It croaks, and it does it with its pectoral fins rather than anything you would expect
The sparkling gourami makes an audible noise. Of the forty three records on this site before this one, not one describes an animal that produces a sound, and the mechanism here is stranger than the fact: the fish does not use a swim bladder or a throat. It uses its fins.
Seriously Fish gives the anatomy: Trichopsis species are able to produce audible sounds via a specialised pectoral mechanism built from modified pectoral-fin tendons and muscles. Wikipedia agrees and shortens it: the sound is produced by their pectoral muscles, and it is often associated with courtship rituals or territorial disputes.
Three of our five sources describe the sound and they describe different occasions for it. Fish Laboratory: the species is one of the few fish known to make a croaking sound when mating or happy. Shrimpy Business puts it where a keeper will meet it: when they are happy, you may even hear them making a croaking noise at the water’s surface. Aquarium Source does not mention it at all, which is a striking omission from a care sheet about this particular fish.
Seriously Fish adds the detail that makes it a two-way conversation rather than a display: during courtship the female produces purring sounds in order to initiate spawning. So both sexes vocalize and they do it for different reasons, and none of our five sources measures how loud any of it is.
Why this record was written now
- The gap
- Three thousand four hundred searches a month for a fish whose most distinctive trait is missing from one of the five care sheets we read.
- What it changes
- The first record here about an animal that makes a noise, the third labyrinth fish, and the tightest size row on the site: five sources within a tenth of an inch.
- What it does not
- No growth rate and no swimming layer, because the only source that addresses the layer says only where the fish is not.
Five sources, and a size row they agree on within a tenth of an inch
| Source | Tank | Temperature | pH | Hardness | Adult size | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seriously Fish | 18 by 12 in base, 11 gal | 72 to 82 °F | 5.0 to 7.5 | 1 to 12 dGH | 40 mm SL, 1.6 in | none |
| Wikipedia | none | none | none | none | 4 cm SL, 1.6 in | none |
| Fish Laboratory | 5 possible, 10 to 15 advised | 72 to 80 °F | 6.0 to 7.0 | none | 1.5 in | 3 to 5 years |
| Aquarium Source | 10 to 15 gal | 76 to 82 °F | 6 to 7 | 4 to 8 KH | 1.5 in | 4 to 5 years |
| Shrimpy Business | 10 to 15 for five or six | 77 to 83 °F | 6.0 to 7.5 | 5 to 19 dGH | under 2 in | 4 to 5 years |
| This record | 10 gal | 77 to 80 °F | 6.0 to 7.0 | 89 to 214 ppm | 1.5 to 1.6 in | 4 to 5 years |
The size column is the reason this table is worth reading in full. Five sources, and every one of them lands between 1.5 and 1.6 inches. Both reference sources give 40 mm standard length independently, Wikipedia writing it as 4 centimetres, 1.6 in, SL. On a site where the same row has run to a factor of two on other records, and to a factor of three on our least killifish record’s tank, a tenth of an inch of disagreement is worth naming as agreement.
The temperature column is the opposite and the row it produces is narrower than any single source. Four bands, staggered rather than nested: 72 to 82, 72 to 80, 76 to 82, 77 to 83. The floor comes from Shrimpy Business and the ceiling from Fish Laboratory, and the span all four contain is three degrees. That is warm for this site, above the 75 to 76 most records share.
The hardness column has two sources publishing general hardness, one publishing carbonate hardness and two publishing nothing. Aquarium Source’s 4 to 8 KH measures carbonates rather than the calcium and magnesium the dGH figures describe, so it cannot be compared with them, and this record does not try. The 5 to 12 dGH that Seriously Fish and Shrimpy Business both contain is 89 to 214 ppm, and that is the row.
Two comparisons make that figure mean something. Our honey gourami record publishes 71 to 214 ppm, so the two gouramis on this site stop at exactly the same hardness. And our black molly record, written the day before this one, publishes 268 to 536 ppm: these two records share no hardness value at all. Seventeen records here have a ceiling of 250 ppm or below, so soft water is the norm and the molly is the exception.
It breathes air and builds a nest of bubbles, and both of those are instructions about the lid
This is a labyrinth fish, the third on this site after our betta and honey gourami records. Seriously Fish: the species possesses an accessory breathing organ known as the labyrinth, which permits the fish to breathe atmospheric air. Wikipedia gives the reason it needs one, describing a habitat of slow rivers, rice paddies, ditches and small ponds where the fish can survive in these waters because of its labyrinth organ, which allows it to breathe air from the surface.
Two consequences follow and neither is optional. The first is that the surface must be reachable and calm, because standing water is what this fish is built for. The second is the nest: Seriously Fish calls it a bubble-nester and asks, for breeding, for the tightest-fitting cover you can find. A bubble nest does not survive a surface current, and the fry need warm humid air above the water while the labyrinth organ develops.
The breeding numbers are where our sources fall apart, and it is the widest disagreement on this record. Shrimpy Business says the female releases about 12 to 15 eggs at a time. Fish Laboratory says the female can release anywhere from 30 to 200 eggs, with 180 being the average. That is a factor of more than ten between two care sheets about the same fish, and 180 as an average sits above the other source’s maximum by a factor of twelve.
On the timings the two reference sources agree closely, which makes the egg figures stranger rather than less strange. Seriously Fish: eggs hatch in 24 to 48 hours and the fry need infusoria-grade food for the first few days. Wikipedia: the eggs hatch in 1 to 2 days and remain in the nest for a further 2 to 3 days absorbing their yolk sac. Same window, described twice.
So the practical instruction is clear even though the count is not: the first food has to be smaller than newly hatched brine shrimp and it has to be ready before the eggs hatch, which on both reference sources is inside two days. Wikipedia also records the courtship itself, that during mating, the male embraces the female, with their bodies intertwining tightly, before the eggs go into the nest the male built.
The full record
| Field | Recorded | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum tank | 10 gal | Four sources and they land in the same place from different directions. Fish Laboratory is the one that names both figures: you can keep a Sparkling Gourami in a 5-gallon tank, but a 10 or 15-gallon tank is highly recommended. Aquarium Source gives 10 to 15 gallons as the recommended minimum. Shrimpy Business ties the volume to the group: a small group of five or six sparkling gouramis could be kept in a tank as small as 10 or 15 gallons. Seriously Fish states dimensions as usual, a base of 45 by 30 cm, about 41 liters or 11 US gallons. So ten is the row and the five is real but nobody recommends it, which is the same shape as the tank row on our betta record. |
| Temperature | 77 to 80 °F | Four bands and they meet in three degrees. Seriously Fish gives 22 to 28 C, 72 to 82 F. Shrimpy Business gives 77 to 83 F. Aquarium Source gives 76 to 82 F. Fish Laboratory gives 72 to 80 F. The row prints the 77 to 80 all four contain, which sits above the 75 to 76 the rest of this site shares and makes this one of the warmer records here. The floor is set by one source and the ceiling by a different one, so the row is narrower than any single source would write, which is what the site rule produces when the bands are staggered rather than nested. |
| pH | 6.0 to 7.0 | Four sources and the row is the span all four contain. Seriously Fish is the widest at 5.0 to 7.5, which is unusually acidic even for this site; Shrimpy Business 6.0 to 7.5; Aquarium Source 6 to 7; Fish Laboratory 6.0 to 7.0. The ceiling of 7.0 is what decides the tank mates, and station 05 has the consequence: one source recommends two shrimp species whose own records on this site publish pH floors above it. For comparison our honey gourami record runs 6.0 to 7.5 and our betta record 6.0 to 8.0, so of the three labyrinth fish here this one has the narrowest published pH band and the lowest ceiling. |
| Hardness | 89 to 214 ppm (5 to 12 dGH) | Two sources publish general hardness and the row is what both contain. Seriously Fish gives 1 to 12 dGH, Shrimpy Business 5 to 19 dGH, so 5 to 12 dGH is the overlap and that is the row. Aquarium Source publishes 4 to 8 KH, which is carbonate hardness and measures something else, the same unit trap our rabbit snail and common pleco records carry, and Fish Laboratory publishes no hardness at all. The ceiling of 214 ppm is the same as our honey gourami record to the ppm, which is 71 to 214, so the two gouramis on this site stop at the same hardness. And it is worth reading against the record written immediately before this one: our black molly record publishes 268 to 536 ppm, so these two records share no hardness value at all. Seventeen records here have a hardness ceiling of 250 ppm or below, so soft is the norm on this site and the molly is the outlier. |
| Adult size | 1.5 to 1.6 in (40 mm) | Five sources and they agree within a tenth of an inch, which is the tightest size row on this site. Both reference sources give the same figure: Seriously Fish a maximum standard length of 40 mm, Wikipedia 4 centimetres, 1.6 in, SL. Shrimpy Business gives a maximum size under two inches. Aquarium Source: the average sparkling gourami size is about one and a half inches in length. Fish Laboratory: the largest they will get is an inch and a half in length. For scale on this site that is small without being remarkable: nine records publish a smaller floor, including our ember tetra, chili rasbora and celestial pearl danio records. What makes it matter here is the company it can keep at that size, which station 06 has. |
| Diet | Omnivore, and dried food alone is not enough | All five sources type it as an omnivore and the reference source attaches the condition. Seriously Fish: the species will normally accept dried products once they are recognised as edible, but should be offered plenty of small live or frozen foods such as Daphnia, Artemia and bloodworm. Fish Laboratory is the one that names both halves: Sparkling Gourami fish are omnivores and require both meat and algae-based foods, with bloodworms, daphnia and artemia recommended. Shrimpy Business says they will accept a wide variety of live, frozen, and dried foods and asks for live or frozen several times a week. So flake is allowed and flake alone is not, which is the same condition our celestial pearl danio record carries and a softer version of the refusal on our pea puffer record. |
| Water column | Not the bottom, which is all any source says | One source of five addresses the layer and it does so in the negative. Fish Laboratory: Sparkling Gouramis will not spend much time near the bottom of the tank. That is the whole of the published record on this question. Seriously Fish, Wikipedia, Shrimpy Business and Aquarium Source state no layer at all, so this row is a sourced negative rather than a positive and the record says so. What every source does establish is that the fish must reach the surface, because it breathes there: Seriously Fish notes it possesses an accessory breathing organ known as the labyrinth, which permits the fish to breathe atmospheric air, and Wikipedia says the labyrinth organ allows it to breathe air from the surface. Needing the surface is not the same as living at it, which is why this row is not filled in with one. Our two other labyrinth records disagree on exactly this point: our betta record is zoned to the surface and our honey gourami record to mid water. |
| Lifespan | 4 to 5 years | Three sources publish a figure and two of them publish the same one. Shrimpy Business gives 4 to 5 years, Aquarium Source the average sparkling gourami lifespan is 4 to 5 years, and Fish Laboratory the wider between 3 to 5 years. The row prints the 4 to 5 all three contain. Neither reference source publishes a lifespan, which is the usual division: Seriously Fish and Wikipedia measure animals and the aquarium sources keep them. For a fish of an inch and a half that is a long time, and it is longer than our honey gourami record at 2 to 5 years and our ember tetra record at 2 to 4. |
| Growth rate | Not recorded yet | Not stated by Seriously Fish, Wikipedia, Aquarium Source or Shrimpy Business. Aquarium Source comes closest with an adult size of about one and a half inches when fully grown, which is a size and not a rate, and Seriously Fish describes sexually mature individuals without attaching an age to them. Fish Laboratory is the fifth source here and its page returned no readable text for this check. |
The same nine fields for every animal on this site are in the A to Z index.
Where our sources disagree
Every record here names a disagreement. On this one four sources split two against two on whether the fish eats shrimp, and the sides are worth reading.
Seriously Fish, against
some aquarists report it preys on small freshwater shrimp
Fish Laboratory, against, and it names the species
Cherry Shrimp are small enough that a Sparkling Gourami could see them as a snack
Aquarium Source, for, and it also names species
various shrimp species like ghost and Amano shrimp
What we record: we treat shrimp as a caution rather than a clearance, and our own rows are the reason. The two sources that clear shrimp name the wrong ones or have an interest. Aquarium Source names ghost and Amano, and on this site our amano shrimp record publishes pH 7.2 to 7.5, which does not meet this record’s 6.0 to 7.0 anywhere, while our ghost shrimp record publishes 7.0 to 8.0 and meets it at a single value.
The fourth source is Shrimpy Business, which sells shrimp and says the fish may also do well with invertebrates like snails and shrimp. The one shrimp whose water actually fits is the cherry, our cherry shrimp record at pH 6.5 to 8.0, and that is precisely the species Fish Laboratory says will be seen as a snack.
So the sources that say yes have named the shrimp that cannot share the water, and the source that says no has named the one that can.
Four sources on shrimp, two each way, and the ones that say yes named the shrimp that cannot share the water
| Source | Verdict | Shrimp it names | That record’s pH, against 6.0 to 7.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seriously Fish | Against | Small freshwater shrimp, unnamed | not applicable |
| Fish Laboratory | Against | Cherry shrimp | 6.5 to 8.0, overlaps from 6.5 to 7.0 |
| Aquarium Source | For | Ghost and Amano shrimp | Amano 7.2 to 7.5, no overlap |
| Aquarium Source | For | Ghost shrimp | 7.0 to 8.0, meets at one value |
| Shrimpy Business | For | Snails and shrimp, unnamed | not applicable |
Read the last column and the argument resolves itself in a way none of the four sources intended. The two sources that clear shrimp name species whose own records here cannot hold this fish’s water, and the source that refuses shrimp names the one that can.
Aquarium Source recommends various shrimp species like ghost and Amano shrimp. Our amano shrimp record publishes pH 7.2 to 7.5, and this record’s ceiling is 7.0, so the two do not meet anywhere. Our ghost shrimp record publishes 7.0 to 8.0, which meets this row at a single value and nowhere else. Fish Laboratory names the cherry: Cherry Shrimp are small enough that a Sparkling Gourami could see them as a snack. Our cherry shrimp record publishes 6.5 to 8.0, which overlaps this record across half a point.
The fourth source is worth naming plainly rather than dismissing. Shrimpy Business says the fish may also do well with invertebrates like snails and shrimp, and Shrimpy Business sells shrimp. That does not make it wrong, and its figures elsewhere on this record are used without hesitation, but on this one question it has an interest and it names no species.
Seriously Fish is careful about how it reports the other side, and the care is the useful part: some aquarists report it preys on small freshwater shrimp. That is a hedged attribution rather than an observation of its own, which is how a reference source flags something it has not verified.
So this record carries shrimp as a caution rather than a refusal or a clearance. The fish is an inch and a half and a cherry shrimp is an inch, and our tank mates grid prints the pH overlap and the caution separately. What Seriously Fish does clear is the general shape of the tank: best maintained in a pair or small group, either alone or with very peaceful, similarly-sized species.
What it can live with, and the one fish three sources refuse outright
The refusal our sources agree on is a fish we hold a record for. Shrimpy Business: male bettas are also not recommended as tank mates. Fish Laboratory lists the incompatibles as male bettas, black tetras, and tiger barbs. Aquarium Source says to avoid aggressive or significantly larger fish. Our betta record runs 72 to 86 °F and pH 6.0 to 8.0, so it contains this record’s water entirely: the pairing fails on temperament while the water agrees perfectly, which is the case a temperature grid is worst at.
There is a second reason to take that refusal seriously, and it is on this page rather than the betta’s. Both fish are labyrinth breathers that build bubble nests at the surface, and both males are territorial about them. Two nest builders sharing one surface is a smaller tank than the gallons suggest.
What the sources clear is a list our own records mostly support. Fish Laboratory names danios, guppies, rainbowfish, rasboras, and tetras plus catfish and snails. Aquarium Source names dwarf gouramis, cory catfish and neon tetras. On this site that maps to our chili rasbora record at pH 6.0 to 7.0, which is this row exactly, our ember tetra record at 5.5 to 7.0, and our corydoras record at 6.5 to 7.8.
One of those recommendations argues with our own rows in the same way the shrimp did. Fish Laboratory names guppies, and our guppy record publishes pH 7.0 to 8.5 and 143 to 536 ppm. That meets this record at a single pH value and its hardness floor sits inside our range only at the very top, so a tank built for one is at the edge of the other. The guppy is also a livebearer that will fill a tank, which is a stocking problem rather than a water one.
The pairing our rows like best is the one no source names. Our celestial pearl danio record publishes pH 6.6 to 7.5 and 73 to 76 °F, so the pH overlaps this record from 6.6 to 7.0 and the temperature does not quite reach it, since this record starts at 77. Two nano fish that suit each other on paper and miss by one degree, which is the sort of thing only a table shows.
On aggression within the species, one source raises what the others do not. Aquarium Source: aggression may occur between males. Seriously Fish asks for a pair or a small group and Fish Laboratory for four or more, so the group figures are small by the standards of the other nano fish here, and none of the five sources asks for a school.
Two stripes, longer fins on the male, and a source that tells you not to fill the tank
Seriously Fish describes the setup in more detail than any other row on this record, and the reason is the habitat. The species prefers sluggish to still environments with dense growths of aquatic or riparian vegetation, across swamp forest, peat swamps, floodplains, river tributaries, irrigation canals, paddy fields, and roadside ditches. A tank for it is a copy of that: a well-planted, shady aquarium with plenty of surface cover in the form of tall stem plants, floating varieties, or tropical lilies.
It names three plant genera, and this site holds a record for two of them. Microsorum is our java fern record, which publishes pH 6.0 to 7.5 and contains this record’s 6.0 to 7.0 entirely. Taxiphyllum is our java moss record at pH 6.0 to 7.5, the same. The third, Cryptocoryne, has no record here and sits in the queue on our plants silo. Driftwood and dried leaf litter offers additional cover.
On flow it is specific and it is the opposite of what most filters do: an air-powered sponge filter set to turn over gently is adequate. A bubble nest and a still surface are the same requirement seen twice, which is why station 03 puts the lid and the current together.
And then the instruction no other source we hold gives, on any record, about any fish. The tank should be well-covered and do not fill it to the top since it requires occasional access to the layer of humid air. That is a sentence about the gap between the water and the glass, and it is the practical form of the labyrinth organ: the fish needs air that is warm and damp rather than room air, and a lid pressed onto the surface removes it.
On the fish itself, Seriously Fish is the only source that describes the markings rather than the color. It gives a single solid dark midlateral stripe on the body, above which is a series of dark blotches forming a second stripe. Two stripes, one solid and one broken, on a body of an inch and a half.
Sexing is one sentence and it covers four fins: males exhibit a more intense colour pattern and develop longer ventral, anal, dorsal, and caudal fins than females. That is the same structure the croak comes from read a different way, because the pectorals are the one pair of fins not on that list: the fins that make the sound are not the fins that tell you the sex. No other source we hold describes the sexes at all, and Aquarium Source is the source that also omits the croak, so the least complete care sheet on this fish is missing both of its distinctive traits.
Sparkling gourami questions, answered from the record
Do sparkling gouramis really croak?
Yes, and they do it with their pectoral fins. Seriously Fish: Trichopsis species are able to produce audible sounds via a specialised pectoral mechanism using modified pectoral-fin tendons and muscles. Wikipedia: the sound is produced by their pectoral muscles and is often associated with courtship rituals or territorial disputes. Seriously Fish adds that the female produces purring sounds in order to initiate spawning, so both sexes vocalize. None of our five sources measures how loud it is.
What size tank does a sparkling gourami need?
10 gallons. Fish Laboratory names both figures honestly: you can keep a Sparkling Gourami in a 5-gallon tank, but a 10 or 15-gallon tank is highly recommended. Aquarium Source gives 10 to 15 as the recommended minimum. Shrimpy Business ties it to the group, 10 or 15 gallons for five or six fish. Seriously Fish asks for an 18 by 12 inch base, about 11 gallons. So five is possible and nobody recommends it.
How big do sparkling gouramis get?
1.5 to 1.6 inches, and this is the tightest size row on this site. Both reference sources give 40 mm standard length independently, Wikipedia as 4 centimetres, 1.6 in, SL. Shrimpy Business gives under two inches; Aquarium Source and Fish Laboratory both give an inch and a half. Five sources within a tenth of an inch is rarer here than a disagreement.
Can sparkling gouramis live with shrimp?
Four sources split two against two, and the split is instructive. Against: Seriously Fish reports some aquarists report it preys on small freshwater shrimp, and Fish Laboratory says Cherry Shrimp are small enough that a Sparkling Gourami could see them as a snack. For: Aquarium Source names ghost and Amano shrimp, and Shrimpy Business, which sells shrimp, says they may also do well with invertebrates like snails and shrimp. On our own rows the two cleared species do not fit: our amano shrimp record is pH 7.2 to 7.5 against this record’s ceiling of 7.0, no overlap, and our ghost shrimp record meets it at one value. The only shrimp whose water fits is the cherry, which is the one named as a snack.
Can a sparkling gourami live with a betta?
No, and this is the clearest refusal on the record. Shrimpy Business: male bettas are also not recommended as tank mates. Fish Laboratory lists male bettas, black tetras, and tiger barbs as incompatible. The water is not the problem: our betta record runs 72 to 86 °F and pH 6.0 to 8.0 and contains this record entirely. Both are labyrinth fish that build bubble nests at the surface and both males defend them, so two nest builders share less tank than the gallons suggest.
What water do sparkling gouramis need?
Soft and slightly acidic: pH 6.0 to 7.0 and 89 to 214 ppm, 5 to 12 dGH. Seriously Fish is the widest at pH 5.0 to 7.5; the other three land inside 6.0 to 7.5. On hardness only two sources publish a general hardness figure, and this row is what both contain. Aquarium Source publishes 4 to 8 KH, which is carbonate hardness and measures something else. For contrast our black molly record publishes 268 to 536 ppm, so the two records share no hardness value at all.
What temperature do sparkling gouramis need?
77 to 80 °F, the span all four published bands contain, and the row is narrower than any single source because the bands are staggered rather than nested: Seriously Fish 72 to 82, Fish Laboratory 72 to 80, Aquarium Source 76 to 82, Shrimpy Business 77 to 83. The floor comes from one source and the ceiling from another. That makes this a warm record by the standards of this site, where most bands share 75 to 76.
How many sparkling gouramis should be kept together?
Four or more, and nobody asks for a school. Seriously Fish is the lowest and the vaguest, best maintained in a pair or small group. Fish Laboratory: they are super social creatures and seem to do best in groups of 4 or more. Shrimpy Business gives the ideal as a group of five or six. Aquarium Source adds the caution nobody else does, that aggression may occur between males. Compare our chili rasbora record at 8 to 12 and our celestial pearl danio record at up to 20.
How long do sparkling gouramis live?
4 to 5 years, the span all three sources that publish a figure contain. Aquarium Source: the average sparkling gourami lifespan is 4 to 5 years. Shrimpy Business the same; Fish Laboratory the wider between 3 to 5 years. Neither reference source publishes one. For an inch and a half of fish that is long, and it beats our honey gourami record at 2 to 5 years and our ember tetra record at 2 to 4.
What do sparkling gouramis eat?
An omnivore with a condition. Seriously Fish: the fish will normally accept dried products once they are recognised as edible, but should be offered plenty of small live or frozen foods such as Daphnia, Artemia and bloodworm. Fish Laboratory names both halves: Sparkling Gourami fish are omnivores and require both meat and algae-based foods. Shrimpy Business asks for live or frozen several times a week. So flake is allowed and flake alone is not.
Do sparkling gouramis need a lid?
Yes, and Seriously Fish is emphatic about it for breeding: it asks for the tightest-fitting cover you can find. The reason is the labyrinth organ. The fish possesses an accessory breathing organ known as the labyrinth, which permits the fish to breathe atmospheric air, and the fry need a layer of warm humid air above the water while that organ develops. The bubble nest is the second reason: it does not survive a surface current.
Where in the tank do sparkling gouramis swim?
Only one of our five sources addresses it, and it answers in the negative. Fish Laboratory: Sparkling Gouramis will not spend much time near the bottom of the tank. Seriously Fish, Wikipedia, Shrimpy Business and Aquarium Source state no layer at all. What every source does establish is that the fish must reach the surface to breathe, which is not the same as living there. Our two other labyrinth records disagree on exactly this: the betta is zoned to the surface and the honey gourami to mid water.
How do you breed a sparkling gourami?
The male builds a bubble nest and the numbers are where our sources fail. Shrimpy Business: the female releases about 12 to 15 eggs at a time. Fish Laboratory: anywhere from 30 to 200 eggs, with 180 being the average. That is a factor of more than ten. On the timings both reference sources agree: Seriously Fish gives hatching in 24 to 48 hours with infusoria-grade food for the first few days, and Wikipedia gives 1 to 2 days plus a further 2 to 3 days absorbing their yolk sac.
Is a sparkling gourami the same as a pygmy gourami?
Yes. Wikipedia titles the species pygmy gourami and the trade calls it sparkling gourami. Both mean Trichopsis pumila (Arnold, 1936), formerly Ctenops pumilus. Unlike most trade names on this site this one is not misleading, it is just more flattering: pumila means small, and the fish is small. It is also sold as the dwarf croaking gourami, which is the most descriptive of the three.
What plants does a sparkling gourami tank need?
Dense and shady, and Seriously Fish names the genera. It asks for a well-planted, shady aquarium with plenty of surface cover in the form of tall stem plants, floating varieties, or tropical lilies, naming Cryptocoryne, Microsorum and Taxiphyllum, plus driftwood and dried leaf litter for cover. Two of those three have records here: Microsorum is our java fern record and Taxiphyllum our java moss record, and both publish pH 6.0 to 7.5, which contains this record entirely.
What does a sparkling gourami look like?
Seriously Fish is the only source we hold that describes the markings: a single solid dark midlateral stripe on the body, above which is a series of dark blotches forming a second stripe. One solid stripe and one broken one, on a body of an inch and a half. The name comes from the iridescent spotting over that, which the other sources describe as sparkle rather than as a pattern.
How do you tell a male sparkling gourami from a female?
By the fins, and only one of our five sources says how. Seriously Fish: males exhibit a more intense colour pattern and develop longer ventral, anal, dorsal, and caudal fins than females. Note which pair is absent from that list. The pectorals make the croak and the other four fins tell you the sex, so the two things this fish is known for are on different parts of it. Seriously Fish also notes the female produces purring sounds to initiate spawning, so the sound is not male-only.
Are sparkling gouramis hard to keep?
Not on the numbers. The tank is 10 gallons, the diet only refuses dried food as the whole menu, and five sources agree on the size to within a tenth of an inch. The two things that go wrong are the lid and the company. A labyrinth fish needs calm reachable air and a bubble nest needs a still surface, and three sources refuse the one tank mate whose water matches this record perfectly, the male betta.
What a sparkling gourami needs that a chili rasbora does not
Two of these follow from a fish that breathes air and builds a nest at the surface.
- A tight lid, and Seriously Fish means itfor breeding it asks for the tightest-fitting cover you can find, because the fry need a layer of warm humid air above the water for the labyrinth organ to develop
- Still water, not just filtered watera bubble nest does not survive surface current, and every source describes the habitat as slow rivers, rice paddies, ditches and small ponds
- Infusoria or a green tank for the frySeriously Fish asks for infusoria-grade food for the first few days, which is smaller than newly hatched brine shrimp and has to be ready before the eggs hatch in 24 to 48 hours
Every item our records ask for is gathered on the tank setup topic.
Nothing here is a paid link. It is the shortfall between what this record asks for and what a boxed kit contains.
How this record was compiled
- By
- Verified
- Sources
Seriously Fish, Trichopsis pumila, Wikipedia, sparkling gourami, Fish Laboratory, sparkling gourami, Aquarium Source, sparkling gourami and Shrimpy Business, sparkling gourami size
- Conflicts
Printed rather than resolved: two sources report the fish preys on small freshwater shrimp and two clear shrimp as tank mates, and the two that clear them name species whose own records here publish pH floors above this one’s ceiling; and the egg count runs from about 12 to 15 on one source to 30 to 200 with an average of 180 on another, a factor of more than ten.
- Blanks
Growth rate stay empty until a source we trust states them
- Not recorded
A growth rate, because no source we hold publishes one; a swimming layer, because the only source that addresses it says only that the fish will not spend much time near the bottom; a hardness figure from three of the five sources; a lifespan from either reference source; and how loud the croak actually is, because every source that mentions it describes it as audible and none measures it