kat Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 I have a real affection for dwarf gouramis and would love to have some in my tank. Unfortunately I have tried on several occasions and failed. Each time they are happy for 2-3 weeks then one day turn up their fins and are dead the next morning! I have had my tank going for about a year and a bit with catfish, and a couple of different varieties of tetras and not had a drama. Recently I did the math and worked out I had quite a bit of room left in my tank and thought I would once again go down the gourami path, same story! I do weekly water changes and water tests, according to the information I have found I am doing the right things, but still no joy. Is there a trick? Should I just let it go?! Thanks in advance for any advice. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulyeo Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Hi there, I too love Dwarf Gouramis... But the last time I kept them was in 1997. Back then I was in Malaysia and found that they are very easy to keep but very difficult to raise their fry. When I kept them, the conditions were similar to Bettas and Tetras. So really there should not be a problem. Right? However when I attempted to breed them, there was an issue with their immunity. They bred in the thousands but most fry did not survive. This is despite having the best setup at the time (I was living with my Grandfather who was a Discus breeder) and had access to most things needed to be successful with raising fish. Tracing back to that time, I have read articles about the decline in fish immunity due to some farming practices such as inbreeding and raising fish with constant medication and antibiotics. One article in particular was about Dwarf Gouramis. The author reported what I have also experienced with raising the young. Therefore I suspect the imports we get here in Australia may already have weaken immunity, which makes our job as aquarist more difficult. More recently I have also had problems with some guppies I have bought from the stores going belly up within a week or two. I think it comes down to luck and proper quarantine before you introduce your new fish into the community tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Dwarf gourami's (inc dwarf, cobalt blue, royal red or whatever every supplier calls them) are pretty much the worst and weakest gourami for keeping alive. Their colours are quite amazing but these days it seems they are lucky if they even survive the trip here and once they have finished qt 2 weeks later they just look even worse. Maybe if you still want a dwarf gourami you could get something like a Fire gourami, honey gourami etc. There are also other cool little ones like Sparkling and Croaking gouramis aswell. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara Posted January 23, 2010 Report Share Posted January 23, 2010 I have had two dwarf gouramis in a 2ft tank the only problem I had was the flame gourami was a bit bigger then my coral blue gourami, so the coral blue boy got picked on so I found a new home for the flame gourami and the coral boy is a lot happier and healthy on his own. I have had no dramas apart from what I wrote above and dont have small fish in with it they will disappear. I keep them in the same conditions as my bettas because they are from the same family, it is also best to keep the tank in a quiet area because they scare very easily, so its really up to you I have had mine for over 6 months with no health problems. Cheers Tara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masquerade Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 wow, Im no expert but that's just crazy. Mabey try buying them from a different pet shop. what are you feeding them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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