Request from Mom

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spottedcatfish

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Mar 12, 2003
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No really, it has to do with fish! Anyway, Mom used to keep tanks way back when down in Alabama, and she loved her angelfish. Naturally, my love of small darting cories comes into conflict with this, she wants, and I quote "Something big and colorful that floats around, and get more than one so I can see them" I assume by floats she means "moves slowly," because ideally, all fish float. ;)

Now, currently, I have a ten gallon with a betta and 4 panda cories, are there any fish that would fit Mom's description and work in that tank? The betta can be removed, I have a 2 gallon tank that he would do well in by himself, but the pandas are not going anywhere (it took me two years to track the little buggers down, they are staying in the tank if it means I run a cory species tank!)

So, ideas anyone? I looked at dwarf gouramis, but I'm apprenhensive because I've heard that they fight in small spaces, if I were to get a pair of those, what sex should they be?

I wouldn't pay any attention to my mother, but I'm jobless at the moment so guess who's funding things? And I need a new heater.
 
There are some fish whose float bladder is seriously malformed as a result of genetic adaptations to habitat. But that is an aside.

For that tank, hmm...a pair of Bolivian Rams?
 
Well I did some poking around, and while I'm still apprehensive about dwarf gouramis, what do you think about sparkling gouramis?

Has anyone kept them in a ten with cory cats before? I understand the betta will have to move out, but that shouldn't be a problem. If I were to get them, how many and what sex should they be? Will they eat the standard fare of freeze-dried bloodworms and flakes, or do they have special dietary needs?

Thanks
 
Check out the dwarf cichlids. Several species of small, colorful fish with nice personalities. Won't conflict with the cories or the betta.

Don't count on gouramies being social. My dwarf neons were bullies, the gold and blue are better now that they're by themselves but still hide out most of the day, and my trio of sunsets hide most of the time. My work tank used to have my dwarf puffers, and people complained that they were too small. Now, with the gouramies, people complain that they hide too much (no, I don't stock to please these people, just letting you know their comments).
 
Thanks for the comments guys, I had read that honey and sparkling gouramis were a little calmer, and more sociable, although they hide a lot.

What types of dwarf cichlids would you reccomend Orion, and how many and what sexes of them would you keep? That seems to be the one bit of information most profiles are missing, is how many of each sex I should get.

I realize I should have posted this before, but here are my water stats:
Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrates ~5, pH 7.7 (or so, I'm so horrible with the color scale on that test), 4 degrees of kH and gH. Soft alkaline water... on another note, is that possible, or are my tests wrong?

I was horribly tempted by those honey gourami's tonight, and if I move the betta out, he'd go in another ten gallon tank, for now it would just have some silk plants and heater, but one day I might afford a filter, and oh dear... you all know where this is going =P How many and what sexs of the honeys would you reccomend in a ten gallon with four panda cories?
 
For dwarfs, either a single male (for the color) or a pair would be best. A pair will likely breed, and may be a bit abusive of conspecific tank mates during that time.

For sunsets, either 1 male, all females, or 1 male and 2-3 females (which would be a bit much for your tank). I'd go with all females, if possible. They are not quite as bright as the males, but still nice looking fish.
 
You should be aware of the color morphs of the dwarf gourami. There is a "wild" Honey Gourami (colisa or trichogaster chuna) and there is also a color morph of the dwarf (colisa lalia) that is sold as a "Honey" or a "Dwarf Honey" or a "Sunset Honey" or a "Red Flame Honey" etc. If you want a Honey Gourami (these guys are at the top of my own list :D ), just be sure you're getting what you think you're getting. The Sparkling gourami is also a very cool fish, but like the wild Honey can be a little tricky to track down.

I think that on the whole, gouramis are fairly adaptable as far as water goes (there are exceptions). The Burmese and Indian branches are from somewhat harder and more alkaline water than their cousins to the south. That would be the Dwarfs and the Honeys, the sparkling guys are from more acidic water further south and east. Fishbase.org gives ranges of pH 6-8 for the Dwarfs and Honeys, 6-7 for trichopsis pumilus (which seem to be sold as Sparkling Gs) and 6-8 for trichopsis vittata (the croaking gourami, the not-too-common-but-more-common-cousin of the pumilus).

Temperaments vary from one gourami to the next, but you should probably assume that at least the potential for violence exists with all of them. I'd get a male with one or two females and make sure that there are some driftwood obstacles and clusters of plants (live or fake) that can break up sight lines and provide refuges. I think that all three of your candidates are fairly peaceable as gouramis go.

I also really liked the suggestions for Rams or other dwarf cichlids. If I ever stray from my SE Asian focus and do an Amazon tank, they are at the top of that list. Very cool fish (but look into their water tolerances first, some of them can be delicate).

HTH
 
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