# Sparkling Gourami and PCD Owners Please Help!



## JustJen (Jun 20, 2011)

I have 10 sparkling gouramis in a 33 gallon. They obviously have a lot more space that you're talking about, but mine are just whatever the seller bagged up for me and I've had no issues with fighting and whatnot. Given their size and activity level, I personally think 2 or 3 would be fine in a 7g but someone may contradict me. I've kept CPDs and bettas together a couple of different times without issue. Some people seem to get super aggressive bettas that won't tolerate anything else in their tanks, but that has never been my personal experience. Some tank mates didn't work because the bettas would get beat up, but CPDs were never an issue. Do be sure if you try that particular pairing that the CPDs are getting enough food because mine tended to feed more in the middle/bottom of the tank, and the pig of a betta feeding at the top didn't always allow enough food down to them. Also, fwiw, I kept bettas with amanos without issue. Smaller/more colorful shrimp were a no go, but they ignored the amanos.


----------



## Iwagumist (Jan 4, 2016)

Thanks for the help! Its good to know that the betta won't eat the amanos. If I did go with the gouramis and the PCDs how many could I keep? 
If anyone else has experiences with these fish please post!


----------



## Melika (Feb 7, 2013)

The person I got my sparkling pair from kept them with pygmy cory in a small-ish tank (can't remember the size). Anyway, the usual recommendation is ~1" of fish/gallon, keeping in mind that substrate, decor, and plants displace water and you will have less volume in the actual tank.

My gourami aren't aggressive feeders, so there isn't much competition with the other fish.

I cannot speak for CPDs (though I think they might have different temperature requirements according to some?).

Have you tried using AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor ?


----------



## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

Thinking along the lines of keeping a small school of dither fish, the little micro rasboras might be a good choice. IIRC, Sparkling Gourami's are somewhat clear/blackwater fish and a school of smaller, complimentary colored fish like the little red Micro Rasboras would look stunning. Both Sparkling Gouramis and dwarf Rasboras are somewhat timid eaters and they might compliment each other better in a small community tank. It would be kindly to try and mimic their home water conditions with black water extracts or those Indian Almond leaves sold for soaking in blackwater biotypical tanks.


----------



## Veritas (Aug 9, 2013)

I wouldn't do it.

I don't believe a 7g to have enough room for a healthy shoal of CPDs and a Sparkling Gourami. 

Other than that though - CPDs prefer cooler water (mine were happiest at temps around 75) while Sparklers prefer warmer 77-79 degree water.


----------



## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

CPDs are active swimmers and a 7 gal is too small for them.


----------



## overgrown (Dec 30, 2015)

In my opinion the 7 gal is not large enough for the CPD's with another large fish. Maybe a shoal only would work, but not with the gourami. That being said, in a larger tank I think it would be just fine. 

Just note that all the CPD's in my LFS have always been near fry size. Make sure to get them a bit grown or grow them out a bit in a separate tank.


----------



## thegirlundertherainbow (Aug 12, 2004)

Not had cpd but Have sparkling gourami. I don't think that's enough room for them with a school of other fish if you end up with a pair. And they definitely prefer higher temps.


----------



## Iwagumist (Jan 4, 2016)

GrampsGrunge said:


> Thinking along the lines of keeping a small school of dither fish, the little micro rasboras might be a good choice.


Thanks everyone for the responses! As for the idea of chili rasboras, I am already keeping them in another tank and would like to try something different. Also, can only one sparkling gourami be in a tank, or do they need to be in a group? If they were in a group would there need to be a certain number of males and females? 

If I did go with CPDs and sparkling gouramis what would be the best stocking ratio for both species? Would 6 CPDs and 2 gouramis work? I know this is over the 1 inch per gallon rule, but the filter on the tank can handle a 20 gal, and I don't think it is so much it would be inhumane. If I got 2 gouramis I would want a male/female pair, so is there a way to tell the difference between male and female gouramis other than shining a flashlight through them and looking for the ovaries? This sounds rather difficult so if any of you could give some advice on how to do it (where the ovaries are, what they look like, etc.), that would be great:smile2:!


----------



## Veritas (Aug 9, 2013)

so.....everyone in the thread has said "no, don't do it" and you're now asking our advice on the best way to do it? 

Filtration isn't really the issue - it is the space. Fish need room. While they might be tiny - you need at least 6 (I would honestly go with at least 10) CPDs for them to truly feel at ease. 

Sparkling Gourami also need more room than is available in that Aquatop tank. They are quite territorial and will get semi-aggressive when in small spaces. They need room to establish "their" part of the tank.

and again - the temps simply won't work. CPDs are a lower-temp tropical fish, with their ideal range being 73-75. Sparklers need at least 77 - and many keep them at 79. 

We are all truly willing to give advice - but I think I speak for all when I say - don't ask for advice, and then simply turn around and ignore it. 






Iwagumist said:


> Thanks everyone for the responses! As for the idea of chili rasboras, I am already keeping them in another tank and would like to try something different. Also, can only one sparkling gourami be in a tank, or do they need to be in a group? If they were in a group would there need to be a certain number of males and females?
> 
> If I did go with CPDs and sparkling gouramis what would be the best stocking ratio for both species? Would 6 CPDs and 2 gouramis work? I know this is over the 1 inch per gallon rule, but the filter on the tank can handle a 20 gal, and I don't think it is so much it would be inhumane. If I got 2 gouramis I would want a male/female pair, so is there a way to tell the difference between male and female gouramis other than shining a flashlight through them and looking for the ovaries? This sounds rather difficult so if any of you could give some advice on how to do it (where the ovaries are, what they look like, etc.), that would be great:smile2:!


----------



## overgrown (Dec 30, 2015)

Veritas said:


> *so.....everyone in the thread has said "no, don't do it" and you're now asking our advice on the best way to do it? *
> 
> Filtration isn't really the issue - it is the space. * Fish need room*. While they might be tiny - you need at least 6 (I would honestly go with at least 10) CPDs for them to truly feel at ease.
> 
> ...


I agree strongly with these points. CPD's tend to be a bit timid... You are compromising their school (by only have 6. You should try to have more than that. At least 8 if not 10-12 ideally) to try to fit fish into a tiny tank. 

Honestly, you're going to have to choose one over the other.


----------



## Iwagumist (Jan 4, 2016)

Alright, alright, I guess you guys are right :wink2:...(that's why I ask you guys).


----------



## Iwagumist (Jan 4, 2016)

What if I only tried keeping CPDs in the tank? Or would it still be too small? If I only kept CPDs than I could probably keep more. Also, if The 101 Best Freshwater Nano Species says that the minimum tank size for CPDS is 5 gal than is it trustworthy? From what I understand it is a very nice book... If this wouldn't work what other options are there for such a small tank (other than a betta, a dwarf puffer, chili rasboras and shrimp)?


----------



## overgrown (Dec 30, 2015)

Iwagumist said:


> What if I only tried keeping CPDs in the tank? Or would it still be too small? If I only kept CPDs than I could probably keep more. Also, if The 101 Best Freshwater Nano Species says that the minimum tank size for CPDS is 5 gal than is it trustworthy? From what I understand it is a very nice book... If this wouldn't work what other options are there for such a small tank (other than a betta, a dwarf puffer, chili rasboras and shrimp)?


In my opinion (from my own experience) they would be okay in your 7 gallon. I think they would actually not mind it too much, though they do like to swim and would enjoy lateral space a lot more than tall space. If you have a cube, I would say skip them.

Why not just try a bigger tank? The Chili rasboras are *the *nano fish for nano tanks.


----------



## Iwagumist (Jan 4, 2016)

I don't try a bigger tank because I got the 7 gallon for my birthday, I spent hours aquascaping it, I already have it full of plants, driftwood, and expensive substrate, I have almost finished cycling it, and I love it, not to mention the fact that I am a 15 year old high-school student with no money and even less time :grin2:...so simply buying a larger tank won't work out.

P.S.--Thanks for the help everybody!


----------



## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

Why not go with shrimp or 3 dwarf frogs?


----------



## Iwagumist (Jan 4, 2016)

I've got one more question: could I keep 8-10 CPD with a betta in a 7 galllon?


----------



## jrh (Sep 9, 2007)

I would say 8-10 CPD or a betta. How planted is the tank? Can you post a pic?


----------



## WaterLife (Jul 1, 2015)

I agree with jrh, just CPDs or 1 Betta, not both.

In regards to the book, even with many articles, I wouldn't take much advice from them. It's a good reference point, but then ask around to see how the fish act in larger environments.
Once you have kept/seen how the fish behave in larger tanks, you would see that they are indeed a whole lot happier in a bigger tank. Then if you saw them in a smaller tank, you would see how unhappy they become, being rather inactive, pretty much looking bored. It is dependent on the species though. Being alive/surviving is not the same as thriving.

With that said though, CPDs in particular done seem to mind smaller tanks as much compared to other fish. They still seem to remain rather curious and active (some people have timid CPDs, but that may be for other reasons than too small of a tank). Though they still would be happier in a bigger tank, they don't do too bad in a small tank. Even seen people have their CPDs spawn in tanks smaller than 10 gallons. I'd say 8 CPD is enough (especially if most are males), but you might can get away with 10.

If you went with CPDs, do have some fine leaved plants (or moss) for them to play and hide in.


----------



## Iwagumist (Jan 4, 2016)

Thanks guys! I got a few more stocking questions... Could I keep just pygmy gouramis in this size tank? If I did this I could keep multiple and that would distribute aggression. Also, could I keep the pygmy gouramis with small rasboras such as chilis? I'm not sure if I like this idea because I already have some chilis, but I feel just gouramis would get boring...


----------



## overgrown (Dec 30, 2015)

Iwagumist said:


> Thanks guys! I got a few more stocking questions... Could I keep just pygmy gouramis in this size tank? If I did this I could keep multiple and that would distribute aggression. Also, could I keep the pygmy gouramis with small rasboras such as chilis? I'm not sure if I like this idea because I already have some chilis, but I feel just gouramis would get boring...


I know this is an older thread, but I came back to say... don't do this. Don't cram multiple gouramis into a tank this small.


----------



## Iwagumist (Jan 4, 2016)

overgrown said:


> I know this is an older thread, but I came back to say... don't do this. Don't cram multiple gouramis into a tank this small.


Read my other thread:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/21-fish/1006009-sparkling-gourami-tank-size.html


----------



## Clear Water (Sep 20, 2014)

I have kept both together. They won't bother each other and seem to be in there own worlds. Your tank size is just way to small. I would guess some were around 6 gallon total. Go with the CPD's but not both.


----------



## thegirlundertherainbow (Aug 12, 2004)

If you did just the sparkling gourami you could do one or two.. but if you have 2 and end up with a pair, you will have fry to raise etc etc (I have a breeding pair in a 2.5g but it's so dense with plants and driftwood it takes me FOREVER just to find them sometimes.


----------

