BT,

i definitely think it was more of a water enviro prob than a baby prob. managed to keep only one alive so far. even than, not eating very well tho i can tell it's hungry. problem is my tank is not a species tank so lowering the ph might be a bit problematic for the rest of the tank mates.

got none to sell but AI has a large stock at rm2 each tho a majority are pretty tiny. another LFS called galaxy in damansara uptown also has some at rm3 each. in fact, the owner said just add black water to care. go figure...

Dear Izmel,

Thanks for the lead.
Please share with us your progress.

Cheers!

BT Lee

Got 5 last time hehe.
Now got only 2. Staying with my corydoras in a tank full of javan moss...anyone want the moss ? hehe

Almost gonna be 1 year old liao tat 2 fella...even eat my cory eggs

hey out there

a lil update on my single living choc gourami. he's grown somewhat but still has probs eating, esp since his tankmates are fast whizzing fish and he's a "chill out" dude so he gets scared most of the time and gives up, eating only tiny morsels when he can. he looks pretty beat up as well even tho i've added more hiding places - probably the angel fish or the monos or everyone else in the tank for tt matter!

but he's a real trooper and still hanging in there..donno for how long tho...

I didn't have anywhere else to put my choc gouramis.. I dumped them into my pH7.5 community and they seem to be doing fine. They're eating too. pH 3.5-4? That seems quite extreme. Didn't know fish live in that acidity.

Hey Guys! I just joined this forum, but i thought i'd add a little bit of advince.
In the wild, chocolate gouramis do live in blackwater with a pH of around 4.0-6.0, but most of the ones that you see in pet stores are tank bred, so they are much more adjusted to a higher pH.
A constant pH is much safer and better for the fish than constantly trying to lower it, which causes unnecisary stress. I have 10 chocolate gouramis in a 15 gallon with a pH of 7.4 and they are very active and healthy. The most important things are:

-temperature (chocolate gouramis need a temperature between 80-86. Around 84 is best, but the temperature must remain constant.no fluctuations)

-the type of water (i use peat filtered water along with blackwater extract.this adds necissary nutrients to the water and help to maintain a stable pH)

-water cleanliness(chocolate gouramis need EXTREMELY clean water. a water change twice a week is usually the best route, but once a week won't kill them)

-tank companions(chocolate gouramis do best in species only tanks or if need be, with other slow moving, non aggressive fish. They should be kept in groups of at least 6 or else they will feel insecure and probably won't eat)

-type of food(some will only eat live food, and they would rather starve than except dead stuff, however most can eventually be weaned onto frozen or flake food. If feeding flake food, make sure that it is crumbled into VERY small peices as their mouths are extremely small. I feed mine flake food in the morning, and frozen food at night. They absolutely love frozen bloodworms)

I hope this helps you guys. I have been keeping chocolate gouramis for years, and if my mistakes can help you guys so that you don't make the same ones....then they were worth it.
Have a good one guys!!