Dwarf Gourami (Flame Gourami): Profile and Information

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The dwarf gourami is a calm and shy fish that lives peacefully with other dwarf gouramis.

The dwarf gourami is observed to be a labyrinth fish because it uses its lung-like labyrinth organ to get air from the surface of the water.

Overview

Common names: Flame gourami, powder blue gourami, dwarf gourami, red gourami, sunset gourami
Scientific name: Trichogaster Ialius
Size: Adult dwarf gouramis can grow up to 2 inches
Life expectancy: Dwarf gouramis can live up to 4 years if the conditions are favorable

Characteristics

Family: Belontiidae
Social life: Peaceful
Origin: West Bengal, India, Bangladesh, and Assam
Min tank size: 5 gallon
Breeding: Bubble nest, egg layers
Tank level: mid-dwellers, top
Diet: Omnivorous algae eaters
Care: Intermediate
Temperature: Should be maintained around 22 to 28 C (72 to 82 F)
The hardness of the water: 4 to 10 dGH
pH 6.0 to 7.5

Distribution and origin

From West Bengal, India, Bangladesh, and Assam, dwarf gouramis are native to waters with thick vegetation. They can be found swimming with other species of Colisa.

They are also one of the most common fish eaten as food in the river plains of northern India. They can be bought dried or as a fish meal in markets.

Colors and markings

Unlike most fishes, the male dwarf gouramis are noticeably more significant than the females, and they possess a beautiful bright orange-red body combined with a turquoise blue stripe that vertically runs into the fins. They don’t grow more than “two inches,” hence their name.

The male’s dorsal fin can be seen as pointed rather than rounded like the female’s.

Female dwarf gouramis don’t have the same vibrant colors as the males, as they only display dull, silvery blue-gray colors.

There are numerous color hybrids, including powder blue/blue, rainbow, neon, and red.

Although neons only give off a brighter pattern of blue than the standard variety, powder blues are the dominant blue with just a little shade of red on the body. Rainbows give off a special touch of blue stripes and orange-red bodies.

They also have sheens that are greenish-gold metallic. Red remains the predominant color seen on most dwarf gouramis, with their dorsal fins giving off a solid blue color.

Tankmates

The peaceful nature of the dwarf gourami allows them to live with other gouramis without any trouble.

Not only that, but they can also be kept with other species, such as the cardinal tetras, dwarf cichlids, and neon tetra, as long as the fishes are not aggressive or too large.

Other fishes with bright colors may trigger aggression in male dwarf gouramis as they may see other fishes as rivals.

Small, peaceful schooling fish and most bottom feeders are perfect tank mates for the dwarf gourami.

Habitat and care

Due to the peaceful nature of the dwarf gourami, they can live in small or community-size aquariums. They shouldn’t be kept with aggressive or large fish in the same space.

They prefer quiet places and could get skittish if disturbed by noise. They like dark spots, so it would be nice to provide them with some vegetation and floating plants covering some water areas.

Water hardness should be about 4 to 10 dGH, while the pH level should be kept at 6.0 to 7.5, with the water temperature at 25 C (77 F).

Diet

Dwarf gourami in nature grazes on algae growing on plants, small insects, and larvae they see on the water’s surface. They can be fed flake food, frozen foods, freeze-dried food, and vegetable tablets when in captivity.

Live foods like worms should be periodically supplemented in their diet for optimal health. Live feeds can also be used to condition breeding pairs.

Sexual differences

Male dwarf gouramis are not only more colorful but are also more prominent. Males reaching maturity grow elongated anal and dorsal fin that makes a point, whereas it’s shorter and rounded in females.

Breeding

By reducing the water level to 6 to 8 inches and increasing the temperature of the water to 82 F, you can trigger spawning.

Vegetation must be introduced in the water as male dwarf gouramis build bubble nests using plant materials obtained from the surrounding vegetation and binding them together with bubbles.

Nests are usually organized and secure, taking several inches across and up to an inch deep.

Plants that you can use in your aquarium may include the following;

Riccia fluitans
Limnophila aquatics
Vesicularia dubyana
Ceratopteris thalictroides

Courtship usually begins in the afternoon or evening once a nest has been built. He makes his intentions known by swimming around the female, displaying its colorful fins, attempting to lure her into the nest, where he continues his display.

If she accepts his advances and display, she would immediately feel at home by swimming in circles with the male dwarf gourami just beneath the bubbled nest. When ready to worsen, she touches the male on the tail or back using her mouth.

As if that’s the signal the male has been waiting for, he would then embrace the female, turning her on her side before turning her back. The female can now release approximately 60 eggs, fertilized almost immediately by the male.

Some of the eggs float up and get trapped in the bubble nest. The ones that don’t get collected by the male are then placed back in the nest. Immediately, all the eggs are kept in place, and the pair returns to spawning.

Males may spawn more than once and breed with more than one female if more is in the tank. Spawning can last up to three to four hours, and 300 to 800 eggs may be produced.

Once eggs are secure and spawning is over, the males put a fine layer of the bubble on them, ensuring they are in place within the bubble nest. Female(s) should then be taken out of the tank.

Males take care of the eggs personally and may get aggressive when they feel the eggs are threatened. The fry would hatch in 12 to 24 hours and continue to develop within the borders of the bubble nest.

They can then be free swimmers after three days when they are sufficiently ready to explore their surroundings.

The male should be removed from the tank and away from the fry, or it may start eating the young. Micro-food such as rotifers, commercial fry food, or infusoria can be fed to the fry in the first week.

They can also be given finely ground dry foods and freshly hatched brine shrimp.

Take away

If you find the dwarf gourami fascinating and wouldn’t mind getting some along with some closely related fishes and tank mates, then you may want to look at the following;