Dwarf Gourami?

Question

so how long do these guys live and is there a tips on how to keep them alive. i got 3 of these guys at petsmart and none of them live past 5 days. after the thired one i asked to get my money back. they checked my water and it was just were it had to be. does anyone have an idea y i am have problems.

Answer 1

I've had a few over the years and I know what a task it is to keep them alive, which is unfortunate since they are so pretty. They are very sensitive to ammonia In the water and will develop an "itch" where they flick around as if they are having seizures. Ive also noticed that they are very sensitive to noise and will become stressed quite easily. It is important to provide them with alot of space, especially if you are housing males together, as they are territorial. One or two of them would need 10 gallons at least, and three would need even more. Make sure to do frequent partial water changes, using a syphon to suck out the grime from the gravel and always add water that has been dechlorinated. Lastly, you should make sure to only buy bright, happy looking fish from the store that dont have broken fins or feelers. Be sure not to buy them the day they arrive at the store to minimize stress for them, and remember to float the bag for a good 20 mins before adding them to the aquarium. Good luck!

Answer 2

my gourami's live for about 2-3 years.    they like a varied diet and live plants. they live peacefully with smaller community fish and should not be put with too many other gourami's cause they can be agressive. try petco or a local pet/aquatics store, be sure that they quarantine there fish before selling.   also do you acclimate your fish before adding them to your tank?this could be why your fish dont live long because it can put them into shock if they arent slowly adjusted to the new water conditions.

Answer 3

the tank needs a heater

Answer 4

the question is, what else do you have in your aquarium? is there a serial killer in your tank or a fish that hates gouramis? do you have any other fish in your tank? not all fish will get along you know. and new fish are always picked on by the old  fish kinda like the new-kid-on-the-block situation. answer this first and then maybe you'll figure out the problem

Answer 5

For some reason I hear about these little guys being hard to keep...honestly I have never had a problem but maybe I am just lucky! you might already know all of this but I will just tell you some of the things I've learned from my experience. Alright although fish are considered easy to keep I do not find this to be true in fact I would catagorize them as difficult. Your water parameters may be alright but they need to be spot on for Dwarf Gouramis. They like warmer temps better between 78-80 (maybe 76) degrees F, pH between 6.5-6.8, and a KH right around 6 or 7. I know most information you find about them will give you a larger range but I have noticed they die when there is a variance from these parameters. Also, they stress easily and one of the biggest stress for them is having other dwarf gouramis as tankmates. I recommend only having one for every 10 gallons. So if you were trying to have 3 you should have at least a 30 gallon aquarium. Also, they should be really your only top dwellers. They are also highly sensitive to ammonia so your levels must stay at 0. They also must have a varied diet and plenty of live plants, and hiding places.

I hope some of this helped...this is just personal experience I hope this works for you!