2 Yellow gouramis in 35 gal hex

melle_sacto is hot and dry in CA Zone 9/

19 years ago

Hi all:

I wanted to follow-up to my previous post regarding 6 angelfish in my hex tank. I did not buy any angelfish and I did look for different gouramis. Although I found the male Colisa lalia I could never find (or identify) females. I considered getting a school of barbs or tetra and just keeping those but I really wanted to try gouramis after reading about them on the internet.

I ended up purchasing two "Yellow gouramis" -- Trichogaster trichopterus -- to live in the tank w/ my two "dojo loaches". I thought they were very pretty. I tried to select a male and female but do not know if I was successful, so I have already decided that if one starts to bully the other I will find one of them a new home. I added some housplant cuttings that had rooted in a glass of water to the top of the aquarium so the roots/stems provide surface hiding spots for the gouramis and I also have some floating anacharis. Lots of places to hide on the bottom, as well, b/c I have many small to large (varying sizes) java fern, driftwood, and various ~2" smooth, roundish rocks.

So far they seem to be doing nicely and they came from a LFS with clean tanks/healthy fish. They are young, one is about two inches and the other a bit smaller. They seem rather insignificant in the tank compared to when I had my two large black moore goldfish but I know they will grow, and fast from what I have read. Even though their lifespan isn't as long as a goldfish, maybe I will be ready for a change when their time comes and I can try a school of something small for a while.

Thanks everyone for your tips/suggestions. I know I didn't take all the advice but I am not a beginner (I just have more experience w/goldfish than w/tropicals). My aquarium is established and everything is in control--even the algae has ceased to be a problem any more :-)

I do have one question that I can't seem to find an answer on the internet: do gouramis have to take air from the surface or can they extract enough oxygen from the water to survive? I've watched them and they do "pip" from the surface every so often, but doesn't seem to be more than my goldfish did. The loaches take surface air rarely. Thanks!

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Comments (3)

raul_in_mexico
19 years ago
Not uncommon that you didnÂ´t find female colisas, many wholesalers donÂ´t carry them beacuse with the exception of turquiose blue colisas the females of all the other species are quite plain in color and unattractive, they donÂ´t sell well.

Gouramies are labrynth fish, they have a modified gill system that allows them to "breath" from air, part of their oxygen demand is supplied by the dissolved oxygen in the water ( they donÂ´t need it ) but most of it comes from their oxygen demand comes from the air they gulp.

You canÂ´t select a female/ male, at that size they are not fully mature and there are no secondary sexual characteristics to tell one from the other, when mature the males have a pointed ending dorsal fin while in the females that portion is rounded.
melle_sacto is hot and dry in CA Zone 9/
Original Author
19 years ago
I will watch as their dorsal fins grow, to determine if I have a male/female or two males...the larger gourami has a very pointed and long dorsal fin so I think he might be a male even though he is young.

I really like their long "feeler" pelvic fins, it's neat to see them use the fins to sense what is around them. A couple times I've seen them swim close to a loach, then reach out w/the long feelers. They've also used the feelers to reach toward me when I'm looking in the tank.
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petiolaris
19 years ago
Basically, gouramis, like all anabantids, have the capacity to take in atmospheric air, in addition to what is dissolved in the water. They are indigeonous to SE Asia, where Oxygen content is poor, so they adapted to developing the labyrinth system. It's kinda like carnivorous plants adaping to poor nutrient content and developing the ability to trap bugs.

As said earlier, the male will have pointed dorsal fins, while the females will be rounded. If she is egg-laden, her belly will be bloated. I've bred both the T. trichopterus and a couple species of Colisa (lalia & labiosa). Pretty easy fish and fun!