Pearl Gouramis

My trio of Pearl Gouramis (1M:2F) obliged me over the weekend by staying still so I could take a few photos.

The first one was taken with the flash on...



...and the other four with the flash off just to show the difference.

wow beautifull
and brilliant clear photos

I see you have got to grips with your camera ok now Mary Great photo's, lovely fish and what a great green carpet covering your tank

Those are very nice fish Mary.

Diana wrote:

what a great green carpet covering your tank

My floating plants which have gone mental...but give a nice subdued lighting effect which is what the Pearl Gouramis prefer.

Re: the camera. Still having to fiddle with some of the settings but I'm getting there.

hi mary just seen these pics i also have pearl gouramis they are beautiful fish,
your photos of yours are stunning well done.


dekker

mmmm i love these fish....
now are they peacefull? do they breed like rabbits?
how big tank do they need?
shall i keep the fluval rena 90 i have on ebay??????...lol
it makes me want to when i see set ups like this
and the carpet plants look brill.........

the fluval/rena 90 would be fine for a pair ot two of gouramis - plus there are 'dwarf' versions as well

Yes they re peaceful - eventually - when theyve sorted out the pecking order etc - mine were bullies towards platys when i first got them as the colouring were similar to the gouramis (I have gold morph 3 spot gouramis) but once they grew a bit and realised the platys werent rivals - they backed (with some help from the five fingered terror )

Mone are a little shy - thye come out for me but will hide for 'strangers' and they do like to feel secure and love to hide in caves and under plants - my fake plants I put in for my butterfly fish seemed to have helped the gouramis too - although it may be a fact that surface dwellers help them feel secure anyway (ive heard that ABF's are excellent with angelfish as 'dither fish')

Anyway - i think they have great characters and a good choice for the 90liter

BTW - they are a close relation to siamese fighting fish so dont be bothered by them air breathing at the surface - it isnt a water problem or anything

nice article rich my pearls are very peaceful they dont bother any other fish and no other fish bother them, a great choice for a community tank.


dekker

dekker wrote:

hi mary just seen these pics i also have pearl gouramis they are beautiful fish,
your photos of yours are stunning well done.

Thank you. Some of my favourite fish.

chez wrote:

mmmm i love these fish....now are they peacefull? do they breed like rabbits?
how big tank do they need?

Very peaceful, almost timid. The minimum recommended ratio is 1M:2F and for Pearl Gouramis (Trichogaster leeri), you need a 120L tank (three foot) minimum, I would say as they grow quite large. They breed the same way as Siamese Fighter Fish i.e. the male makes a bubble nest to hold the fertilized eggs. Normally, you have to induce breeding by setting up specific conditions. Although my male P.G. gets a brilliant orange throat during breeding season, he doesn't do much more than chase the females a little bit. More info here.

For smaller tanks, I'd recommend Honey Gouramis (Colisa chuna) as they're peaceful enough if kept in the correct ratio. I have a pair of those also but I couldn't find a second female so I had to segragate the male into another tank as he incessantly chased the single female. The same goes for a pair of Dwarfs (Colisa lalia)that I had (alas, now deceased). Steer clear of Three Spot Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus and its colour variants - Blue, Opaline, Golden). It has the well deserved reputation of being quite an aggressive species.

honey gouramis are a beautiful little fish colour is stunning.


dekker