Dwarf Gourami Habitat

[Aricml]

I have a 20g tank with 2 Flame Red Dwarf Gourami and a Fiddler Crab. My Gourami get along great for the most part, with each having "their sides" of the tank. My aquarium is currently at about 80 degrees which I understood to be the higher end of what Gourami might like, yet the fish who claimed the side with the heater is acting oddly obsessive about it. He stays within about a centimeter of it at all times often floating right next to the heater near the top (where I'd assume it is warmest).

So I may be a worrier, but is my tank too cold for my fish? Or do Gourami sometimes develop intimate relationships with inanimate objects in their aquariums? I want my fish to be comfortable at all times so if any of you Gourami owners can give me some advice on that issue!

One more question for the experts.. Do Gourami and Cory Cats have any problems sharing a habitat? My tank is starting to show tiny bits of algae so once my LFS helps me decide I'm ready for some algae-maintenance friends for my Gourami, I'd like to add something. I still have a lot of reading/asking-all-of-you before I pick out any buddies for them though. One problem for Corys might be that I have regular aquarium gravel substrate..

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

 

[bruinsbro1997]

I have a 20g tank with 2 Flame Red Dwarf Gourami and a Fiddler Crab. My Gourami get along great for the most part, with each having "their sides" of the tank. My aquarium is currently at about 80 degrees which I understood to be the higher end of what Gourami might like, yet the fish who claimed the side with the heater is acting oddly obsessive about it. He stays within about a centimeter of it at all times often floating right next to the heater near the top (where I'd assume it is warmest).

80 degrees F seems fine to me, I keep my honey gourami in 84 degrees F water and she is fine. I believe the fiddler crab is brackish and in the long term will not live in the tank. Also are they both males, one male one female or both females?

So I may be a worrier, but is my tank too cold for my fish? Or do Gourami sometimes develop intimate relationships with inanimate objects in their aquariums? I want my fish to be comfortable at all times so if any of you Gourami owners can give me some advice on that issue!

My gourami loves my heaters, she does not like me so whenever I am around she always hides behind one of my three heaters. Now before you say that's too much heat let me just say that two of them are meant for just five gallons of water, and the tank is thrity gallons.

One more question for the experts.. Do Gourami and Cory Cats have any problems sharing a habitat? My tank is starting to show tiny bits of algae so once my LFS helps me decide I'm ready for some algae-maintenance friends for my Gourami, I'd like to add something. I still have a lot of reading/asking-all-of-you before I pick out any buddies for them though. One problem for Corys might be that I have regular aquarium gravel substrate..

Nope, I keep emeralds with my honey and there is no problem at all. Cories are fine on regular aquarium gravel but they do not eat algae. The only fish that could fit in that tank is a group of otos however your tank should be established for a few months or so before adding. If not otos you could try some shrimp or snails, they have a much smaller bioload.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give! No problemo.

I wrote in the bold red above. Hope this helps!

 

[Aricml]

I know I'm not going to win friends with having the Fiddler Crab in my freshwater tank. At the advice of my LFS I have 2 Tbsp of Aquarium salt that I slowly added in to help him out, included areas for him to hang out above water and am giving him (quite)small portions of fruits/veggies to help mix his diet. I know I may still fail horribly but so far he seems active and healthy!

Thanks for the advice on the Gourami/Cory combo! It shows how much I have to learn that I didn't know they didn't eat algae.. If you get bored and feel like peeking at the 3 pictures I've put up you'll see I have two glass vessels in my tank with additional substrate that I was worried shrimp/snails may not help clean since they're a bit out of their way. But maybe in a few months Otos would be a good idea. There certainly seem to be a ton of Oto fans on here!

 

[bruinsbro1997]

I know I'm not going to win friends with having the Fiddler Crab in my freshwater tank. At the advice of my LFS I have 2 Tbsp of Aquarium salt that I slowly added in to help him out, included areas for him to hang out above water and am giving him (quite)small portions of fruits/veggies to help mix his diet. I know I may still fail horribly but so far he seems active and healthy!

Thanks for the advice on the Gourami/Cory combo! It shows how much I have to learn that I didn't know they didn't eat algae.. If you get bored and feel like peeking at the 3 pictures I've put up you'll see I have two glass vessels in my tank with additional substrate that I was worried shrimp/snails may not help clean since they're a bit out of their way. But maybe in a few months Otos would be a good idea. There certainly seem to be a ton of Oto fans on here!

Yeah, well I am not very knowledgable on fiddlers, all I know is that they are brackish so they don't do well in freshwater!

Yes there are many oto fans on here, however be warned; they are notorious for being super sensitive fish. The reason being is that while some are bred the majority are caught in the wild, and due to poor shipping methods and treatments they are super sensitive by the time they are at the LFS. Even if the tank has been established, its still reccomended a drip acclamation period of two hours or more to keep these fish alive and healthy!