Dwarf Gourami

[Dicky]

How difficult is it to keep Dwarf Gourami's. Do they have any special needs? I have done some research on them and they do not seem to be that difficult but they are considered to have a label of moderate care level? The tank I would put them in is a 10gal. I was also thinking that I could house about 4 of them. Does any one have any thoughts on this? Thank you in advance.

[Captain Hook]

I have kept many types of gouramies, including blue, opaline, gold, and dwarf. In my experiences I found the dwarf to be the least hardy but it could have just been the fish or where I got them from. In general I have found gouramies to be very hardy and easy to care for.

I think you will be fine keeping 4 dwarfs in a 10 gallon but am not positive. I think 3 would definitely be fine, 4 may be a little crowded but would probably be ok. Is that all you are planning on putting in the tank? Maybe some ottos for algae?

[OrionGirl]

There are several types of dwarf gouramies, and this will determine how many can be kept in a 10, along with gender. I would not go with more than one male in that tank, for any of them. The neons tend to be the most aggressive, IME, while the honeys, sunsets, and cinnamon are more laid back, but a males will still fight. A m/f pair will work as long as there are plenty of hiding spots for the females--2 females and one male is a better grouping. For the neons, finding females can be very difficult, as they are seldom available in the LFS.

One of the reasons gouramies are a bit more difficult is that they can have serious problems if not provided with an adequately varied diet--flakes alone will not suffice, IME. Algae tabs, fresh veggies, and a small amount of protein-heavy foods will work well.

[Lizard]

I have a 20 Gallon full of Gouramis (Powder Blues, Sunsets, Gold, Opaline) and find them to be very hardy with very little maintenance involved (apart from normal weekly water changes and such). We even cycled our 90 gallon with the Gouramis and they lived to tell the tale.

If the only thing going in the 10 gallon in Gouramis (apart from an Cory or other algae eater), 3 or 4 would probably be the max I would put in.

[SimonWoodstock]

I had 2 Dwarf Flame Gouramis in a 20gal. w/ a betta. They didn't mess with the betta, but they fought constantly until the bigger one killed the other. While it was laying on the bottom the victor was hovering over it about a half inch like it was letting everything else see who was boss or something. I thought they may have been doing some mating ritual at first because they would do some kinda dance or something before they would chase each other around. Then, after asking about it on here, I found out they were both males. I guess they just had a problem w/ each other, maybe I didn't have enough hiding spots. I was told they may not get along since they were both males after I already had em.

I still have the 1 gourami, and I have grown to like him. It is tame enough to eat from my fingers. I think you will enjoy gouramis.

[fishdude]

i have 4 Dwarf gouramis and they are no problem (only a few arguments now and then but never any damage done). all males btw

[Captain Hook]

OG or any other knowledgeable gourami people, how do I tell the difference between males and females. This thread has me thinking. I may get my girlfriend a 10 gallon tank with 2 bright blue dwarfs (don't remember exact name) and 2 of the mostly red and orange ones.

[OrionGirl]

For dwarves, it's usually a safe bet that they are male. The females are seldom available for many dwarves, and those sound like the neons--which I have seen females for exactly once.

Otherwise, the female has a curved anal fin, the males comes to a point, and his fins will be longer. I have not noticed a size difference in dwarves, but in the larger gouramies, the females are usually larger and heavier bodied than the males.