Are all dwarf gouramis hopeless?

[adadkins1]

I have been reading up on gouramis and went to the LFS today to get one to go with my glowlight tetras. I decided to go with a dwarf gourami because it was the only one really suitable for my tank, thought the pearl gouramis were tempting. From all of the information I have gathered, it seems as thought most all dwarf gouramis' demise will be due to dwarf gourami iridovirus. I would like to know if anyone has had experince with these fish, and how healthy were they. Mine seems happy and healty, eating like a pig and pecking at my plants for the time being. I am also wondering if the iridovirus is transmitable to my glowlights, or not. Thanks ahead of time.

P.S. The current inhabitants are 7 glowlights, 1 dwarf gourami, and 1 zebra nerite snail in a 10 gallon tank.

 

[adadkins1]

Nobody has experience with dwarf gouramis?

 

[RabiedRooster]

Mines fine. It was UK bred though, maybe different where you are

 

[mfdrookie516]

I think the bigger issue with dwarf gouramis is that they tend to get nippy and aggressive... As far as dwarf gourami disease, I have only saw one potential case of that on here in the last 2 years. I think it's one of those things that get amplified by the masses as soon as its heard.

 

[adadkins1]

Mine seems to be fairly timid/shy for now. I was just interested becasue everything I read says "A study found that 22% of fish coming from Singapore/S.E. Asia had iridovirus". I figured it was probably just being over exaggerated.

 

[Fdsh5]

I have a dwarf gourami and no problems with mine. Had it a year and a half. You mentioned the pearl Gouramis. I have two of those in my gourami tank and they both are extremely docile. They don't bother the other guys. Now the blue and gold, they chase each other like it's their job.

Sent from my iPod touch using Aquarium

 

[mfdrookie516]

I think some people are just aquarium hypochondriacs.. they hear something, notice something on their fish they've never seen before, and instantly diagnose it with something horrible. I've been guilty of the same thing though. I used to see an air bubble on a fish fin after a water change and freak out thinking they had ich.

 

[adadkins1]

Haha, I did the exact same thing with my platys. They had been swimming through bubbles from my air stone and I was like "Not again..."

 

[James_in_MN]

If I were to venture a guess as to why people say that dwarf gouramis aren't easy to keep, it could be because of:

1) Keeping more than one male gourami without realizing that they'll fight just like bettas will.

2) Dwarf gouramis have been over-bred to get the varieties you see, and that likely causes them to be over-sensitive, like the rams.