Blue Gourami

1 Blue Gourami Overview

The Blue Gourami is not hard to keep; its greatest feature is that the pelvic fins have degenerated into long filaments, earning it the name threadfin gourami. Large-bodied, it needs a sizable tank and, being quiet, benefits from planted tanks.

English name: Trichogaster trichopterus

Binomial: Trichogaster trichopterus

Chinese name: Threadfin gourami

Order: Perciformes

Kingdom: Animalia

Family: Osphronemidae

Suborder: Anabantoidei

Type: Tropical freshwater fish

Origin: Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Sumatra, Thailand, southern Vietnam) and South Asia (India)

Breeding: Egg-laying (oviparous)

Water quality: no special requirement

Care level: Easy

2 Appearance

The Blue Gourami’s greatest feature is the degenerated pelvic filaments, hence threadfin gourami. Three distinct black round spots decorate the body, earning ‘Three-spot fish’ and ‘Blue Three-spot’.

It reaches 10–15 cm, tall and compressed, with a long arc from chest to caudal tip. Pelvic filaments are thoracic; anal fin forward with base extending to caudal base; caudal short, slightly forked. Overall blue-gray with three big black spots behind the gill, mid-body and caudal peduncle. Fins pale yellow; breeding anal fin gets orange-red wide edge. Ideal 22–26°C, no special water need. Has labyrinth to use air; not worried about oxygen. Omnivorous: daphnia, tubifex, dry food, shrimp roe. Quiet, not active; avoid mixing with active fish like zebras.

Body elliptic, compressed; medium head, big central eyes; long arc from chest to caudal tip. Pelvic fins thoracic, degenerated to filaments to tail, tactile. Adults 10–15 cm. Overall blue-gray, belly pale yellow, under weak light shows violet; three black spots on flanks; dorsal, anal, caudal gray with white pearl spots. Dorsal short and high, slightly yellow, like a small flag. Anal long from chest to caudal base, pale yellow with bright orange-red edge, like a soft skirt. Caudal shallow fork, pale yellow transparent. Gill cover shimmers blue.

3 Habitat

Very adaptable and gentle, it often swims regularly to the surface. It bullies smaller fish, so mind tankmates.

Like the Lalius and Pearl, it has a labyrinth auxiliary breathing organ above the gill, living in low oxygen and gulping air at the surface when needed. It likes still or stagnant natural water, no special water need. Needs higher temperature but tolerates low; survives occasionally at 14°C, lethal minimum 11.5°C. Ideal 23–26°C.

Because large and quiet, use a big tank with plants; pretty stones as caves give cover and set off the fish. Adaptable and gentle, it swims regularly to the surface. It bullies smaller fish, so do not keep with very small fish like neon tetras; but mix with similarly sized tropical fish.

4 Feeding

Overall blue-gray with pale-yellow belly, so mind both environment and food.

Omnivorous; accepts mosquito larvae, thread worms, tubifex, daphnia and other live food; also dry food and even small live fry and shrimp roe, but will not chase ones it cannot swallow. It prefers food floating on the surface.