Gouramis - newly adopted

[CACAdmin]

Tonight I brought home 3 gouramis ( 2 blue and 1 gold). They will not be added to my 70G until I have netted and moved my molly fry and my red wag hifin platy fry to the fry tank I can't risk them becoming dinner for these guys.

Here' some pics of my latest additions (a little skittish at the moment):

http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/jb_images/bluegouramis.jpg

http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/jb_images/goldgourami.jpg

[Melody]

Very nice - all girls?

[CACAdmin]

2 females & 1 male. Gold is a female and Blue are a pair... male is the one at the top of the pic).

[Melody]

Pointy dorsal! I get it now!:laugh:

[CACAdmin]

Hey, I like to keep things simple. I tend to keep fish whose sex is easily identifiable.;)

[fishenthusiast]

Very nice looking fish. Does the pair bother the gold?

[CACAdmin]

Actually, at the moment they're very timid and pretty much hide for the most part, venturing out for a 'taste' of food. Other than that it's either the pair hang out together or the two females do. They're still settling in so we'll see how things go after a few days.

[fishenthusiast]

I have had my male gourami for almost 2 years and he is still a little fraidy cat. That is why I was so surprised when he so viciously attacked my female gourami when I introduced them.

Good luck with your trio. I am sure the male will keep 2 girlfriends quite happily. I don't believe they pair off like cichlids do, but don't quote me on that, I am far from an expert.

[CACAdmin]

They are getting a little braver tonight. They venture out as long as I'm across the room and retreat if I approach. The bravest is the Blue female. She actually came out cautiously and swam around as I stood in front of the tank.(However, I'm sure any sudden move on my part & she'd retreat quickly). I think too it will take them some time for them to get used to the hyperactive platys in the tank. My biggest concern is them getting enough to eat in the interim. (The platys go on a feeding frenzy before the gouramis even venture cautiously out.)

BTW, what have you found is their most favored food?

[Melody]

Snails :wideeyed:

[CACAdmin]

Well, that's not a problem in that I am overrun with red ramshorns in that tank & have an endless supply to keep them happy. The P. Bridgesiis in that tank are probably much larger than they'd care to tackle (I hope .:wideeyed: )

[Melody]

Well.... do you want me to burst that bubble or wait? :wideeyed:

Actually, I've only heard of Pearl, Sparkling and Dwarf Gourami being a prob in a snail tank. I don't know if snails are a part of all Gourami diets or not. I completely forgot about it until you mentioned their food.

[CACAdmin]

:wideeyed:Yikes! Thanks for you honesty... no point in keeping me delusional. I'll have to keep a close eye on them for sure.:radar: I can foresee some sleepless nights ahead. I don't want my Brigs to end up on the dinner menu or hiding in their shells, fearful of attack. :SharkSharkShark!:If necessary, the snails will get moved to another tank.:(

[Melody]

Try searching their species name and 'snail' in Google to see if anything comes up. Species names fetch far better results and you're more likely to stumble upon a reference to their wild diet.

I'm guessing the smaller snails would appeal for their ease of eating so they might be fine.

[blainep]

Great looking fish !

I've heard that having males together with females makes them much more friendly. Alot less hiding in the background, less aggression in males etc.

I've never mixed mine, as yet, but I'd really like to see a bubble nest being built, so one day........

[CACAdmin]

Try searching their species name and 'snail' in Google to see if anything comes up. Species names fetch far better results and you're more likely to stumble upon a reference to their wild diet.

I'm guessing the smaller snails would appeal for their ease of eating so they might be fine.
Their scientific name is: Trichogaster trichopterus

So far, after searching (especially scientific articles), I have found that reports on their natural food varies from one article to another. I have only found one article so far stating that their natural food consists of various species of invertebrates. Others state that they live in the wild on zooplankton, crustaceans and insect larvae and detritus.

In addition, it appears they happily live on quite a varied in an aquarium environment. Here is a list of some of the suggested foods I have found:

Live foods
Brine shrimp, blood worms, glass worms and tubifex worms, insects & insect larvae, crustaceans & hydra

Frozen foods
blood worms, brine shrimp, daphnia, plankton, & glass worms

Other foods
Freeze dried food, pellets & algae-based flakes
Chopped spinach & lettuce

And luckily so far the haven't given the snails a sideways glance.:smile:


Great looking fish !

I've heard that having males together with females makes them much more friendly. Alot less hiding in the background, less aggression in males etc.

I've never mixed mine, as yet, but I'd really like to see a bubble nest being built, so one day........

Thanks! They didn't look their best as I had just brought them home and needless to say they were somewhat stressed. Today their colors are brighter.

I hadn't initially intended to get a male. I am busy reading up on breeding in case they do :wideeyed: ... they are after all full size adults. What kind of gouramis do you have and what species?

Additional note: It is suggested that extremely shy behavior is the a very normal result of moving adults to a new tank. Even the male gourami scurried away when molly pair came too close. :laugh:

[blainep]

Mine are Dwarf Gouramis, Blue Cobalt and Red Flame ( I think, trying to remember).
The blue likes to hang around in the plants and the red has claimed a corner full of floating plants as his area.

Both of them stay in the plants for the most part, coming out to eat and make sure no ones messing around in their territory. I've never had them fighting with any of the other fish. They will occasionally chase another fish out of their territory, but thats it.

Gouramis are a great fish in the aquarium, in my opinion anyway. Lots of colour and generally a good temperment.

[CACAdmin]

Thank you to everyone for your input... very much appreciated. I will continue to update the progress with these Gouramis in Blue Gourami (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=575) in the Freshwater Fish(General) section, but will of course post updated pics here.