GOURMET GOURAMI
Considered old hat by some, the venerable gourami species have long been popular for good reason. Bob Mehen investigates.
Considered old hat by some, the venerable gourami species have long been popular for good reason. Bob Mehen investigates.
THE AIR breathing Anabantoids or labyrinth fish include some of the better-known species in the hobby. For example, the Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens, has achieved a near legendary status with aquarists splashing out big money for particular, unique combinations of fins and colour.
But there can be a fair bit of snobbery in fishkeeping, and some fish get ignored due to their ubiquity. The term ‘community' is often bandied about as a pejorative, but community species make up the backbone of the hobby for good reason. They are generally attractive, peaceful and easy to maintain — why would anyone want to make the hobby harder than it needs to be? Why keep fish that need to be housed in a tank with water the same colour as a builder’s brew, and the pH of battery acid, simply because it's rare?
It's often nothing more than one-upmanship; aquatic stamp collecting. Yes, your coveted new Betta pair may well be one of only two in the western world, but they're both male and so shy that they’re impossible to see in biotope tank full of decaying leaves.
Many of the more ‘everyday’ gourami seem to suffer as a result of this aquatic pretension. They've always been here, propping up many a community tank with their stately presence, but as a result they’re often taken for granted.
Many of these 'bread and butter' regulars would be sensations in the hobby if they were new discoveries, but because they’re guilty of nothing more than being cheap and readily available they are overlooked — despite being amongst the most beautiful fish available. There really is a gourami suitable for most tanks and they really are worthy of a second, longer look. With this in mind, here are five of the best for aquariums of all sizes.
Setting up
While all of these gouramis here are community fish, capable of rubbing along nicely with suitably sized tankmates of similar temperament, it's worth considering setting up your tank with them predominantly in mind.
Being air-breathers they are mainly surface dwelling, so while your choice of substrate is largely immaterial they will drown without access to the surface. Keep water levels sufficiently low from tight fitting covers to allow access to the precious air above. All of the species described here will appreciate floating plants, particularly if they're breeding, as they will use these to help build their bubble nest. However, Snakeskins are not averse to nibbling at plants if hungry.
Keep water movement to a minimum as gourami are poor swimmers, ill adapted to fighting against strong currents. While they prefer more subdued lighting, lush plant growth will give them a sense of security, but do allow some more open areas for swimming — and so you can actually see your fish!
Honey gourami, Trichogaster chuna
Honey gourami are one of those fish that seldom looks their best in the sales tanks of your local shop. The washed-out looking specimens offered for sale rarely live up to their sweet yellow moniker, so it can be a leap of faith to buy these when more immediately showy, glamorous alternatives are available.
Never write off an underdog, though. If you're after a small, peaceful, attractive and interesting species then Honeys are well worth a punt. Females generally remain a soft creamy brown colour with a dark lateral bar, and their only real ornamentation is expressed via hints of gold and blue on their fins. As if to offset this, the males colour up beautifully when in breeding condition, with their bodies deepening to a rich amber yellow with an inky blue-black throat and belly, while the dorsal fin flares bright yellow.
Various line-bred colour varieties are sometimes available with 'Golden', 'Sunset' & 'Red' forms on offer, providing an instant dash of colour, while lacking the subtlety of their naturally coloured cousins. Although not strictly a shoaling species, they appreciate being in the vicinity of their own kind so adding a group of six or more will see them at their best and showcase the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) interactions that this charming little species has to offer. Set up a well-planted tank of at least 60-litres volume with minimal water movement and add similarly calm, demure tank mates and you could have the makings of an eyecatching, tranquil aquarium. The Honey gourami also looks great in a plant-heavy aquascape, making a pleasant change from the usual tetras.
Thick-lipped Gourami, Trichogaster labiosa
30 years ago, I would have been singing the praises of that aquarium stalwart, the Dwarf gourami, Trichogaster lalius. But time (and more than a little human intervention) has not been kind to these colourful fish. Excessive line breeding has moved them away from their natural colours, and as if to compound their woes, mass farming has left them at the mercy of a deadly virus that makes finding healthy specimens extremely hard. Step forward the Thick-lipped gourami to fill the void. Don't think of these as the ‘budget’ relation to the ubiquitous dwarfs. Rather the Thick-lipped gourami is a slightly chunkier, more naturally coloured and considerably hardier alternative. Growing to around 10cm they are heavier set and longer bodied than the Dwarf gourami, but males share the same alluring blue and red stripes along their flanks. As their common (and scientific) name suggests, they have distinctive protruding lips which can make them look almost as though they're puckering up for a kiss.
Thick-lips can sometimes get mixed up with the superficially similar looking Banded gourami, Trichogaster fasciata, and the two species have been known to hybridise which may have given rise to some of the colour varieties occasionally seen, such as 'Red robin' which appears to share intermediate characteristics of the two species. The Red robin variety is so successful with retailers that it’s more commonly available than the natural form, possibly due to the more colourful males making up the majority of imported fish.
Moonlight Gourami, Trichopodus microlepis
For transparency, I should start by saying that I am a huge fan of Moonlight gourami. For me they are one of the most criminally underrated aquarium fish. These are gloriously elegant, luminously flanked and subtle fish. They don't grow too big, they won't attempt to beat each other and everything else to death — an area where similar
species like the Opaline gourami, Trichopodus trichopterus, falls painfully short — and they are straightforward to keep.
What goes against them is that they suffer from the classic 'ugly duckling' syndrome when stocked in aquarium shops. Coming across as seemingly dull grey fish, the juveniles don't stand much chance of being picked as potential 'centre pieces' against the carnival of colour presented by their more aggressive kin (or even relatively bland cichlids that might be chosen for the role). Moonlight gourami require a leap of faith in the same vein as other initially bland fish like Congo tetra. Be brave and make that leap. Get yourself a decent size tank, plant it well and invest in a larger group (six or more gourami), and I'm confident you won't be disappointed. They'll soon settle in, maturing into shimmering soft platinum beauties whose flanks glitter through blue, to green, purple and gold as the light strikes them, all set off in males by bright orange-red pelvic fins. Their concave head and upturned mouth give them a haughty, regal bearing — these ugly ducklings grow into graceful swans.
Pearl Gourami, Trichopodus leerii
Like many gourami, Pearls suffer from overfamiliarity. While these truly magnificent fish often catch the eye of newcomers, they seldom feature in the tanks of more experienced aquarists and it's a mystery why this should be.
While other fish here take time to mature, Pearls are downright gorgeous from the get go, with males in particular living up to their other, less commonly used name of Lace gourami.
A rich, sepia brown body colour is perforated by circular silver-blue spots and mature males sport a fiery orange throat, as well as lace-like extensions to the dorsal and anal fins. Both sexes share a dark dorsal stripe from tip of their nose, through the eye to root of the tail.
Where some gourami can be a little 'chunky' as they mature — Opaline gourami being the classic example here — Pearls retain a lithe grace, like a piscine racing yacht rather than a wallowing tug boat. Males can, like most gourami, be a little waspish towards their female counterparts so stock them at a ratio of two females to each male and
make sure you provide plenty of cover (frondy and dense plants like Hygrophila difformis or Limnophila sessiflora are great for this) for a bit of solitude if needed.
Snakeskin gourami, Trichopodus pectoralis
The Snakeskin gourami is almost a lost species in the hobby and it's not entirely clear as to why this is. Yes, they're larger than the average gourami, but by no means a tank buster, and while many people dedicate aquaria to mid-sized cichlids, Snakeskins are overlooked. These are handsome, chunky fish which top out at around 20cm in aquaria. While they're not averse to eating tank mates small enough to fit into their mouth, when housed with suitably sized companions they are gentle giants, unlikely to either embark on a reign of terror or re-scape your tank like many of their more popular cichlid alternatives. Even though they’re not glittering in the colour department, Snakeskins have a look something like a heavier set, less showy Pearl gourami with a deep olive-green colouration, flushed with a warm golden yellow and a pattern of ragged vertical bars — the combination of which gives rise to their common name. A bold lateral stripe runs from the mouth, through the eye and ends in the ocellus (eye spot) at the base of the tail.
While juveniles sport the boldest colouration, mature adults have an imposing presence worthy of consideration for those blessed with larger tanks.