Pearl Gourami

Female’s grow larger than males. A Gourami’s sex can be identified by the shape of the dorsal fin, which is long and pointed in males, compared to the female’s shorter rounded dorsal. As previously mentioned, Pearl Gourami’s can also be sexed by the rusty orange colour in its “throat area” and extended anal finnage.

To breed them, condition a male and a female on some frozen food like bloodworm or brine shrimp for several weeks, when the female is gravid (fat with eggs) remove her from the community tank and move her into another tank with little or no filtration (you need very little water flow at the top of the water) and some plants – even add a cave or ornament for the possibility a scared female can retreat once the deed is done. Ensure the new tank has a lid – bubble nests require warm air for eggs to do well.

After a few days, add the male to the same tank. The male will begin to build a bubble nest on top of the water. Once he has finished he will seek her attention as they will ‘dance” together before he squeezes the eggs from the female. He fertilizes the eggs, he will then place the eggs into the bubble nest.

At this time you must carefully remove the female (being sure not to disturb the bubble nest) from the aquarium because she will be niaive and will eat the eggs (which ensures he will attack and maybe kill her for..) and leave the male in there (as he does all the caring for the eggs) for the next 24 hours – at which time the eggs will hatch.

Of the the 600-800 eggs, only a handful of fry will survive, they can be raised on baby brine shrimp until old enough to take flake food or other frozen foods.

Pearl Gourami are considered an easy species to keep in the home aquarium as they are both easy to feed and tolerant of a variety of water conditions.

Pearl Gourami’s are found in Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra and Borneo in southeast Asia where their natural habitat is heavily vegetated slow moving streams under subdued lighting of the jungle canopy. Pearl Gourami’s upturned mouths make them excellent predators of small worms and crustaceans that they located near the waters surface.

Ideally Pearl Gourami should be housed in aquariums that replicate their natural habitat – plenty of vegetation, low to moderate water movement and areas of subdued lighting. Darker substrates are ideal as they more closely mimic the peat covered river bottoms of their native rivers. Darker substrates and heavy vegetation will also bring out the brilliant coloration of the Pearl Gourami.

Pearl Gourami’s possess a labryinth organ, which allows them to breath air directly from the surface as well as under the water. You will notice them constantly visiting the water’s surface to grab a gulp of air. In the wild, this allows them to live in swamps or pools of low water quality.

Three Spot Gourami’s generally habitat the mid to top level of the aquarium.