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I'd like to get about 4-6 sparkling gouramis for my 30 gallon planted aquarium. The aquarium right now has high lighting (4 wpg) and a fairly strong current from the filter. I don't have any floating plants right now, but can easily get some. Will this set up be okay for the gouramis? I can probably direct the filter toward one of the walls of the aquarium so that the current is somewhat broken up if necessary.
The only other inhabitants at the moment are a large plecostomus (who will be moving to another tank about two months from now) and a couple of otocinclus. However, I will also be getting about 6 Siamese Algae Eaters (juveniles about 1 inch) who will also be moving to another tank with the Pleco, but they will need to live in the 30 gal. for a few weeks and I'm wondering if their active behavior will freak out the gouramis.
I also have shrimp that I hope to introduce into the community aquarium, and I'm wondering if the little sparkling gouramis will bother them, or their fry (my shrimp have been breeding like crazy).
And finally, what should I feed them? Will a normal tropical flake and/or pellet food be good? Betta food?

Last edited by illustrae at 17-May-2005 10:00

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

I would definitely recommend getting floating plants before you add the gouramis. They like temps a bit higher, 77-82°, and a lower pH.

Mine are in an Asian biotope with harlequin rasboras and belted barbs; both are rather active as well as my kuhlis at feeding time The gouramis will generally surface feed. With their small mouths I'd stay with flake as opposed to pellets. They also like bloodworms, both frozen and freeze-dried, and live brine shrimp.

Kept under the right conditions they're quite beautiful fish

Theresa_M attached this image:


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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

That's an awesome pic theresa!

wow..thats a nice pic..
i have to agree to put some floating plants for them to make them feel safe

Last edited by tankie at 18-May-2005 09:36

Well, today I went out and got 4 sparkling gouramis and a bit of hornwort. I can't believe how very very tiny these guys are. They're in my 7 gallon tank with about 12 cherry shrimp (and about a dozen babies!!!) and seem to be doing okay so far. I can already see that these fish are full of character as well as being very beautiful. Halfway through their acclimation they had already regained much of their color. They are just so damned cute!

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

My 7 have no problem under 4wpg with no floating plants. They spend most of their time in groups of 3-4 swimming through the open spaces and picking at the plants or driftwood. They also do fine with all the inhabitants in the 55g. Congo tetras, blue gourami, threadfins, royal pleco, otos, farlowella, and panda cory. The only problem is such little things can be hard to find in a big planted tank.