Blue Gourami
(Trichopodus Trichopterus)
Alternate Names:
Opaline Gourami
Trichogaster Trichopterus
Gold Gourami
Three Spot Gourami
Cosby Gourami

Geographic History

These colorful Labyrinth Fish come from the rivers and streams of Malaysia and The Mekong River basin of Sourtheast Asia. They live in muddy, still or slow moving water along banks where aquatic plants grow.

Enviornment

Provide Blue Gouramis with lots of open swimming space in the middle of the tank. They like little or no current in the water with tall plants for cover.

Compatibility

Having more than one male in your aquarium will encourage aggressiveness. Some females may even become aggressive to other Blue Gourami. When multiple males are placed in one aquarium, the larger darker colored male is the one that has established dominance.

Blue Gourami are best kept in small groups. Two females and a male tend to get along nicely. Keeping them with other species of Gourami, especially Dwarf Gourami, is not advised. The male will become aggressive and try to establish dominance.

You should not keep known fin nippers with these fish. They tend to have long flowing fins when they are full grown which tempt smaller fish like the Tiger Barb.

Sexing

Males have more pointed and longer dorsal fins. They also tend to have brighter colors. Females have more rounded dorsal fins and are fatter when they are adults.

Behavior

Blue Gourami have a labyrinth organ and go to the surface to breath. They can swim very fast and will sometimes chase other fish when feeding. They have long narrow pelvic fins that they use to feel with when there is no light or they are in cloudy water.

They tend to graze the bottom for food quite a bit and will nibble plants. They also nibble on long algae growths, though not enough for them to be helpful in keeping algae out of your aquarium.

They are very useful for keeping the hydra parasite out of your aquarium. It is one of their favorite treats.

Breeding

You can tell if the female is ready to spawn when she has a fatter than normal belly. These fish spawn on a monthly basis under the right tank conditions. Both sexes will show a bluish tint when they are ready for breeding. Males will be noticably more aggressive when they are ready to spawn.

The male Blue Gourami will build a bubble nest just before spawning activity begins. He usually does this early in the day. After building the bubble nest, the male will court the female by swimming back and forth flaring his fins and raising his tail at her. The female responds by biting the male's back. He then brushes his back on her belly and they will begin to spawn. Quivering signals that spawning is near completion.

Once the eggs are laid, the female should be removed from the aquarium because the male will become aggressive toward her if she gets to close to the bubble nest. The male will maintain the eggs in the nest and spit water to herd them all together.

The eggs will hatch in about 30 hours and the fry will start swimming soon after. The fry should be fed baby brine shrimp and curshed flake food. Excellent water quality is important at this stage and frequent water changes should be done. Keep the water level close to your hood. The fry need a layer of moist air for their labyrinth organs to develop correctly.

For more information, go to Wikipedia's Blue Gourami page.