The Gouramis

by Jennifer Wilkinson, CAS

originally published in The Calquarium Volume 41, Number 11, July 1999

The kissing gourami has an oval-shaped, laterally-compressed body and a pointed snout. There is a gray green form, supposedly the wild form, and the pink form, which is all I have ever seen in the fish stores. They can reach a total length of 20cm, but are usually smaller in the aquarium. It is very difficult to tell the sexes apart.

They come from central and southern Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. They live in slowly moving waters. They have also been found in ponds, lakes, puddles, and flooded land with lush vegetation. This is another food fish.

These fish will not make a good community aquarium resident. They can not compete for food and will starve. They eat only small foods, preferably from the water’s surface. They will eat some dry foods. They require a large aquarium that should be 80cm long or larger, with some hardy plants such as Java fern. Tender plants will take a beating. The optimal temperature for these fish is 26C.

Breeding these fish is very difficult. To condition the pair, feed with Artemia nauplii and other small crustaceans. Introduce the pair into a large tank with a temperature of 29C, and lots of floating plants. The kissing gourami does not build a bubble nest. They lock lips (kiss) before the mating, which occurs in various places in the aquarium. They can lay up to 10,000 eggs per spawn. The eggs are sticky and will stick to the plants, and will also float to the surface. A kissing gourami will eat its own spawn, so the eggs or the parents should be removed.

This is another gourami that I choose not to keep. It gets too big, and I would be very concerned at being able to provide a good enough diet.

The giant gourami is a brown to bluish gray in color. They can reach a total length of 100 cm. In the aquarium hobby they are much smaller, but are still a very large fish. The anal and dorsal fins on the male are pointed.

The fish originally came from the Indonesian-Malayan area. They live in ponds, streams, ditches and large rivers. They can take some brackish waters. They are also a food fish.

These fish are not fussy about their water conditions but a temperature of 25C should be maintained. The young fish will grow quickly and will eat anything. These fish are tolerant of their own kind, and would make a good community fish with other fish of this size. Not recommended for the regular community tank with tetras and rasboras.

The giant gourami is a very difficult fish to breed. The spawns contain 500 to 2000 eggs that float to the surface and are looked after by the male.

This is another gourami that is commonly available, but I choose not to acquire. For one thing this is a big ugly fish. (my opinion only) It’s not suitable for my aquarium communities.

In thick-lipped gouramis the males are larger than the females. The males get to 9 cm, while the females only get to 8 cm. The males also have a pointed dorsal fin that can extend to the end of the tail fin. The males of this species have a rounded anal fin, like the females. Both sexes have black and white chin bands running from their eyes. The pelvic fins and the edges of the anal fin are yellow to orange in color. The females can have a band running the length of the body, but usually the individual spots that this band is made up of can be seen. These markings can also be seen on some of the males of this species.

The thick-lipped gouramis come from Burma, where they live in rivers.

These are hardy fish and can be put into a well-planted community aquarium. They are not fussy and will eat all kinds of fish foods. They are also not fussy as to their water conditions, as long as regular water changes are done and the water is kept clean. They can be quite shy and may hide in the plants.

The thick-lipped gourami is an easy fish to breed. They will often spawn right in the community aquarium. To spawn these fish, place a conditioned pair in a 60-liter tank that is thickly planted. This aquarium should have a temperature of 28C. The female will use the plants as a hiding place to escape the male’s advances. The male will build a small bubble nest. They spawn in typical gourami fashion, under the bubble nest. The spawn will consist of 400 to 600 eggs that will float up into the bubble nest. The female should be removed after the spawning is completed. The male should be removed after the eggs hatch and before the fry become free swimming.

This fish sounds interesting to me. Now I will have to start searching for a healthy pair or a few young fry. They stay fairly small and will fit nicely into one of my communities.

The dwarf gourami has a reddish orange body with diagonal turquoise blue bands. The fins have the same coloring. The males are larger than females at a length of 6 cm, and are the more colorful of the two. The female is only 5 cm, and she is quite pale in color, sometimes even looking silver with a slightly blue tinge. The male becomes very brightly colored at spawning time. There are also many other color strains available, but I like the above mentioned.

These fish come from India.

They are great community aquarium fish, as long as their tank mates are not extra lively. (Larger barbs not recommended). They are not fussy eaters, as they will eat anything being fed. They do seem to like live foods, as well as the prepared mixtures. They are also not particularly fussy about the water they are kept in, as long as it is kept clean with regular water changes. The ideal water temperature is 26C, as they do not like cool or cold water.

This is another fish that is easy to breed. It will often spawn in the community aquarium. The book says the spawn may be moved to another tank. I think this may be just a little risky. To have them spawn in a separate tank, place a well-conditioned pair into a 40-liter or 60-liter, thickly planted aquarium. The female will use the plants to hide from the male’s (sometimes aggressive) advances. There should also be floating plants for the male to build his bubble nest under. They spawn in typical gourami fashion with the male wrapping himself around the female under the bubble nest. The spawn can consist of 300 to 700 eggs. After spawning is completed, the female should be removed. The male will tend the spawn until the fry become free swimming, then he too should be removed.

This is another gourami that I would add to one of my community tanks. They are quite colorful and stay small. I think they will fit in quite nicely.