So few aquarium youtubers make any effort to actually discuss what makes a fish interesting, their enthusiasm and thoughts about the fish in question. And even fewer do a good job of it. Well done again.
I’ve watched this video so may times. It’s soothing and elegant and beautiful. I found this because I was researching fish for my new tank, including the sparkling gourami. I did end up making the sparkling gourami my tank’s centerpiece fish because this video showcased its understated beauty in both form and content. I think when I watch my sparkling gourami glide elegantly through my tank, I will always remember this gorgeous video. Thank you for making this.
I know exactly what you mean! I’m very tempted but don’t want to heat my tank, I wonder if I get some next spring they might acclimatise (I’m English) to my setup 🤷🏼♀️
I can hear the joy in your voice as you are describing the wonders of the aquarium, and that is why your videos are so enchanting and alluring. Keep doing what you are doing!
Thank you for giving my favorite nano fish the praise they deserve! I hear mine croak every day while in bed or at my desk and it brings me such joy just to observe them interact with each other and the other tank mates. It’s a fish that can be easy to overlook but grows on you quickly once you observe their quirks. They’re also extremely hard to record so props to you for that ✅
Do they croak at night while the lights are all out? I find them incredibly cute and would like to keep them at some point, but I'm an extremely sensitive sleeper so I wonder if that would be an issue.
You have so eloquently captured why I fell in love with these not-so-popular labyrinth fish. I couldn't have said it better myself. Wow. Wonderful video!
Ikr! She couldn’t have said it better! Lol I literally just heard mine croak as I’m writing this in bed, no joke!!!😂 they have become my favorite nano fish, their beauty isn’t something you see at first glance it’s something that grows on you. I bought two to add diversity to my tank and ended up buying three more a few days later
Oh yeah I can imagine. I have a tonne of shrimp in all my tanks because they're just that easy. It's like having the little pond snails, a perfect little algae eater that survives everywhere. Sure they aren't out in the open with many fish because of predation, but somehow only the sparkling gouramis managed to actually eat every shrimp. Bettas, angels, rainbows, not anything has ever outpaced the breeding except for these little guys.
Ok I can totally picture you narrating some BBC wildlife documentary 💖 Do you think a couple of these fellas could do good in a shallow tank 60 cms long x 20 cms tall x 30 cms depth?
Thanks Ed! Yes a tank that size would be perfect for a pair, or even a couple of pairs as they really do not need much space and they are happy at any depth so long as they have something to hide under. I have heard people say they are “jumpy” - although in the 10 years I’ve been keeping sparklers on and off I have never had one jump - but still, you might want to get a lid just in case.
These guys are great for pest control as well! I set up a tank and found detritus worms and hydra in it, but already had the sparklies on the way. They had an amazing time hunting everything down and I honestly think they’re disappointed the tank is so clean now 😂
I buy 3 of this last week the 1 die and also i didnt even know they are shrimp eaters so all my shrimps get eaten but my neon tetras is safe, i love this fish they are shy and expressive at the same time
There are many very good videos from various people around the world who cover a wide range of subjects. However, having watched many of them, I'm afraid that the best that they can hope to achieve is to be a close second to Lauren @ Tiny Menagerie. Lauren's manner is always relaxed, informative and more like a friend talking to you about a favourite fish, than someone 'telling you like it is' Thank you, Lauren, this video is delightful and interesting, just like all of your others.
This video was perfect! I was considering getting sparkling gourami and after many videos about them, this one was exactly what I was hoping to find. Very informative and highlighted the natural behaviors and preferences.
in the course of this video I have fallen in love with these little guys, I'm thinking about doing a second tank and I know what I'm gonna keep in it now :3
I have some betta mahachai, 3 females specifically in a sorority setting. What they share in common with sparkling gouramis is that they love to swim into small spaces, like root structures of floating plants.
I was always looking for a channel where small fishes are discussed about and for the first time in 6 months found this Channel... Keep up the good Work!
Thank you for making such a great video! I was already about 90% sure I was going to put some in the blackwater tank I just set up, but after watching this video and seeing how enthusiastic you are about them, I'm 100% sure. Again, thank you so much for making this video.
First video i have seen by you. Very very good narration! Defininetly not the last i will see. It was nice to get a good explanation of these fish. i think i am now convinced, that they will be the star in my new aquarium
I had some duckweed, java Fern and java moss with some drift wood in my tank. They were quite happy. I didn't have any other fish in the tank other than a kuhlie loach.
Thanks for posting this. I don't think I've seen a sparkling gourami in any of the pet stores near me, but I'm intrigued by your video and I would love to try them.
I really enjoyed your video. Very informative and descriptive. I’ve been very curious about these little fish but didn’t know enough about them to get them until coming across your video. I can see your channel growing and wish you great success!
Hi Lauren! You and Foo the Flowehorn have inspired me to create an indoor pond (in a planter pot) and keep sparkling gourami. I have setup an 11 gallon planter pot with water wisteria, red and green tiger lotus, and cryptocorenes. The tub is 19 inches in diameter. I am a little concerned because my water is hard (both GH and KH) and ph is 8. Do you think this would stress the sparklers? The pond is heavily plated with large lotus leaves and shadows and caves from driftwood and water wisteria. I’m planning on adding Indian almond leaves to put tannins in the water. The lighting is low to provide lots of shadows. I am planning to to add four to this pond. I believe I’ve setup enough driftwood and plants so they have some territories to claim/retreat to.
Hey Nano Fish Friends. Sounds like a great set up to me, sparklers would love all the shadows the lotus and other plants will create. I wouldn't worry too much about your water, all the wood and plants will lower that pH, especially if you add a bit of plant or shrimp substrate in there too, then once it has cycled for a few weeks the water will soften off. To be honest I don't find sparklers to be too sensitive, due to fighting I once had to move one of my males to a small platy birthing tank I had set up, and that had very hard water in it (for the platys), he was fine and even after three weeks was perfectly happy in there trying to hunt the platy fry.
This is a wonderful video ❤. I started looking into these guys as centrepiece for my 10 gallon. Initially I was interested in bettas but I don’t want to risk getting a murderous one. Do you think these guys are too loud for a bedroom tank?
Hi there, I have three in a 55g with rummys and cardinals and albino corys. They stay to the top under the floating plants or down in the java moss. I love them and their gorgeous blue eyes.
Hey Lyndon. I thinking of getting some cardinals in their tank too, sort of collecting the fish which have iridescent blue in them. Thanks for the comment!
Hey Thomas. Not at the moment, they are in my 'moody blues' tank, which is very much still a work in progress. They would work beautifully with embers though, and would probably be quite brave around them.
I've got a lone sparkling gourami, but I guess I got lucky on his personality. He's not shy at all (probably helps that he's the largest fish in he tank), he's quite confident and loves to swim right up to the glass and stare at me and swims out in the open all the time, occasionally being the slight bully of the tank and charging at the tetras if they're too much in his personal space. But it's more like a passive "move bitch, get out the way", he doesn't seem interested in outright fighting them. The only real issue is the slow-eating. He's with ember tetras and they snatch every last bit of food the second its in the water. I've had to resort to feeding him with a pair of tweezers so the tetras can't snatch it right from under his nose. It gives him time to stare at the food and decide whether or not he wants to starve. I don't know how I would do that with multiple sparklers, plus he seems slightly territorial so I guess he's stayin solo. Honestly one of the more curious fish I've had, they really do feel the need to stare very closely at everything in a highly engrossed manner. He has this amusing habit of just...getting super close to something being completely vertical while staring at intenself as if trying to figure out whether or not its food, only to then spontaneously dart to the other side of the tank because something else caught his interest. He also yawns a lot. I named him Dexter.
Great video ! Really good job ! I'm myself interested to add few of them in my 65 gallons, but I have already several species in it so I wonder if they wouldn't be too shy for such aquarium, I have microdevario kubotai, rly speedy fish, hyphessobrycon amandae, not an issue I think, nannostomus beckfordi red, same I think, black neon tetras, same too, a lot of crystal red shrimps, but also hyphessobrycon roseus (yellow ghost tetra), which is my main question tbh, are these fish not too brawling fish for trichopsis pumila ? it's my main fear actually, also with males beckfordi perhaps, these fish aren't rly calm and could perhaps bully them no ? but tbh they mainly are like it together, not rly concerned by other species in my tank so I don't know. I'd like to know your opinion about it :D . Oh and I have to specify my tank is full of very big roots/woods and very highly planted, inside and outside water (on woods), jungle scape to be simple, so with a lot of possible hiding places, rly a lot. But my yellow ghosts rly love to roam the entire aquarium, including the hiding places tbh XD, their speciality I'd even say XD. Anyway I'd love to keep sparkling gouramis, rly nice fish ! Tx for the video! One more subscriber :)
I answer to myself for those who could be interested (about cohabitation with other species). That's it, it's done :D, I added for the moment 4 sparkling gourami (if we succeeded to well identify sex with the seller, 1 male and 3 females), and everything's well, no particular issues with the other fish, my males nannostomus becfordi red have been faithful to themselves, by chasing them a bit sometimes, but less and less and the gouramis seems to love this aquarium. They are not that shy, of course they are more shy than tetras and the nannostomus, but they aren't hidden all the time and I can feed them easily, and my fear about the yellow ghost tetras was wrong, they barely noticed them and leave them alone :). So in my tank (65 gallons) fully planted with a lot of mosses, microsorum pteropus trident etc, bolbitis, and a lot of other species, and with a lot of big roots/woods, no issue to mix sparkling gouramis with tetras (black neon/hyphessobrycon roseus & amandae), nannostomus beckfordi and microdevario kubotai. Oh and that's it I heard their sound only two days after adding them :D, so nice haha. So it's a success in my tank but I don't know if it would be well adapted in a smaller tank less planted, my tank is probably more 'versatile' in a way due to his size and scape (hard scape and plants). Tx again for this so inspiring and complete video about this fascinating fish !
Hi Lauren! I’m new to this species. I have 3 quarantining right now and I love them. I am hoping you can help with their future tank mates. I was hoping to have them in a 20 gallon high with dense planting and a lot of wood. I’d like to try them with a group of otos, Pygmy Cory’s, and blue velvet shrimp. I’m also wondering if 3 sparklers is enough? If you could let me know your thoughts, I’d really appreciate it! Thank you for the great video!
Hey Jayme. Sounds like you are setting up the perfect home for them. 3 would be fine to begin with and you could likely add a couple more without causing too much trouble. They will get along just fine with the fish, but they will snack on any baby shrimps they find. If it’s densely planted though, with just 3 sparklers then hopefully a few shrimplets will survive 👍🏻 Good luck!
Okay, so one month later, I got myself a group of three. They are so cute but I am having trouble getting them to feed... >_< But we will manage. They are soon morphing into my favourites :D
So few aquarium youtubers make any effort to actually discuss what makes a fish interesting, their enthusiasm and thoughts about the fish in question. And even fewer do a good job of it. Well done again.
Thank you so much! I love making the videos so its always very rewarding and encouraging to hear that someone enjoys watching them :)
I’ve watched this video so may times. It’s soothing and elegant and beautiful. I found this because I was researching fish for my new tank, including the sparkling gourami. I did end up making the sparkling gourami my tank’s centerpiece fish because this video showcased its understated beauty in both form and content. I think when I watch my sparkling gourami glide elegantly through my tank, I will always remember this gorgeous video. Thank you for making this.
I know exactly what you mean! I’m very tempted but don’t want to heat my tank, I wonder if I get some next spring they might acclimatise (I’m English) to my setup 🤷🏼♀️
I come back to this video time and again--the music, the cinematography, the narration and script! Stunning. They remind me of underwater bowerbirds.
I catch these fish today in near by swamp, very cool and elegant, love your yt from Indonesia
I can hear the joy in your voice as you are describing the wonders of the aquarium, and that is why your videos are so enchanting and alluring. Keep doing what you are doing!
Thank you for giving my favorite nano fish the praise they deserve! I hear mine croak every day while in bed or at my desk and it brings me such joy just to observe them interact with each other and the other tank mates. It’s a fish that can be easy to overlook but grows on you quickly once you observe their quirks. They’re also extremely hard to record so props to you for that ✅
Do they croak at night while the lights are all out? I find them incredibly cute and would like to keep them at some point, but I'm an extremely sensitive sleeper so I wonder if that would be an issue.
You have so eloquently captured why I fell in love with these not-so-popular labyrinth fish. I couldn't have said it better myself. Wow. Wonderful video!
Ikr! She couldn’t have said it better! Lol I literally just heard mine croak as I’m writing this in bed, no joke!!!😂 they have become my favorite nano fish, their beauty isn’t something you see at first glance it’s something that grows on you. I bought two to add diversity to my tank and ended up buying three more a few days later
Wonderful video, thank you!
I was about to get some of these… for my shrimp tank!
Maybe not…😢
Oh yeah I can imagine. I have a tonne of shrimp in all my tanks because they're just that easy. It's like having the little pond snails, a perfect little algae eater that survives everywhere.
Sure they aren't out in the open with many fish because of predation, but somehow only the sparkling gouramis managed to actually eat every shrimp.
Bettas, angels, rainbows, not anything has ever outpaced the breeding except for these little guys.
They are wonderful fish, I raised them , and, raised fry in the 90’s
Ok I can totally picture you narrating some BBC wildlife documentary 💖
Do you think a couple of these fellas could do good in a shallow tank 60 cms long x 20 cms tall x 30 cms depth?
Thanks Ed! Yes a tank that size would be perfect for a pair, or even a couple of pairs as they really do not need much space and they are happy at any depth so long as they have something to hide under. I have heard people say they are “jumpy” - although in the 10 years I’ve been keeping sparklers on and off I have never had one jump - but still, you might want to get a lid just in case.
These guys are great for pest control as well! I set up a tank and found detritus worms and hydra in it, but already had the sparklies on the way. They had an amazing time hunting everything down and I honestly think they’re disappointed the tank is so clean now 😂
I buy 3 of this last week the 1 die and also i didnt even know they are shrimp eaters so all my shrimps get eaten but my neon tetras is safe, i love this fish they are shy and expressive at the same time
Thank you so so so so much for this video!!
There are many very good videos from various people around the world who cover a wide range of subjects. However, having watched many of them, I'm afraid that the best that they can hope to achieve is to be a close second to Lauren @ Tiny Menagerie.
Lauren's manner is always relaxed, informative and more like a friend talking to you about a favourite fish, than someone 'telling you like it is'
Thank you, Lauren, this video is delightful and interesting, just like all of your others.
That voice tho--
*subs*
Documentary voice!
"Jolly good squabble" makes my easily entertained American brain oh so happy 😂
Licorice gourami next?
This video was perfect! I was considering getting sparkling gourami and after many videos about them, this one was exactly what I was hoping to find. Very informative and highlighted the natural behaviors and preferences.
in the course of this video I have fallen in love with these little guys, I'm thinking about doing a second tank and I know what I'm gonna keep in it now :3
These little guys are so rad
Your videos are really interesting and you should have many more subscribers.
I have some betta mahachai, 3 females specifically in a sorority setting. What they share in common with sparkling gouramis is that they love to swim into small spaces, like root structures of floating plants.
Best video on Sparkling gourami I have seen. Thank you!
I was always looking for a channel where small fishes are discussed about and for the first time in 6 months found this Channel... Keep up the good Work!
Thank you for making such a great video! I was already about 90% sure I was going to put some in the blackwater tank I just set up, but after watching this video and seeing how enthusiastic you are about them, I'm 100% sure. Again, thank you so much for making this video.
Truly amazing delivery... Can't believe I never came across your channel before. Keep it going!
Hello Lauren. Thank you for your videos. I love everything about them. Your information is awesome and your authentic love and passion is contagious!
I'm gonna be getting some once I get my tank NICE AND PLANTED.
Very well done video!
Would sparkling gourami be safe to place with honey gouramis in a community tank?
I love the way you describe each species! This is a great channel, I hope it will get the attention it deserves. 👍
Wonderful video. So glad I saw you recommended on reddit.
First video i have seen by you. Very very good narration! Defininetly not the last i will see.
It was nice to get a good explanation of these fish. i think i am now convinced, that they will be the star in my new aquarium
Thank you! They are the loveliest little fish, well worth tracking down :)
This is the best video about this fish on TH-cam. Thank you!
Excellent piece on the sparklers and brilliant narration. Thank you for this.
Wow such a great and accurate description of these little beautiful fish. I just recently acquired them and they’re so fascinating 😍
Wow 🤩 the quality of your videography 🔥
I had some duckweed, java Fern and java moss with some drift wood in my tank. They were quite happy. I didn't have any other fish in the tank other than a kuhlie loach.
Thanks for posting this. I don't think I've seen a sparkling gourami in any of the pet stores near me, but I'm intrigued by your video and I would love to try them.
I really enjoyed your video. Very informative and descriptive. I’ve been very curious about these little fish but didn’t know enough about them to get them until coming across your video. I can see your channel growing and wish you great success!
The review is wonderful, thank you.
Your Voice has matured over ~2 yeats period and the pure great content has been improved to better levels! ❤
Hi Lauren! You and Foo the Flowehorn have inspired me to create an indoor pond (in a planter pot) and keep sparkling gourami. I have setup an 11 gallon planter pot with water wisteria, red and green tiger lotus, and cryptocorenes. The tub is 19 inches in diameter.
I am a little concerned because my water is hard (both GH and KH) and ph is 8. Do you think this would stress the sparklers?
The pond is heavily plated with large lotus leaves and shadows and caves from driftwood and water wisteria. I’m planning on adding Indian almond leaves to put tannins in the water. The lighting is low to provide lots of shadows.
I am planning to to add four to this pond. I believe I’ve setup enough driftwood and plants so they have some territories to claim/retreat to.
Hey Nano Fish Friends. Sounds like a great set up to me, sparklers would love all the shadows the lotus and other plants will create. I wouldn't worry too much about your water, all the wood and plants will lower that pH, especially if you add a bit of plant or shrimp substrate in there too, then once it has cycled for a few weeks the water will soften off. To be honest I don't find sparklers to be too sensitive, due to fighting I once had to move one of my males to a small platy birthing tank I had set up, and that had very hard water in it (for the platys), he was fine and even after three weeks was perfectly happy in there trying to hunt the platy fry.
@@tinymenagerie thank you! I love your channel. Your content is thoughtful and beautiful!
What a great vid! Thank you so much - fantastic, informative content delivered with love! ❤️
Really is a beautiful fish. I keep a small group myself, great video 🙂
This is a wonderful video ❤. I started looking into these guys as centrepiece for my 10 gallon. Initially I was interested in bettas but I don’t want to risk getting a murderous one.
Do you think these guys are too loud for a bedroom tank?
Hi there, I have three in a 55g with rummys and cardinals and albino corys. They stay to the top under the floating plants or down in the java moss. I love them and their gorgeous blue eyes.
Hey Lyndon. I thinking of getting some cardinals in their tank too, sort of collecting the fish which have iridescent blue in them. Thanks for the comment!
Hi Lauren I do like these tiny fish . Do you keep them with your ember tetras .I really enjoy your videos .Thank you 😄
Hey Thomas. Not at the moment, they are in my 'moody blues' tank, which is very much still a work in progress. They would work beautifully with embers though, and would probably be quite brave around them.
Great videos ❤
I have a 6 gal tank deep substrate and planted. It’s about 30cm x 30xm x 30 cm would this be good for 3 or 4 ? How to you sex them ?
Can i keep widow tetra with sparkling gourami????
Excellent content. Well done.
I've got a lone sparkling gourami, but I guess I got lucky on his personality. He's not shy at all (probably helps that he's the largest fish in he tank), he's quite confident and loves to swim right up to the glass and stare at me and swims out in the open all the time, occasionally being the slight bully of the tank and charging at the tetras if they're too much in his personal space. But it's more like a passive "move bitch, get out the way", he doesn't seem interested in outright fighting them. The only real issue is the slow-eating. He's with ember tetras and they snatch every last bit of food the second its in the water. I've had to resort to feeding him with a pair of tweezers so the tetras can't snatch it right from under his nose. It gives him time to stare at the food and decide whether or not he wants to starve. I don't know how I would do that with multiple sparklers, plus he seems slightly territorial so I guess he's stayin solo.
Honestly one of the more curious fish I've had, they really do feel the need to stare very closely at everything in a highly engrossed manner. He has this amusing habit of just...getting super close to something being completely vertical while staring at intenself as if trying to figure out whether or not its food, only to then spontaneously dart to the other side of the tank because something else caught his interest. He also yawns a lot. I named him Dexter.
Great video ! Really good job ! I'm myself interested to add few of them in my 65 gallons, but I have already several species in it so I wonder if they wouldn't be too shy for such aquarium, I have microdevario kubotai, rly speedy fish, hyphessobrycon amandae, not an issue I think, nannostomus beckfordi red, same I think, black neon tetras, same too, a lot of crystal red shrimps, but also hyphessobrycon roseus (yellow ghost tetra), which is my main question tbh, are these fish not too brawling fish for trichopsis pumila ? it's my main fear actually, also with males beckfordi perhaps, these fish aren't rly calm and could perhaps bully them no ? but tbh they mainly are like it together, not rly concerned by other species in my tank so I don't know. I'd like to know your opinion about it :D . Oh and I have to specify my tank is full of very big roots/woods and very highly planted, inside and outside water (on woods), jungle scape to be simple, so with a lot of possible hiding places, rly a lot. But my yellow ghosts rly love to roam the entire aquarium, including the hiding places tbh XD, their speciality I'd even say XD. Anyway I'd love to keep sparkling gouramis, rly nice fish ! Tx for the video! One more subscriber :)
I answer to myself for those who could be interested (about cohabitation with other species). That's it, it's done :D, I added for the moment 4 sparkling gourami (if we succeeded to well identify sex with the seller, 1 male and 3 females), and everything's well, no particular issues with the other fish, my males nannostomus becfordi red have been faithful to themselves, by chasing them a bit sometimes, but less and less and the gouramis seems to love this aquarium. They are not that shy, of course they are more shy than tetras and the nannostomus, but they aren't hidden all the time and I can feed them easily, and my fear about the yellow ghost tetras was wrong, they barely noticed them and leave them alone :). So in my tank (65 gallons) fully planted with a lot of mosses, microsorum pteropus trident etc, bolbitis, and a lot of other species, and with a lot of big roots/woods, no issue to mix sparkling gouramis with tetras (black neon/hyphessobrycon roseus & amandae), nannostomus beckfordi and microdevario kubotai. Oh and that's it I heard their sound only two days after adding them :D, so nice haha. So it's a success in my tank but I don't know if it would be well adapted in a smaller tank less planted, my tank is probably more 'versatile' in a way due to his size and scape (hard scape and plants). Tx again for this so inspiring and complete video about this fascinating fish !
How many can you keep in a 10 gallon (2ft long) heavily planted aquarium?
And can they be housed with 2 Medaka fry? Currently 1cm long.
Hi Lauren! I’m new to this species. I have 3 quarantining right now and I love them. I am hoping you can help with their future tank mates.
I was hoping to have them in a 20 gallon high with dense planting and a lot of wood. I’d like to try them with a group of otos, Pygmy Cory’s, and blue velvet shrimp.
I’m also wondering if 3 sparklers is enough? If you could let me know your thoughts, I’d really appreciate it! Thank you for the great video!
Hey Jayme. Sounds like you are setting up the perfect home for them. 3 would be fine to begin with and you could likely add a couple more without causing too much trouble.
They will get along just fine with the fish, but they will snack on any baby shrimps they find. If it’s densely planted though, with just 3 sparklers then hopefully a few shrimplets will survive 👍🏻
Good luck!
very kool
so lovely💕💕💕💕💓💓
okay, now I kinda want to try them ._.
Okay, so one month later, I got myself a group of three. They are so cute but I am having trouble getting them to feed... >_<
But we will manage. They are soon morphing into my favourites :D
Bravooo!!!!
Long time ago hv catch this fish , look like betta fish , now understand is different fish😂
The actual croaking gouramis can’t go with betas either. They’ll tear through there fins in an afternoon, you’ll be rescuing a beta or killing it
My sparkling gourami chases n bullies my scarlet badis :(
I love how you captured the croaking sound.