Types of Tropical Fish

Gouramis

Comments by lemuelpr:

I'm in a local aquarist group here and I read this about how beneficial Indian Almond tree leaves are. They help Gouramis and Bettas to build their bubble nest and that it has this antiseptic properties that also helps in healing, in acclimatating fish (a big local supplier always use it in the tanks for the new arrivals), and best of all apparently helps in maintaining the tank free of fungus which is a mayor problem with egg layers. Concentration is unknown but usually they add one leave per 10 gallon. Again, this is what local breeders use with good results.

Comments by LittleHippyGirl:

Any tank decorations are good for gouramis. Find a style that you like! Natural is my favorite, but other common themes are beach, artistic, surreal, fantasy, colorful, Greek or castle ruins etc. With natural, it is common to have live plants, real or fake driftwood, rocks, and a subdued gravel from tan to brown to black. Since your dwarf gouramis are very bright and colorful, I recommend a black gravel. That way it doesn't clash or hide the colors but really makes them pop. It will do the same for any other colorful or bright fish in your tank, just not dark colored fish. For a beach theme you can use fine gravel (sand can be dangerous), flat non-spiral seashells (disinfect and test pH and kH first) and limited tall skinny plants with some driftwood with a blue background. You can use undersea ornaments like treasure chests, ships, etc if you want. Artistic could include anything you want! A fun idea is glass beads or tiny marbles for gravel. Fantasy can range from castles and dragons to psychedelic colors. Building a tank is a lot about reflecting your personality and what you want it to look like.

My only concern would be that the gouramis may eat your plants. If you choose to go with live plants, stick to ones with large, broad leaves. Java fern, swords, and lotus are good candidates.

Comments by carolo:

My gouramis like anything they can hide in. I recently bought a large castle with many openings and they are either in or around it all day long.