From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Kissing Gourami
Helostoma temminckii
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C
- pH
- 6 – 8
- Min. tank size
- 300 L
- Lifespan
- 5-7 years
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care level
- moderate
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Helostoma temminckii |
| Family: | Helostomatidae |
| Origin: | Southeast Asia (Thailand, Indonesia and neighbouring regions) |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | moderate |
| Diet: | omnivore |
| Max Size: | 30.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | semi aggressive |
| Min Group: | Can be kept alone |
| Varieties: | Two cultivated forms and one wild type, and the trade is dominated by the cultivated ones. The natural fish is a silvery green-grey. The pink kissing gourami, which is what almost everyone buys, is a leucistic form achieved through selective breeding in captivity — a pale pink-white fish with the same behaviour and requirements. The balloon kissing gourami is a mutated strain of the pink form, with a shortened, rounded body. As with every balloon strain, the compressed spine brings swim bladder and digestive problems, and it is worth avoiding. Long-finned selections appear occasionally. The green or wild form is less commonly seen in shops and is generally the more robust fish. Taxonomically it stands alone — Helostoma temminckii is the only species in the family Helostomatidae, which makes it an unusual animal quite apart from its behaviour. It is farmed and eaten as a food fish across Southeast Asia, prepared by steaming, baking, broiling and pan frying, which puts the 30 cm adult size into perspective rather better than a shop tank does. |
| Lifespan: | 5-7 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:High
- Min Tank:300 L
- Substrate:Gravel or sand; robust or plastic plants; open swimming space
- Plant Safe:Not reliably plant-safe (grazes algae and soft plants)
- Filtration:High (large fish; surface air access)
Kissing Gourami (Helostoma temminckii) is a species of fish in the family Helostomatidae. It is native to Southeast Asia (Thailand, Indonesia and neighbouring regions). The kissing is a fight. Two kissing gouramis approach with their jaws fully extended and press their mouths together for a few seconds. It is a ritualised form of aggression — mouth fighting, used by males to challenge rivals — and it has nothing to do with affection or courtship. The same mouth action is also how they rasp algae off surfaces. The lips are lined with horny teeth for exactly that, which is unusual enough on its own. It comes from mainland Southeast Asia and the Greater Sundas, reaching 30 cm in total length. It is farmed and eaten as a food fish across its range. It is also a filter feeder. Well-developed, numerous gill rakers let it strain plankton from the water — an omnivorous microphagic filtering fish, in the technical description, which is not what most people picture when they buy a small pink one.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- semi aggressive
- Keep in
- Can be kept alone
- Swims
- middle
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- No
Species similar to Kissing Gourami
Matched on family, then category, then water type