Pygmy vs dwarf

[PlatyLady]

Okay, I went to FIVE pet shops last night - a record for me, and in record time. I was checking to see who had the healthiest rosy barbs and lucked out in finding some beautiful ones at a decent price.

As usual, I was looking to see what caught my eye for my empty 10 gallon (has been going on for weeks now, must really make up my mind soon!), and I came across pygmy gouramis. Anyone heard of them? The girl helping me wasn't really helpful ("Sure you can put 5 gouramis in your 10 gallon tank, maybe some danios too." :? )

Anyway, what's the diff between pygmy gouramis and dwarf gouramis? Are they the same thing? I've never heard of such a fish, but they sure were pretty.

 

[tkos]

I bought pygymy gouramis once and still have them. Of course at almost 3 inches long they are really just dwarf gouramis. One is honey and the other is chocolate. I guess compared to a full size kisser they are tiny.

You might be able to get 2 in a 10 gallon without having them fight.

 

[Fruitbat]

Pygmy Gouramis are not the same as dwarf gouramis....though some pet stores sell them that way. The real Pygmy Gouramis belong to the genus Trichopsis and the one you usually see in stores is the Pygmy or Sparkling Gourami or Dwarf Croaking Gourami , Trichopsis pumilis.

All of the Trichopsis stay fairly small, usually staying under 2 inches. They are perfectly at home in a relatively small tank and like plants to hide in. They make good community fish as long as their tankmates aren't too large or too aggressive. As one of the common names implies, these gouramis can make a faint croaking noise.

I've been eyeballing a trio of these fish at my lfs for a while but will have to wait until I can set up a tank to put them in.