New Dwarf gourami setup

[Matt]

Yep, looks like a male. 🙂

[Saxodave]

I bought three from one shop knowing that I have an outstanding order at another place from which I will buy another three or four. Do you think I shoud keep an even number or odd, or does it not matter? I know they are supposedly quite difficult to sex so I don’t really know what I have already.

I very much like the way they swim as they seem to curl and bend their bodies as they move around the tank. They also seem to be getting on with the dwarf rasboras okay too.

[Rüdiger]

Hi Dave,

as I said before, in my experience, sparkling Gouramies and Boraras spp. get along like a house on fire. I don’t think odd or even numbers will make a difference. But you’ll have to keep an eye. If you get a male majority, the subdominant males will lose quite a bit of their fins. There’ll never be an obvious fight but the dominant male always manages to somehow shorten the other males fins!

Regards

R.

[Saxodave]

Thanks Rüdiger

What should I be looking for when buying my next sparklers in terms of knowing whether they are males or females?

Dave

[Rüdiger]

Very difficult David!!

Slightly larger and more ornate fins in males but that you can only see in older specimens. If you see anything that resembles the one in your last pic, you can be ssure that’s a male. Not much help, I know but that’s all there is or at least all I know!

Regards

R.

[Saxodave]

Well, I have had my sparkling gouramis and Boraras maculatus for a good few months now and, for the first time today I heard one of them croaking while I was carrying out a water change. I was surprised how loud and clear it sounded!

So far I haven’t noticed any signs of pairing up or a bubble nest but I am so pleased with this set-up and the way the fish interact with each other. Thankfully the foam filter I use seems perfectly adequate to keep the water clean.

 

[Matt]

Great update David. Have the gouramis grown much since you got them?

[Saxodave]

They have grown quite a lot and pretty quickly. I assume they are about full grown now and their colours show up really well when the males start displaying and getting a bit shirty at feeding time. I have lost one of the original six I put in and one of the remaining ones spends a lot of time skulking at the back of the tank but looks healthy and comes out to feed every day.

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[Author]

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