ML> i've never had gouramies before but i have had numerous ciclids...   
    ML> oscars being the largest but i did have about 12 various ciclids at one   
    ML> time... generally gouramies are hardy and easy to take care of... best   
    ML> if they are with other fish of roughly the same size (eg: don't put them   
    ML> with larger fish)... you also don't want too many of them or they will   
    ML> fight... one article says one gourami or male and female pair of   
    ML> gouramies per 15 gallons... plus they can be shy so having some hiding   
    ML> places for them will help to keep the stress down...   
      
   Sorry just catching this message today...   
      
   I usually don't buy them in pairs and have one or two in there... wonder if   
   they stress out due to lack fo hiding space.  They seem to be very healthy   
   then they show a LOT of color and just die.  That's usually how they die in   
   my tank they go out with a bloom of beauty :-(   
      
   I had the most amazing 80 gallon tank... had pictures of it up on the old   
   LiveWire BBS web back in the early 1990's.  It was GLORIOUS and I went away   
   to college... I had angelfish in there that were breeding that were as big as   
   4-5 inches.   
      
   My mother, in her OCD cleaning mode decided to take all the gravel out and   
   rinse it and clean the hell out of the tank.  Everything was dead within 48   
   hours... it crushed me to come home and find it dead.  Mom didn't realise the   
   "dirt" she saw was part of the filter.   
      
   Allen   
      
   --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A20 (OSX)   
    * Origin: LiveWireBBS.com * Louisville, Kentucky  (1:2320/100)