From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Sparkling Gourami
Trichopsis pumila
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C
- pH
- 5 – 7.5
- Min. tank size
- 40 L
- Lifespan
- 5 years
- Diet
- carnivore
- Care level
- moderate
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Trichopsis pumila |
| Family: | Osphronemidae |
| Origin: | Southeast Asia (Mekong basin, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia) |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | moderate |
| Diet: | carnivore |
| Max Size: | 4.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | peaceful |
| Min Group: | 4+ together |
| Varieties: | No cultivated strains, and none would improve on the wild fish — the spangling and the blue-ringed eye are the appeal. Some suppliers advertise selected lines for stronger iridescence, and colour varies considerably with condition, lighting and substrate. Over dark sand in a shaded planted tank they look like a different species from the same fish in a bare shop tank. Almost all trade fish are wild-caught or farmed from wild stock, and they are inexpensive. The genus contains two other species commonly traded, and they are worth telling apart. Trichopsis vittata, the croaking gourami, is markedly larger at around 7 cm and carries two or three dark lateral stripes. T. schalleri, the three-stripe croaking gourami, is intermediate in size — and the distinction from this species is that in T. schalleri the upper stripe is more variable depending on the mood of the fish, while T. pumila has a single solid dark midlateral stripe and a small adult size. All three croak. The sparkling is the smallest and the one that suits a nano tank. |
| Lifespan: | 5 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:Low
- Min Tank:40 L
- Substrate:Dark substrate; densely planted with floating plants and calm surface
- Plant Safe:Plant-safe
- Filtration:Low (very gentle flow; surface air access)
Sparkling Gourami (Trichopsis pumila) is a species of fish in the family Osphronemidae. It is native to Southeast Asia (Mekong basin, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia). The sparkling gourami is 40 mm long, covered in iridescent spangles with bright blue-ringed eyes, and it croaks audibly. The sound is the reason to keep it. Trichopsis species produce noise using modified pectoral-fin tendons and muscles which are stretched and plucked — a mechanism unique within the family Osphronemidae. The pectoral fins beat alternately, generating short or long bursts of sound, and in a quiet room you can hear a 4 cm fish from across it. It comes from the Mekong basin across Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, and it is a labyrinth fish — it breathes atmospheric air at the surface. It is peaceful, tiny, and one of the best centrepiece fish available for a planted nano tank. It is also an excellent jumper, so the tank needs covering — while still leaving the humid air layer above the water that any anabantoid requires.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- peaceful
- Keep in
- Groups of 4+
- Swims
- middle
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- No
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