Chocolate gourami questions

[k0olmini]

So I went to a LFS that has chocolate gouramis. The owner there said they’ve been easy for him. That’s contradictory to what I’ve heard. To anyone who has kept them what is your option? Are they really that finicky? Do they really need water on the more acidic side? Does the temperature need to be 77-82? 

[Colu]

Am by no means an expert on chocolate gourami's I would say they are not a beginner fish chocolate gourami's like soft acidic water with plenty of tannins low flow floating plants as they come from peat swamps and are all wild caught and like a temperature of 77-82

Edited May 30, 2022 by Colu

[k0olmini]

That’s what I’ve been reading too. Trying to see if people who have kept them have found this to be true 

[anewbie]

I've not kept them but researched them and the closely related cherry chocolate gourami since i plan on adding a group to a tank i'm setting up next year. Having gotten advice from several owners what I learned is they are very easy with proper condition. The water needs to be very acidic with low tds and they have an intolerance for improper environment. However given the proper environment they are less difficult (less fragile) than some other fishes. Still not only do they require a proper environment you have to maintain that environment when changing their water. That means prepare the change water to be the same ph and temp prior to replacing the water. I would say they are more difficult than most commonly mentioned blackwater fishes and i've not heard of tank raised chocolate adapting to more neutral water.

 

Also (and the reason I'm going with cherry chocolate) it was recommend that the cherry chocolate are a bit less aggressive with each other than the chocolate.