Aqua Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 I just bought a pair of Flame Dwarf Gouramis! Very pretty they are too! One problem - they're tearing my Cabomba & the other stuff that looks like Cabomba, just not as 'woody' (can't think at the moment - too much beer :lol:).... Is this simply their way of saying "feed me more often", or are they just hungry for some soft, fluffy plants???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 All the Dwarf Gouramies use bits of plant to hold their nests together. Perhaps once they spawn they will give it a rest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 I have to say that I support what Pegasus is saying. Theres a good chance that your pair is ready to tango aand they are just preparing for future additions to the family. By the way the other plants name is probably ambulia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 Since you asked if anybody could save the plants - remove the gouramis! (or put the plants in another tank) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted July 23, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 I couldn't do that Caryl!!! :lol: I'm not certain if the pair are actually a 'pair' per se.... I went to Jansens on the North Shore, and just asked for 2 of the red gouramis lol And YES - it's Ambulia!!!! :roll: Now that the beer has worn off, I can think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 The male has a bit more colour, and the anal and dorsal fins are slightly more pointed at the tips, plus the female will have a bit deeper body. This is one fish that NEEDS the fine leaved plants to spawn, and without them you would be struggling to get them interested. Ambulia.. Cabomba and Myryophylum grow rapidly, so you have no worries, and the fry will appreciate the plant cover. As mentioned... slip a partition in if you have other fish in there. Use a piece of flyscreen mesh on a wire frame and jam into position... this works great, and allows for water circulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted July 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 Well, I don't think they'll be breeding now I just found one of them dead! It was lying in the corner where there's a lot less water flow than the rest of the current, so I think it must have floated there... All the other fish seem fine... I'm just about to go do pH checks etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted July 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 Well... the pH is at 7ish... 0 Nitrites, 0 ammonia... BUT the water temp was up @ 32ºC!!! I've turned the heater down to 26ºC... hopefully that will allow for the temp to stay warm during the night, but not broil my fish over the day!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted July 24, 2003 Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 Stink, it's always a nuisance when a fish dies. my condolences to you, and the fishes family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted July 24, 2003 Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 Sorry about your fish Aqua. They are not as hardy as the normal gouramies and often over rated as being an easy fish to keep, but in fact are not really. I think the strains today are far more fragile than years ago, perhaps because of all the mixed breeding they have undergone. There was talk on one of the forums that the dealers were only releasing males because of this prob. Don't know if it's true or not, or if that applies over here. Regards, Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted July 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 erk......... well, we can stop worrying why the gourami died... When I turned the lights on this morning, the other one was on its side at the front of the tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peety Posted July 26, 2003 Report Share Posted July 26, 2003 Sorry about the losses.... A good clue about fish health is their faeces... did you notice if it was white, runny, red, etc. Also pays to keep a close eye on body condition for first few weeks. I would also change water temps slowly, about a degree a day. I also dose my tank with preventative doses of formalin and green about every 2-3 weeks. I hate getting new fish and they die days later... happens.... (high temps will explain the plants dying too) peety Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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