new member, brought 4 licorice gourami and am unsure of the species?

[Riley sharp]

Hey I’m Riley, I’m a new member from Australia. I recently purchased 4 licorice gourami from a local fish shop. The species was not described, they were only labeled as “licorice Gourami”. Right at the moment there in a community tank but I am currently establishing a species tank for them to move into where I’m hoping they will be happy enough to breed. As far as I can tell there all females, non of them show as vibrant coloring as the males shown in the species tab. My guess is there either phoenicurus, or opallios but I’m unsure. can anyone help me determine there species and gender? advice on keeping these Gouramis would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[helene schoubye]

Hi Riley.
Its difficult to see species, – it could really be any species.
They do look female, but it can be difficult with fish that have not been feeling well for some time, or are young and scared. I would wait a little to determine if they are indeed all females. A male can be completely without colours untill he feels safe and good.
If theres no male in the flock, then id is impossible, – unfortunately. Most species females look totally alike.

They need soft water, preferably also low ph – but not nessesarely lower than 5.5 – even 6 can be okay. If you are not experienced black – soft water aquarist, – dont aim for too low ph. It more important to have it soft – you can achieve this by using RO water, or even sometimes rainwater. But you would have to measure this.
Otherwise they appreciate no or low circulation, addition of leaves, (ketapang or other), brown/blackish water colours, hiding places (caves, small wood pieces, leaves.) Low light.
They need live food, – most will never take any other. This is one of the biggest challenges.

[Riley sharp]

Thanks for the help. I have a tank right now that’s sitting at around 5-5.5, just trying to deal with an algae bloom before I move them in. if one of them does happen to be male that would be great, it would be unfortunate if they cant be id’d.

I have an already established Dapnia magna culture, but I’m setting up moina, vinegar eels, and brine shrimp also, so hopefully there diets taken care of. Because of laws in Australia about standing water mosquito larvae might be a bit difficult to reliably maintain but hopefully ill be able to come up with something.

Thanks again

[Kevin Marshall]

Hello Riley
There is a good rule of thumb when purchasing unsexed fish with regards to the odds of ensuring that you get a sexed pair With you 4 fish you have an 88% chance of having a pair if you buy 6 then its 98 % and 8 its 99% Of course it does not always work out this way as the LFS may only have a one sex group. However its good to know but it does not stop me holding my breath as to getting a good out come when I buy fish. Good luck they should soon colour up On the live food front I would also get a couple of Grindal Worm cultures on the go and perhaps white worms too

[Riley sharp]

(I’m unsure whether this is the right place in this forum for this message, if it is in the wrong place I apologise)

Unfortunately the liquorice gourami have died. Something I take full responsibility for. I purchased them with very little knowledge of the species family and the parameters needed to properly care for them.

I quickly began creating an appropriate tank for them but I could not condition the tank in time and they died soon after I bought them. I believe the main cause of them dying was my ignorance of this gourami family, something I regret heavily.

While I am disappointed in myself for allowing this to happen, I feel I am currently much better suited for caring for liquorice gourami now then I was when I first purchased them. I now have a fully established empty tank with the right parameters for liquorice gourami, and have several different live foods (my other fish are definitely enjoying the variety). I believe I have learnt from my mistake and can successfully care for liquorice species if I try again.

Is there anyone which would be willing to sell a species pair to me and which can send them to Australia? I am a beginner, obviously, and therefore I believe it would be inappropriate to attempt a high demanding species, but I am happy with anything available.

Thank you to everyone who has provided advice and helped me so far.

[Kevin Marshall]

Dont worry these things happen. I have been in this situation myself Its al part of the learning process

[Author]

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