When To Buy?

[julia298]

Was in my lfs today and they have some gorgeous dwarf gouramis, but they were very small, maybe 1 1/2 -1 3/4 inches.

Is it better to get these fish when they are older. Are they a bit hardier when theyve grown a bit?

Also this lfs is not so much local - its about 20 mins drive. Is this ok for little fish if i were to get some(dont want to casue too much stress)

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

So long as they're well bagged and you don't plan on going via the local cross country course they'll be fine.
Have moved young fish much further. A two hour drive pos the furthest so far but I got my cories and a syno perticola (now known as Petra) from London and had to get them home carrying them around a mile in total by hand and then transported on the train and bus. They were fine too. My arms weren't tho.
Hugs,
P.

 

[julia298]

Thanks miss dib dabs
I cant wait to go and get one/them now. Do you think I should get a male & 2 female? Or male & female?
Or just one?

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Depends on the tank size and current residents really. I'd say two female and one male is best but at that stage it can be really hard to know for sure. I have my Queenie seperated in the fry tank with the young for a rest weekend (No she doesn't eat the babies) and she's not entirely happy about it despite being tired out from all that male attention. A male can be overbearing to one female. It really depends on the individual fish.
Ah smeg. Gonna have to stop there. Am so tired I can barely see. Soz if I stopped half way through anything.
Hugs,
P.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Can I just check - is this tank cycled and mature? I seem to remember having seen this post before.

 

[sylvia]

That's an excellent question... dwarf gouramies (colisa lalia) are not the hardiest fish and won't tolerate an unstable environment well. Make sure your tank is cycled and has been running for at least 3-4 months before you buy the dwarf(s).

Also, dwarfs like to have places to hide - especialy floating plants o tall-growing rooted plants - make sure something along these lines is available to each of the new additions and not all in the same part of the tank as they are territorial.

If you're going to get more than one, get a trio - 1 male, 2 females. A single male would also work on his own. They are very easy to sex as the males are the colorful ones - females are rather dull silver-brown, sometimes with faint barring or highlights. Many LFSs don't stock females because their bland appearance does not lend itself well to making profitable sales. If you want more than 3, the maximum you could comfortably keep would be about 2 males and 4 females OR 4 males OR several females. Females are not territorial and enjoy each other's company so you can keep a large group in a limmited volume without trouble. It's the males, their territoriality and their chasing you have to look out for.

One last thing of note is that dwarf gouramies are often prone to disease - especialy highly contagious internal bacterial infections such as those which cause dropsy. They can carry these things into your tank and introduce them to your healthy fish. One way to avoid the spread of disease is to provide the fish with excellent water quality and as stress-free an environment as possible. However, the most certain method of prevention is to quarantine your new gouramies for a month or 2 before adding them to the main tank.

Alternatively, go for honey gouramies (colisa chuna.sota) instead, which are far less likely to be carrying disease and considerably hardier.

 

[julia298]

Can I just check - is this tank cycled and mature? I seem to remember having seen this post before.

Yes, dont worry my tank is cycled. I wouldnt do that to the little fishies (or big fishies)

 

[Clairel]

I wouldnt sex Gouramis on there colour alone... I have a powder blue male dwarf gourami, and i have seen females with very beautiful colours too, just as much as the males, you need to look at there dorsal fin, the males is pointed, and the females is curved... Hope this helps...

C x

 

[nmonks]

I'd second what Sylvia says here... the Interpet "internal bacteria" potion even has a dwarf gourami on the box!

Everything I've read and heard suggests that the bacteria is endemic to commercially bred dwarf bacteria, i.e., they'll be carrying the bacteria whether you quarantine them or not. The question is whether or not it becomes a problem. The sad fact is that in many (perhaps most) home aquaria, dwarf gouramis only last six months to a year, if that, whereas they should live for at least 4 years (their maximum lifespan in the wild).

Hard alkaline water, nitrates above 40 mg/l, any trace of nitrite, and low temperatures (less than 24 C) are all quick ways to stress your dwarf gourami and make it more susceptible to disease.

Personally, whenever friends of mine want to buy these fish, I recommend against them. They're nice fish, sure, but unless you can provide exactly the right conditions for them, there are hardier alternatives to look at. Honey gouramis are definitely nice fish, and there are also some very nice small African climbing perch. They can be a little shy at times, but they're full of character. Ctenopoma fasciolatum is a lovely species, for example.

Cheers,

Neale

One last thing of note is that dwarf gouramies are often prone to disease - especialy highly contagious internal bacterial infections such as those which cause dropsy. They can carry these things into your tank and introduce them to your healthy fish. One way to avoid the spread of disease is to provide the fish with excellent water quality and as stress-free an environment as possible. However, the most certain method of prevention is to quarantine your new gouramies for a month or 2 before adding them to the main tank.