Pygmy Gouramis With Kuhli Loaches

I have a 10 gallon fish tank with 2 KuhlI loaches. Will it be okay to have these gouramis with them? I'm planning on buying some plants as well and am looking for suggestions. They would have to be low light because it's a weak LED light, would love to hear any suggestions you guys have!

 

How many gouramis are you planning on getting? Because in a tank that size, they will probably attack each other because gouramis are territorial and a little aggressive towards each other. I would stick to only getting one. I haven’t noticed any problems between my gourami and my platys. I think as long as your loaches aren’t aggressive you should be alright, but I don’t know that much about loaches.

 

How many gouramis are you planning on getting? Because in a tank that size, they will probably attack each other because gouramis are territorial and a little aggressive towards each other. I would stick to only getting one. I haven’t noticed any problems between my gourami and my platys. I think as long as your loaches aren’t aggressive you should be alright, but I don’t know that much about loaches.

KuhlI loaches have fantastic temperant as far as I have seen. I have had amano shrimp and have never seen them bother them. I was originally thinking 2 sparkling (pygmy) gouramis. I am 100 percent open to other tank mates for these kuhlis.

Also, this is my first ever post! Tips appreciated.

 

Pygmy gouramis are perfectly fine on that tank size, though the kuhlies need a 20 long and a large group. Some good bottom dwellers for a 10:

Rosy loaches
Asian stone catfish

 

I’m very fond of platys, because they come in a ton of gorgeous colors and are super fun to watch! Mollys and sword tails are also fun! Just be careful that you get all of one gender, because platys and Molly’s are live bearers that are basically always pregnant lol

 

Ya. I think I either need to upgrade or give them to a pet store. If it was a species only tank for sparkling gouramis, how many would you suggest?

 

Ya. I think I either need to upgrade or give them to a pet store. If it was a species only tank for sparkling gouramis, how many would you suggest?

~5

 

I’m very fond of platys, because they come in a ton of gorgeous colors and are super fun to watch! Mollys and sword tails are also fun! Just be careful that you get all of one gender, because platys and Molly’s are live bearers that are basically always pregnant lol

Platys are quite pretty. Out of curiosity, how do they differ from mollys?

~5

I might try for 3 females and 1 male then? I don't want the males to fight over territory and I worry about the male to female ratio.

 

Platies are a little smaller & they're xiphophorus, not poecilia.

 

Thank you all for your help and ideas!! I appreciate it a lot. I'm going to post in a plant specific area so I can find out what is best for these critters.

 

Thank you all for your help and ideas!! I appreciate it a lot. I'm going to post in a plant specific area so I can find out what is best for these critters.

Good Luck and have fun!!!!

 

Have a look at these videos:

No Filter No CO2 No Ferts Planted Nano Tanks - YouTube

 

Have a look at these videos:

No Filter No CO2 No Ferts Planted Nano Tanks - YouTube

Thanks so much! I love researching and will definitely look into that.

 

Thanks so much! I love researching and will definitely look into that.

I’ve had a lot of luck with amazon sword! It’s super easy to take care of and does well in most aquariums!

 

Pygmy gouramis are perfectly fine on that tank size, though the kuhlies need a 20 long and a large group. Some good bottom dwellers for a 10:

Rosy loaches
Asian stone catfish

May take the KuhlI loaches back in that case. I was told they would be fine in a 10 gallon.

 

I’m very fond of platys, because they come in a ton of gorgeous colors and are super fun to watch! Mollys and sword tails are also fun! Just be careful that you get all of one gender, because platys and Molly’s are live bearers that are basically always pregnant lol

Do I remember correctly that some livebearers - guppies notably - can pass from being males to females? Does it happen with other livebearer species as well?

 

Do I remember correctly that some livebearers - guppies notably - can pass from being males to females? Does it happen with other livebearer species as well?

Guppies can change from female to male but not the other way around. Many saltwater fish can do it, including Clowns. Swordtail females can appear to be changing to male but they never do completely and are not able to breed as a male. I think it's only the guppies that can truly change gender and maybe some other less common aquarium fish like Endlers or mosquitofish. As far as I know Swordtails, Platies and Mollies can't do it.

 

Also, this is my first ever post! Tips appreciated.

Before ordering any type of fish I read the related article in Seriously Fish, which provides valuable information on water type, tank size and many other things one likes to know: .

For a 10 gallon many gouramis grow too large. The pygmy croaking gourami / (pygmy) sparkling gourami, Trichopsis pumila, is the smallest of three Trichopsis gourami species - and if I am not mistaken, the smallest of all gouramis. It "fits" perfectly into a 10 gallon. The other two species, Trichopsis vittata and Trichopsis schalleri, [this is a different link and gives access to all 3 species] already need a larger tank.
They can make a characteristic sound that is probably unique in the fish world - see & hear at 0:20-0:21 of this video:

.

As for aquarium plants, this database may prove helpful: .
If you click on the scientific name of each individual plant a new window opens up providing a wealth of information. [Clicking on the banners at the top left of the page one can choose between English and German.]

Good luck and enjoy your fish and plants!

 

Hey guys! Quick update. Just got my gouramis (3) and a Malaysian trumpet snail! I was unable to find a place to take the kuhlis. They are staying for at least one more night.

The gouramis are resting on the substrate. Is this normal behaviour given the travelling?

Nvm. They are all doing well!

 

Congratulations on the arrival of your new friends!
Can you upload a picture?

 

Congratulations on the arrival of your new friends!
Can you upload a picture?

Absolutely! They are all at the back right now. When they come out of hiding I'll take a few pics! I'm so happy because I think I got 1 male and 2 females like I wanted.

Here they are! Sorry for bad photo quality, my camera is bad and they aren't at the front still. I just missed that.
Water bottle is just to decrease flow. They seemed to be struggling and were always in the corners. I'm do glad they are zipping around the tank now!

 

Wow! They do LOOK GOOD!!
They're pretty big, too..., especially the ones in the 1st and the 3rd picture. To me it seems they're young adults.
One should be able to see the females' triangular ovaries under the swim bladder when (more or less strong) light shines through their tiny bodies.
I've never seen anything, but most likely the 2 I have are both males.

Fellow aquarists in Switzerland and Germany have "yelled" at me that these pygmy croakers want at least part of the tank to have plants that grow from the bottom all the way to the water surface, so that they can take air without being seen.

My sparklers do not like strong water movement either. In their natural environment the water seems to move very slowly, or not at all. But it is crowded with plants. It may be a good idea to plant your tank more densely, at least here and there.

Today is exactly 1 month from the day I heard the first "croaking". I had waited for more than a month and was beginning to doubt I'd ever hear the sound for which I bought them. I started to keep the score at the beginning of this month: they have croaked 30 times so far in August - true music to an aquarist's ear .

The black substrate enhances their colors; I have covered the glass in the back of my tank with a black sheet of "paper".

 

Wow! They do LOOK GOOD!!
They're pretty big, too..., especially the ones in the 1st and the 3rd picture. To me it seems they're young adults.
One should be able to see the females' triangular ovaries under the swim bladder when (more or less strong) light shines through their tiny bodies.
I've never seen anything, but most likely the 2 I have are both males.

Fellow aquarists in Switzerland and Germany have "yelled" at me that these pygmy croakers want at least part of the tank to have plants that grow from the bottom all the way to the water surface, so that they can take air without being seen.

My sparklers do not like strong water movement either. In their natural environment the water seems to move very slowly, or not at all. But it is crowded with plants. It may be a good idea to plant your tank more densely, at least here and there.

Today is exactly 1 month from the day I heard the first "croaking". I had waited for more than a month and was beginning to doubt I'd ever hear the sound for which I bought them. I started to keep the score at the beginning of this month: they have croaked 30 times so far in August - true music to an aquarist's ear .

The black substrate enhances their colors; I have covered the glass in the back of my tank with a black sheet of "paper".

I'm getting my plants between august 27 and September first . Cryptocoryne becketii, amazon frogbit, vallisneria americana, and I already have some giant duckweed in there. I think black paper is a great idea! I'll have to do that. It seems like the males are super colorful because one of my trio is so much bright than the other two. I'm excited for the croaking!

 

Good to hear about the plants.
These need good lighting and fertilizers - fortunately at your side of the Atlantic you can choose from so many excellent products.

I myself have always struggled to upkeep a dense vegetation. Only the Java fern I bought when I started 2 years ago has never let me down, and offers the "stairway" to the water surface that the pygmy croakers demand.
A very knowledgeable lady on this forum - Jocelyn Adelman from NJ - recommended with regard to plants: "Overall you want to look for ferts with as well as micros".

The black "paper" is actually a thin sheet of rubber/velvet-like synthetic material, bought cheap in a Chinese shop. It does not deteriorate/disintegrate when it comes into contact with water. (I have taped it to the external surface of the tank, NOT in the water.)

Do give a signal when your fish start croaking...

 

Good to hear about the plants.
These need good lighting and fertilizers - fortunately at your side of the Atlantic you can choose from so many excellent products.

I myself have always struggled to upkeep a dense vegetation. Only the Java fern I bought when I started 2 years ago has never let me down, and offers the "stairway" to the water surface that the pygmy croakers demand.
A very knowledgeable lady on this forum - Jocelyn Adelman from NJ - recommended with regard to plants: "Overall you want to look for ferts with as well as micros".

The black "paper" is actually a thin sheet of rubber/velvet-like synthetic material, bought cheap in a Chinese shop. It does not deteriorate/disintegrate when it comes into contact with water. (I have taped it to the external surface of the tank, NOT in the water.)

Do give a signal when your fish start croaking...

Oh ya! I'll post when it happens. I'm going to go with some root tabs, bit I also have liquid fertilizer for the water column. No CO2 and low lighting also.

 

Am looking forward to it!

Oh yeah, I read somewhere that these little voracious sparklers can choke if given (live) food that is too large. Since then I stopped feeding them whiteworms - they would tackle white worms that were longer than themselves. White worms and their much smaller cousins grindal worms are too fat anyway to be given more than twice a week.
Mosquito larvae are their favorite fare. (Un)fortunately there are many here in summer. Brine shrimp naupliI come a close second - there is a risk of overfeeding: my Trichopsis pumila do not stop eating easily. The latter 2 types of live food are low in fat. I daily start a brine shrimp naupliI culture with a tiny portion of eggs which at present temperatures hatch in 24 hours.

Surprisingly these croakers are jumpers (see Seriously Fish). Please make sure to keep your tank always covered. I lost several fish who had this type of athletic tendencies ... .

 

Guys, I need help. Are these all bubble nests?! I only have 1 male and 2 females. Idk if it's just unpoppwd bubbles on the surface or if they are bubble nests. Is this something the filter caused? How can I tell the difference?

 

Guys, I need help. Are these all bubble nests?! I only have 1 male and 2 females. Idk if it's just unpoppwd bubbles on the surface or if they are bubble nests. Is this something the filter caused? How can I tell the difference?

View attachment 470417View attachment 470418View attachment 470419

I'd say that is your filter. Sparklers' bubble nests are usually quite small (compared to bettas for example) and almost always are well hidden. Mine have never made a nest out in the open like that. They usually make the nests under a frogbit leaf.

 

I'd say that is your filter. Sparklers' bubble nests are usually quite small (compared to bettas for example) and almost always are well hidden. Mine have never made a nest out in the open like that. They usually make the nests under a frogbit leaf.

Okay thanks. I didn't think they commonly built them at the surface on open water. Makes sense. I'm getting some frog bit in a week. I'll have amazon frog bit and duckweed together and maybe they will breed. Thanks again!

 

Okay thanks. I didn't think they commonly built them at the surface on open water. Makes sense. I'm getting some frog bit in a week. I'll have amazon frog bit and duckweed together and maybe they will breed. Thanks again!

Mine spawn constantly! The fry never make it though, once they are free swimming the parents eat them. If you want to raise fry, I'd pull the parents or have an absolute jungle of a tank with a lot of hiding spaces.

 

Mine spawn constantly! The fry never make it though, once they are free swimming the parents eat them. If you want to raise fry, I'd pull the parents or have an absolute jungle of a tank with a lot of hiding spaces.

Going for the jungle look haha