Stocking Of New Tank And Fish Compatability

[balajake]

I love my apistogrammas

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/402833-new-apistogramma-pair-arrive/

I suppose mine is abit of a journal now. There are many types but these are mine

Have you got the name of the seller from ebay ?

The link to them is at the bottom of page 1

They Are called aquariumdesigncentre

 

[liamhuckle]

Looks lije ive got 4 males will that be a problem teach me not to do my research

Yes it will most likely become a problem. Male dwarf gouramis do not like sharing a tank with other males unless it is very big (more than 96 litres) and has lots of plants to break up their line of sight.

How long have you had yours and are they adults or juveniles?

Had them a week and how would i know if they were juvinile? They were from a lfs and there no trouble yet just all hanging together ill try get a picture


Appreciate all help

 

[Essjay]

If you've only had them for a week and they came from a shop, they are probably juveniles. Most of the fish in shops are youngsters. Breeders like to move them on as soon as they can as it costs money to keep them till they're fully grown.
Young fish just put into strange surroundings will take a while to settle in and start fighting, but it'll quite likely happen before too long.

 

[Zante]

If you've only had them for a week and they came from a shop, they are probably juveniles. Most of the fish in shops are youngsters. Breeders like to move them on as soon as they can as it costs money to keep them till they're fully grown.
Young fish just put into strange surroundings will take a while to settle in and start fighting, but it'll quite likely happen before too long.

+1

liamhuckle
Take back three of them back to the shop and get three females. Then you'll have your centrepiece fish. I'd say that your male will grow to one and a half his current size.

If you get him also some floating plants, when they grow up you might even get them to breed.

As for the rest, as I said, get some more neons, and a few kuhlis.

 

[liamhuckle]

If you've only had them for a week and they came from a shop, they are probably juveniles. Most of the fish in shops are youngsters. Breeders like to move them on as soon as they can as it costs money to keep them till they're fully grown.
Young fish just put into strange surroundings will take a while to settle in and start fighting, but it'll quite likely happen before too long.

+1

liamhuckle
Take back three of them back to the shop and get three females. Then you'll have your centrepiece fish. I'd say that your male will grow to one and a half his current size.

If you get him also some floating plants, when they grow up you might even get them to breed.

As for the rest, as I said, get some more neons, and a few kuhlis.

Thanks ill try see if the lfs will swap them never thought they would but worth a try

 

[liamhuckle]

What floating plants would you recomend for probably a low light aquarium with no ferts at the min and no co2

 

[Essjay]

There are quite a few floating plants you could use. I have Salvinia natans, or possibly S minima (can't decide which from photos, I bought it off ebay as minima) in my 125 litre. It grows so well I have to remove handfuls on a regular basis or it would take over. This tank is a Juwel rio 125 with the old T8 lighting it came with, no CO2 or dosing of fertiliser.

 

[liamhuckle]

To my surprise my lfs swapped my gouramis now have 1 male and 3 female was surprised how colourful the females are just dnt have the stripes

 

[liamhuckle]

To my surprise my lfs swapped my gouramis now have 1 male and 3 female was surprised how colourful the females are just dnt have the stripes

Can anyone comfirm this is a female

http/db.tt/deObz3VW

 

[Essjay]

That's a male.

Dwarf gouramis come in 3 colours, with some of the colours having a few variations.
There's the striped one, which had diagonal red and blue stripes,
the blue one which is blue with the hint of stripes, this comes in powder blue and neon blue
red, the one in your photo.

But it's only the males that show these colours. The females are either plain silvery grey, or silvery grey with a hint of stripes. A lot of shops won't stock females because they are too "boring"

Here is the thread on dwarf gouramis from the species index. The majority of fish in there are male, the only photos of females are clearly labelled
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/35308-dwarf-gourami/

Edit to add the link

 

[liamhuckle]

That's a male.

Dwarf gouramis come in 3 colours, with some of the colours having a few variations.
There's the striped one, which had diagonal red and blue stripes,
the blue one which is blue with the hint of stripes, this comes in powder blue and neon blue
red, the one in your photo.

But it's only the males that show these colours. The females are either plain silvery grey, or silvery grey with a hint of stripes. A lot of shops won't stock females because they are too "boring"


Edited for hitting the wrong keys!

Thanks for the quick reply .

So angry with the lfs never going to believe them again i was expecting silver ones and when i seen them i thort there nice looking for females .

So after another trip to lfs still in the same situation.

Looks like ill have to try and find sone females my self an rehome 3 males

 

[Essjay]

Dwarf gouramis were one of the first fish I had many years ago. The shop had both striped and blue males, and silver females. The assistant insisted that the blue male was a female of the striped variety and wouldn't take no for an answer. I was just starting out keeping fish and thought the assistant should know what he was talking about and I'd made a mistake. But at the checkout, I mentioned it to the woman on there, she looked at them and told me I'd been given 2 males. Backed with her say-so, I went back and told him to change the blue one for a silver one.

The moral of the story is that some shop workers know what they are talking about, others have no idea. It's safer to assume none of them have a clue, and be pleasantly surprised when one makes it obvious they know their fish.

 

[liamhuckle]

Dwarf gouramis were one of the first fish I had many years ago. The shop had both striped and blue males, and silver females. The assistant insisted that the blue male was a female of the striped variety and wouldn't take no for an answer. I was just starting out keeping fish and thought the assistant should know what he was talking about and I'd made a mistake. But at the checkout, I mentioned it to the woman on there, she looked at them and told me I'd been given 2 males. Backed with her say-so, I went back and told him to change the blue one for a silver one.

The moral of the story is that some shop workers know what they are talking about, others have no idea. It's safer to assume none of them have a clue, and be pleasantly surprised when one makes it obvious they know their fish.

Completely agree research and forums the way forward

 

[liamhuckle]

Is this a female sorry for poor picture

http/db.tt/C1YJ5ww3

 

[Zante]

Is this a female sorry for poor picture

http/db.tt/C1YJ5ww3

It isn't a dwarf gourami.