Spotted Gourami, Or Common (Trichopodus Trichopterus)

Three spot gourami, or ordinary gourami (Three-spot Gourami) - a small friendly fish, one of those that should make every decent aquarist. Due to the simplicity of the content, it is popular with beginners.

In nature, gourami live in Indochina in bodies of water with little or no current. Dislikes open spaces, usually hides among plants. In captivity, gourami very rarely grow more than 15 cm in length.

Female

Gourami easily gets along with peaceful fish of any size, it is undesirable to keep several males in the aquarium - they can begin to compete. Good neighbors are lalius, barbs, swordtails, danios or catfish.

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The minimum aquarium volume is 40 liters. It must be planted with plants, including floating ones, it is advisable to cover dark soil. Gourami rarely sink to the bottom, keeping in the middle and upper layers of water. From time to time, they come up to breathe in the atmospheric air - they have a special organ for this: the branchial labyrinth.

Gourami are undemanding to the conditions of detention. The temperature of the water should be kept between 22 and 28 ° C, the hardness up to 20 °, the pH around 7.0. These are quite strong fish, resistant to diseases, they can withstand temperatures down to 16 ° C.

If it is not possible to provide natural light to the aquarium constantly, it is recommended to expose it to sunlight at least in the morning - fish love it very much.

In their aquarium, gourami play the role of orderlies, catching hydras that accidentally fall into it. One less concern for the aquarist.

Gourami eat almost any dry and live food: bloodworms, daphnia, tubifex, flies and brine shrimp, cyclops. From time to time, you can diversify your diet with white bread crumbs, shellfish, crushed oatmeal, lettuce.

Spotted gourami (Trichopodus trichopterus). Photo by Marina Brunova

Breeding gourami is as easy as keeping. You need a spawning box of at least 40 liters with a water level of up to 20 cm. The water needs to be slightly heated to 26-28 ° C, the composition is unimportant.

A week before spawning, producers should be completely transferred to live food. For two days, the male builds a nest, after which the female immediately lays eggs. At this stage, the female can be deposited in the main aquarium, and the male can be left - he will look after the nest and eggs. The female is sometimes left if the spawning ground is large enough, but the male can show aggression towards her.

Gourami are good dads: they often transfer eggs to more suitable places for them, fan them, creating a constant influx of fresh water, and repair the nest. But the males will not miss the opportunity to feast on the fry, therefore, immediately after the appearance of the fry, those must be planted.

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The first 3-4 days the fry need to be fed with ciliates, then with small zooplankton.

Source: Marine Aquarium at Chistye Prudy