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Thank you very much for that, Patrick, that is really very interesting, – although huge (144 pages) – but as I am fortunate enough to speak danish I will read it, – it seems to have a lot of really expert describtions of the habitat as well as problems of the area.
One interesting thing that I noticed by scrolling quickly through it, was that it mentioned that in their work (thesis on a particular area of Selangor) they also conveided an examination of which fish were most present, – and they write that by their estimation parosphromenus harveyi is the second most common fish in that particular area (by the number of fish caught in a certain area, at certain times). Thats interesting I think.
The project is from 2000.
How did you know about it, Patrick, and do you understand danish ?I think that hydra is not a problem unless its really really a lot, – and maybe it could depend on what type of hydra. Normally hydra will come because the tank is fed with lots of live small food, such as artemia. But they dont cause any problems for bigger fish in my opinion.
But I would not count on any gouramies to take them, nor in a reliable way 🙂 .. if theres other food, they will skip the hydra I am sure.
Back to the Sphaerichthys and numbers, – I think again, pairs are not a good idea. Again I havent got any personal experience, – but my friend found that keeping them in a smaller school really is very beneficial and even if you dont think breeding is possible with more numbers on the contrary it is then that they breed. I think they are mouthbreeders as well as the other chocolate gouramies which means you can then seperate the breeding parent when it comes close to releasing the fry.
But breeding chocolates or spaerichthys is kind of difficult 🙂I think you are both right – 🙂 ..
I have bred both albimarginata and malpulutta, – and they are still much more easy and ‘reliable’ than paros, though. But I guess it is possible to breed licorice gouramies in larger numbers if you really put an effort into it.But another thing is that I really think that one of the purposes (just one of them ) of this home page is to continue to widen the knowledge of Parosphromenus, especially through showing real detailed and good photoes and in this way open up many more peoples knowledge about their speciality and their extreme beauty. Because that I am sure is the way to have people really become interested.
But nobody notices those tiny black and white fish when they are in the shops. They really need ambassadors 🙂 .. which is what I think we can try to be here. And I am happy to say that thanks to many people we have a lot of wonderful photoes, which eventually will be put in much more places around on the homepage. As of now its mainly in the species sektion.I agree with you in many of your thoughts, I have the same thoughts for the danish scene, – but I must say that in my last five years of myself being very enthusiastic about parosphromenus it still has not really developed this way. A few shops have become better in getting good quality licorice gouramies, – but the people I have known which have taken it on, dont last very long. One problem is the food for sure, another the fact that they dont breed, and therefore die out.
Getting the fish to breed is difficult on a regular ‘basis’ I quess. And in particular for ordinary people, so they end up with one or more same-sex fish, and then it ends there.
Maybe also the fact that there are so many different species makes it difficult, – because its very often not the same the next time you find it in a shop.I am not really capable of the more complicated things about the setup of this tank, but will only say that I think you can easy have 6 in the tank – from the fish point of view, I would think maybe even more would be better. But if you wish to keep it very ‘maintenance-free’ then it might of course not be a good idea.
As I said I know people in Denmark has been quite succesfull with these fish, but I cant locate these people, – so I could only refer you to a danish forum site and you might be able to google-translate a bit, or at least look at the images 🙂http://www.akvarieviden.dk/forum/Regnskovs_biotop_akvarium-2241
http://www.akvarieviden.dk/forum/Regnskovs_akvariet_del_2-2280
This particular tank even had some parosphromenus in it.
I have often had shrimps with the parosphromenus and would the fact that they never multiply say something ? In other tanks the shrimps do but in these tanks, even its certain males and females their number stay the same. I have assumed that this is because the small shrimps get eaten. But you would need to have many shrimps in the tank to provide anything thats a stable flod supply 🙂
I just think that with the licorice gouramies the chance that they might not take and find the frozen food is just so big that I wouldnt really use it. I have tried a few times, but they are just very unstable with regards to taken non-live food. If you have other fish in with them, of course they will take what is there, but if not, the risk that its just lying there is big.
I guess also because these fish are quite able to live on very small amounts of food makes them ‘picky’. But I know there are people who seems to be able to make the licorice gourami take dried or froszen food, I am just not sure how they do that – and make it regular.I have some troubles during winter time with feeding, – I use artemia extensively because these are easy to make. I always then try to have different other sources of food, but it becomes difficult when living in a flat (with my partner) – and no extra space. So the amount of cultures of live food that I can have in the cupboards is limited 😉 , moina dafnia is possible, but they often crash and dont seem to be a reliable food source for me to have. So then I have microworms which I actually use also regularly for the grown ups.
And the I buy occasionally live mosquito larvaes, or live red worms (red mosquito larvae) if I can get them in small sizes. But I not too fond of these anymore, have had a few accidents because of these I think, – either they are still too big or something else cause problems for the fish, or they pollute the water. So now I only feed like one or two pr. fish so that I have some control of it. And rather not.
In the sommer though, I use a lot of black mosquito larvaes, and they are excellent. Escpecially because I get them from my summer garten, – and I can get them in all sizes, and find a lot of really small larvaes. Even down to the size of microworms and the fish loves them. And I dont feel this food will be causing any problems, – I quess uneaten larvaes might actually end up developing into mosquitoes which of course could be a problem, however of a different nature.I have transferred the last chain of this interesting and useful discussion which was more and more concentrating on chocolate gouramis to the “undetermined”-section in “Global”. Helene, webmaster
I am not sure about where the best place is, 🙂 .. – will try to find out if I know any, but will surely ask Kirsten who I know, – maybe she is in an english speaking forum, might be actually.
But its true, this is more the licorice gourami forum, so we better stick to that 🙂Yes, theres a difference to the crowded tanks you see in shops, here I think its simply because all natural reactions is really put out of working, – so the hierakies does not make sense. But once in a tank with better conditions, the fish changes behaviour. But with the chocolates, its different, – as I also found it with Betta albimarginata, having one pair is no good, but a small flock works.
If you want at some point to set up a chocolate tank and need some really good advice, you could start another thread and I might be able to get Kirsten, from Denmark, – who also used to have parosphromenus, to look in, – she has some interesting experience with the seleantis, – also spawning as well.Hello Martin and welcome to this forum and homepage. I hope you will find much more information here in english which will help you, – that is what we hope to do, to help people as you with an interest in the parosphromenus species. Because it is not so much information that you can find about them.
I am happy to read that you are already making some of your own experiences with the fish, – in the beginning it is difficult, but once you learn by experience and from others it becomes easier. And the fact that you have already had the fish spawn is a very good sign. So keep up the good work 🙂
Your observation about the Copella is certainly helpful, – I think you are right, – if you would like the paros to spawn they should not be kept with other fish. Parosphromenus are not very assertive or fast as f.example Copellas and they will not be able to get to the food quick enough, as well as the fry will be eaten.
P.sumatranus is as far as I know not an easy species to get to spawn, so that is very good, – now the big question is how to do it again 🙂 … now it probably becomes difficult.Food is a difficult matter often, but artemia is a very good food, and most other kinds of small live food, – I am not sure about glass worms, normally I would think they are in the too big range for the fish, and its not so good to use them as main food, – but small amounts (and small sizes) is good. Dafnia are also good.
The tank can be more or less helpfull as well, – its very good as you do with leaves to provide som hiding spaces, etc for the fish, it could be even much more than what I see on the photo. But often it is also very helpfull to keep only the male and female together in a much smaller tank, -such as 12 liter, and give them the opportunity to find a cave.
The water quality also plays a part, – what kind of water do you use, do you know what the ph is and how hard / soft the water is ?It sounds really interesting that you are getting even more parosphromenus, – however, we are always a bit sceptical when the fish are sold as deissneri in the shop. It is very rarely, or in fact never, the ‘true’ deissneri. But it is always some other interesting species, – so when you get them, it would be interesting to see photoes of them, and then we might help you to find out if it is the true deissneri, or if not, which species is it then.
But please feel free to ask any kind of questions, we are happy to help what we can..I went to the shop, – the ‘deissneri’ .. well … – it seems like some undefined bintan, not clear.
But the linkei’s, – they were so beautiful, very good condition and really nice fish. I bought four, – but of course now I think it may be four males :dry: …How do we go about things if you have two different groups of P.linkei (trade) – still not mixing ??? I am just unsure. I have that now.
They are beatiful fish never the less, linkeis are linkeis 🙂Those are beautiful, Peter, so nice to see how others do.
Kevin, I have the measures for my ‘thing’ – but its really quite simple. The material I bought in the local timbershop, what its called in english I am not sure, but just ordinary things that you use in buildings, quite cheap.
I had someone with a bit of knowledge about woodwork doing it for me, because of course it needs to be staple and I was unsure about it.
I can send more precise measures to you if you want, but its just a matter of how big you want it. I think mine is 2.70 m long, and about 0.40 deep.Again I can say that in this shop in Copenhagen there are being parosphromenus sold – reported this time to be Linkei (wild caught) and deissneri from Bangka (wild caught) – I spoke to the shop today, they say, yes, it is the same ‘Deissneri’ as last time, meaning the same as the one in my photo above, but it is still wildcaught from the area of Bangka.
Their condition should be fine, I will go again this time and have a look at them.The name of the shop is Neonfisken, – the link http://www.neonfisken.dk/index.asp?ArtId=6980&ActiveMenu=13711 (lagerliste akvariefisk)
