Flashback to the years 2009-2011. Our first two GG rescues - smaller pink osphronemus 20", and 20 years old, 26", normal colored osphronemus, named Gus, in a 4000 gal basement pond 40'x6'x3':
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Fast forward. Here is a video featuring two of our current five giant gouramies. The white one is ~22" and is called Tatushka and the grey one is named Oos, it's ~16". These and three red-tail gouramies ~12" each co-exist peacefully with each other in their 4500 gal. Occasionally their fins get tattered or split but it's likely from other tank mates.
Tatushka had a tough life. First it was tattooed against its will to improve the bottom line of its greedy and inhumane sellers. Then Tatushka got sold to a new owner who raised it in a tiny tank. It couldn't swim much in it and couldn't turn around well or hide when it needed to. So it sat in the corner by a side wall but because it was longer than the side wall, it had to adopt a letter "L" posture. Eventually over time this posture caused a 90 degree rigid turn in its backbone and a strong disfigurement to its snout and skull from the left side of its "face" being constantly pressed against the side wall. So its "face" has adopted a permanent curvature too.
Then Tatushka lucked out and got rescued by a guy who knew how to take care of it and was rehomed into a 240 gal tank. After years of free swimming its backbone straightened out but the "face" has not. The rescuer felt that even 240 gal was not big enough for it, so Tatushka became a second-time rescue and found its way into our tanks, where it's been around 3-4 years now.
Oos has not had it easy either and suffered some at our hands. I bought it at ~2" about 3 years ago. The first two years I've had problems with water in its enclosures, mostly with the hardness being too low (KH and GH 1-3 degrees) and unstable pH. As a result, Oos has developed skin sores several times in that time period and even at one point had to spend half a year outdoors in a natural pond. Finally, the last year it had a chance to reside in adequate water and to grow well.
Both ignore baitfish, cut or whole, entirely and focus on the offered dry feeds picking and choosing what their heart desires at that particular moment. It's almost funny to observe them intelligently checking out various pellets and freeze-dried cuisine like krill and plankton and as if hesitating and thinking "Do I really want this or should I hold out or search for something else? Maybe if I test-taste it… hmm… no, that tastes like refuse! You eat it yourself. I better check out that other stuff…" They like insects, that's for sure.
...
Fast forward. Here is a video featuring two of our current five giant gouramies. The white one is ~22" and is called Tatushka and the grey one is named Oos, it's ~16". These and three red-tail gouramies ~12" each co-exist peacefully with each other in their 4500 gal. Occasionally their fins get tattered or split but it's likely from other tank mates.
Tatushka had a tough life. First it was tattooed against its will to improve the bottom line of its greedy and inhumane sellers. Then Tatushka got sold to a new owner who raised it in a tiny tank. It couldn't swim much in it and couldn't turn around well or hide when it needed to. So it sat in the corner by a side wall but because it was longer than the side wall, it had to adopt a letter "L" posture. Eventually over time this posture caused a 90 degree rigid turn in its backbone and a strong disfigurement to its snout and skull from the left side of its "face" being constantly pressed against the side wall. So its "face" has adopted a permanent curvature too.
Then Tatushka lucked out and got rescued by a guy who knew how to take care of it and was rehomed into a 240 gal tank. After years of free swimming its backbone straightened out but the "face" has not. The rescuer felt that even 240 gal was not big enough for it, so Tatushka became a second-time rescue and found its way into our tanks, where it's been around 3-4 years now.
Oos has not had it easy either and suffered some at our hands. I bought it at ~2" about 3 years ago. The first two years I've had problems with water in its enclosures, mostly with the hardness being too low (KH and GH 1-3 degrees) and unstable pH. As a result, Oos has developed skin sores several times in that time period and even at one point had to spend half a year outdoors in a natural pond. Finally, the last year it had a chance to reside in adequate water and to grow well.
Both ignore baitfish, cut or whole, entirely and focus on the offered dry feeds picking and choosing what their heart desires at that particular moment. It's almost funny to observe them intelligently checking out various pellets and freeze-dried cuisine like krill and plankton and as if hesitating and thinking "Do I really want this or should I hold out or search for something else? Maybe if I test-taste it… hmm… no, that tastes like refuse! You eat it yourself. I better check out that other stuff…" They like insects, that's for sure.
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