sure it is correct

i have heard all of these things and want to know some

-there are like 3 different species of pygmy gouramis (trichopsis pumila, trichopsis vittata, and trichopsis something). i think the sparkling is the pumila right?
-what should i feed them?
-how many should i get and what should the male to female ratio be? (i am probably going to get 4-6)
-will they get along with the cpd's?
-are there any special requirements with these like do they need floating plants?
-i have heard they are shy, how could i make them come out more?
-what lighting is best to show off their colors?
-how do i sex them?
thats pretty much all. hopefully someone can answer my questions. i will probably have more that i havent though of yet so i will post those when they come to my mind. thanks

 

[Mikaila31]

-The pumila is the most common
-They normally will eat flake food, but it is best to feed them frozen meaty foods. It will bring out their sparkle.
-For ratio I suggest 1 male to 2 females, you can try yours and if there is too much aggression just swap out a male for a female.
-Mine gets along with my swordtail fry, so I think the cpd's should be fine.
-The tank should be densely planted, especially with your ratio. Plants at the top are preferred, since they build bubble nests.
-IMO it all depends on the fish. I have had some really shy ones and some really bold ones. Having the tank densely planted will make them less shy and getting them to associate you with the food helps too.
-I'm not really sure on the lighting.
- Sexing is hard with these fish, I haven't tried it myself. the 5th comment on this page gives you a tip on sexing them. I'm not sure if it works, but it couldn't hurt to try it. another way I have read about is putting the fish in a clear container and putting a strong light behind it. Then looking for the females ovaries, which sounds difficult. I would buy 4 to start with, try sexing them, then go and buy the rest. You will have a better idea of what you are looking for then.

I will probably post more info later.

Cheers,
Mikaila31

 

[jennybugs]

Good luck with trying to sex these lovely little fish

I have also been told that the dorsal fin is longer on the males than the females, as with other gourami.

They are a delightful little fish and I am getting more at the weekend to replenish a few losses I've had in the past few months. Not much I can add to Mikaila's excellent comments really. Quiet, small and peaceful tankmates are best companions for sparkling gourami. If you can get some floating plant as well then they'll like that

 

[indigoj]

I've got a group of 9 Sparkling Gourami and I am guessing they are a mix of male and female as I keep finding bubble nests. Sexing is hard but get a group and chances are you will have a mix.

They thrive in soft acidic water and feel safest (and are therefore more active) in a well planted tank with some floating foliage.

Mine eat literally anything I put in the tank but seem to enjoy frozen daphnia and blood worm best. They also eat veg, algae wafers, pellets and flake so not fussy.

I keep mine with the following in a 105l (3ft long) tank:

5 Baby Bristlenose Plecs (some will be separated/sold once a breeding pair has established)
2 L333 Hypancistrus Plecs (juveniles about 1/3 grown)
3 Clown Killifish,
1 Banjo Catfish (juvenile)
3 Minature Rock Catfish (adults at 1")
6 Ornate Glass Catfish (adult size 1.6")
1 Female Apistogramma (my male died in quarentine)
2 1/2" Young Kribensis (will be moved once they are 1" long)
6 Khuli Loach and 1 Juvenile L190 Royal Plec (3" at the mo, moving into the 330l when he's grown a bit)

The Sparklers are very active because there is plenty of cover and quite a few of them. They are gorgeous little fish and should be fine with the CPD's or other small non-aggressive fish. I plan to add Chocolate and Liquorice Gouramis when I find some because the Kribs and some of the plecs will be moving out.

 

[matt295]

thanks
my 35 gallon has some floating plants that grow down and look really nice so i will probably use those. my saltwater fish eat frozen cyclopeeze, would that work? i was thinking that if i got 4 sparklers, i would get 1 male and 3 females, if there were 6 then 4 females and 2 males. would that work?

 

[jennybugs]

The ratio of more females to males will always work...it's just not that easy to sex them from my experiences

 

[Maximumbob]

I have kept pygmy (sparkling) gouramis with celestial pearl danios with no problems whatsoever.

They are a beautiful fish and I love mine!

 

[matt295]

i have been thinking about this now and i might put sparkling gouramis in a 6 gallon without the cpd's and add some corydoras habrosus for the bottom. would this work? how many gouramis could i have and what would the female to male ratio be? thanks

 

[Maximumbob]

i have been thinking about this now and i might put sparkling gouramis in a 6 gallon without the cpd's and add some corydoras habrosus for the bottom. would this work? how many gouramis could i have and what would the female to male ratio be? thanks

If you buy juveniles they are very hard to sex. Mine are 6 months old and I am now just attempting to sex them. But then again. I was never any good at sexing fish

 

[matt295]

i have heard that males have bold red spots above the line that runs through their body

 

[Majjie]

I've never been able to sex sparklers ... so good luck with that.

I'd be wary, though, of having more than a couple in a 6 gal tank. I once kept four in a 10 gal but had to move them because they were so territorial. They were terrorising the tetras in with them. They can be feisty little things ... but they settled down when moved to a 20 gal.

 

[matt295]

i wouldnt be adding anything else with them except maybe some shrimp to keep the tank clean. it would be a species tank.

 

[Majjie]

I'd still only have a couple - they're territorial to each other too - and 6 gal is quite small. Some Corydoras habrosus or C. pygmaea in with them would work ok though.

 

[matt295]

i was thinking about 1 male, 2 female sparklers and a group of 4-6 corydoras habrosus. how is that?

 

[Jellytot]

i was thinking about 1 male, 2 female sparklers and a group of 4-6 corydoras habrosus. how is that?

That's what I have! well 7 corys and I'm not sure about the sex of my sparklings. They all seem to get on very well. Although it's only bee an couple of weeks.

Waiting to upgrade the tank and then I intend to increase the numbers of both of them, they make for a lovely tank!