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I picked up a Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami at Petsmart tonight, or so it was labled, and I assume to be a male.

He was one of the smallest in the tank I'd say about 1.3" right now, the others were about 2". They were all active and healthy, good coloration, no nipped fins etc.

Right now his pH is 7.0 from what I've read so far that's a good pH for them.

I have a few plants in there, they were called "mondo grass" but they didn't have the scientific name listed.

I've read conflicting information on their adult size and diet.
So if any other PBD Gourami owners could tell me about their own, what they feed and any other important information.

Thanks!

These guys usually reach about three inches or so, maybe slightly larger. They are pretty peaceful, though males of the species (Colisa lalia) may squabble with each other. Dwarf gouramis will do just fine with flake foods, but treats (such as freeze-dried or live food) are recommended. They don't really need anything special in the way of housing, but a few floating plants would be nice. They give the fish cover on the surface.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

I had a pair of blue gouramis for about 2 months now, and they get along fine, with the usual squabbling. Yours probably is a male, as it is rare to find a female gourami for sale at petsmart, or other lfss. I feed flakes, and sometimes pellets for the pleco, and the gouramis eat it all just fine. they even scour the bottom for leftovers.

Would New Life Spectrum Cichlid Pellets be ok to feed the Gourami as his main diet? Please read the ingredients before immediatly saying no merely because it's labled "cichlid" food.

Ingredients
Krill Meal, Fish Meal, Wheat Flour, Amino Acids, Algae Meal, Soybean Meal, Fish Oil, Beta Carotene, Spirulina, Vitamins A, D3, B12, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine HCL, Thiamine, Biotin, Vitamins E, C, Choline Chloride, Cobalt Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Ethylenediamine Dihydroiodide, Ethoxyquin.

Protein: 34%
Fat: 5%
Fiber: 5%
Ash: 9%
Moisture: 10%

Edit: Well I fed him some Pelleted food today, he was definetly interested, he went right after them, but he seemed to have a hard time eating them, he would spit them back out, then get it again, but they would always land on the bottom before he was anywhere near finished eating them, and he wouldn't pick it up. These are "floating" pellets that are slow sinking basically.
Should I just stick to flaked foods for the main diet?

If so, what are good ingredients to see in a Gourami diet, what should the target Protein, Fat, Fiber and Ash be?


Edit Edit : =P
I also wanted to know what kind of current dwarf gourami's enjoy. I have a Whisper In The Tank filter rated for up to 10G. I'm able to do the control flow, should I have it all the way up, or all the way down?



Last edited by AngelZoo at 17-Nov-2004 07:44

I just feed them tropical flakes and they seem fine. thats what the guys at petsmart said to do. not too sure about current. tails likes the quicker flow at one end while bruno likes the calmer flow opposite.

Glad to here you've picked up a dwarf. They happen to be one of my favorite gouramis. I'm 99% sure you have a male, as the females tend to be rather dull in color and are RARELY sold to the aquarist. Being labyrinth fish, they don't really like a lot of current. The filter you have now should be fine, mine was in a 15 with an AC and never had a problem. I would feed a good quality flake food, and maybe FD bloodworms as well. My boy was quite a piggy. Expect to see a nice change in growth, I find that they mature fairly quickly. Good luck with him, and post some pics if you can. HTH

And BTW...I met the ferret! Keijig? (sp.) He's big, and a sweetheart! Slept on me for awhile. Wish I could have taken him, but I can assure you he's recieving excellent care, and is a very happy (and big!) boy.

Last edited by FerretFanatic at 05-Dec-2004 08:28

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Well the little guy still seems to be doing great.
He likes to hangout behind the filter, between the filter and the glass... weirdo.

I'm feeding him mainly the New Life Spectrum -Small fish formula *chrush pelletes basically* and FD Bloodworms.