What gourami do I have?

GreenPlanet

Yes mate.

Bman422

sorry to reawaken this thread but how sure are we that this is a neon Jewel Cichlid? I mean, I'm sold on the fact that it is a Jewel Cichlid, but all the pictures I've been finding online look next to nothing like my specific fish. Other fish seem to look very dark red with a dark band over their eyes, but mine looks sort of light orange-y, with no obvious spot to speak of on its body near the tail fin....

small fry

Your fish IS the Hemichromis bimaculatus. The colors can vary depending on the specific mood or health of the fish. Mine goes from red (when he is happy) to brown w/ dark brown stripes (when I leave for a couple days).

How is the Giant Danio? Still alive? Did you move it? I am just asking because I want to know how this fish (Hemichromis bimaculatus) would react to the company.

No doubt, Hemichromis bimaculatus.

Bman422

Hey and thanks for your response!

Yep, both fish are still alive and well. The jewel ended up pretty badly nipping the danio's tail fin a few weeks back, but since then the danio learned to keep his distance and there hasn't been any more violence apart from some chasing - since the danio is MUCH faster, the jewel has no chance of catching him.

I'm hoping to keep them in this arrangement for maybe one more week or a little bit more before I'm back home and near the store where I got him, so I could give him back..it's a shame too, he's a really cool fish. But since he doesn't wanna show his full coloration at all, I guess it's safe to assume that he's not nearly as happy as he could be in a better suited aquarium.

small fry

Is the water chemisty ok for the jewel? pH, hardness, low toxicity? I would have to cry if I had to give my jewel up. He loves to watch me play rock on my guitar! He gets really red, especially when I play loud.

Do you spend alot of time in the room? My jewel, Joel, gets happier the longer I am in the room. Joel sure has a personality!

eileen

Welcome to the Forum.

Most lfs stores have a return policy. I have taken back fish when they do not seem to get along and they exchange them for something else or give me credit. Most clerks that work in Petsmart or Petco do not know as much about fish like aquarium stores that specialize in fish only. Try to find a good local aquairum store but this forum can help you alot. Most posts are answered within a day or so.

Maybe you should look at fish for a small 10 gal. Like Tetras,endlers,dwarf cories, ghost shrimps or you can get some male guppies, dwarf Platy,reg. Platy without the females as they breed like rabbits. Swordtails and mollies grow sort of big for a 10 gal. tank. A betta might me ok with a cory but they will eat dwarf shrimps and small endlers that are smaller in size then guppies which make them nice starter fish. I should have a bunch of endler babies in late spring. I have red scarlet endlers that I'm trying to perfect the red coloring from the offspring. I also have Blonde endlers now. Where are you from?

small fry

Just to add to the stocking 10g. Tetras (any type), cories (any type), need to be kept in groups of 4. There actually aren't alot of tetra that work well for the 10g. Many will work, but they will take up all the stock.

Ember Tetra will work fine. Lemon Tetra will work only if they are the only fish in the tank. Neon Tetra don't work in a 10g imo (and several experts opinion also). Black Widow Tetra and Bleeding Heart Tetra get way to big for a 10g.

Dwarf and Pygmy cories will work just fine with other fish. Many cory schools are to big, though. Such as albino ad many others. Research is the best preventative to desaster.

Danios have to be kept in schools. Most danios, due to their activeness, are not suitable for a 10g. Celestrial danio will work, but those can be pretty expensive.

People have mixed opinions about mollies and platies being in a 10g. Some people say platys don't work, and some say that mollies wont. I, personally, wouldn't use either. If there is a question, I would choose the most cautious side of the argument.

What kind of danio do you have? If you post a pic, we could probably tell you.

Hope this helps!