Yesterday I added a turquoise dwarf gourami to complete my 10 gallon community tank (1 dwarf gourami, 5 neon tetras, 2 otocinculus). I'm new to this fish so I've got a few questions haha.
So far he's doing very well, better than I expected really. He's colored up beautifully, and is showing a lot of nice iridescent blue and bright orange. He's really active, but frightens very easily at loud noises or bumps (like closing the door to the hood a little less than gently). Its actually kind of cute in that pathetic sort of way.
I'm having a little trouble with feeding. I'm finding that the tetras are getting overfed (big swolen bellies), while I'm not sure the gourami is getting enough. The tetras seem to eat most of the food before the gourami really has a chance to get at it, so they're gotten a lot more food than they normally do . I find it pretty easy to tell when a tetra is overfed, or underfed, but the gourami is a bit different. How do I tell when he's adequately fed? edit: also, how can I make sure the tetras don't out-compete him for food?
Also, what should I be feeding the gourami? I've read that as omnivores they need a plant-based supplement to their diet. I've been feeding the tetras TetraColor Tropical Flakes, and frozen brine shrimp once or twice a week. Any reccomendations for the gourami?
Lastly, how prone to jumping are gourami? Before I got the gourami I'd been using a fluorescent light fixture suspended over the tank instead of the hood to get more light for my plants. This left the tank uncovered, which seemed to be fine for the tetras and ottos. Not knowing about gourami habits in regard to jumping I put the hood back on. Are gourami safe in an uncovered tank?
Thanks all!
So far he's doing very well, better than I expected really. He's colored up beautifully, and is showing a lot of nice iridescent blue and bright orange. He's really active, but frightens very easily at loud noises or bumps (like closing the door to the hood a little less than gently). Its actually kind of cute in that pathetic sort of way.
I'm having a little trouble with feeding. I'm finding that the tetras are getting overfed (big swolen bellies), while I'm not sure the gourami is getting enough. The tetras seem to eat most of the food before the gourami really has a chance to get at it, so they're gotten a lot more food than they normally do . I find it pretty easy to tell when a tetra is overfed, or underfed, but the gourami is a bit different. How do I tell when he's adequately fed? edit: also, how can I make sure the tetras don't out-compete him for food?
Also, what should I be feeding the gourami? I've read that as omnivores they need a plant-based supplement to their diet. I've been feeding the tetras TetraColor Tropical Flakes, and frozen brine shrimp once or twice a week. Any reccomendations for the gourami?
Lastly, how prone to jumping are gourami? Before I got the gourami I'd been using a fluorescent light fixture suspended over the tank instead of the hood to get more light for my plants. This left the tank uncovered, which seemed to be fine for the tetras and ottos. Not knowing about gourami habits in regard to jumping I put the hood back on. Are gourami safe in an uncovered tank?
Thanks all!