Dwarf Gourami

Common name/s: Dwarf Gourami

Scientific name: Colisa lalia

Family: Belontiidae

Origin: India, Bengal and Assam

Maximum size: Males - 2 1/2", Females - 2"

Care: They can live in most tropical aquariums with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5, and a temperature of 72-82F. Overally active tankmates, along with fin nippers, should be avoided. They prefer to have their quiet, along with plenty of space. It is best to keep either 1 Dwarf Gourami per tank, or several. Males can be quite aggressive to each other, so if 2 are kept, they must have a large tank with plenty of hiding spaces. They prefer to have some floating plants.

Feeding: Dwarf Gouramis will accept flake food, but also enjoy frozen and live foods. They also will appreciate some vegetable matter in their diet and may eat rotting plants or algae in a planted aquarium.

Sexing: Males are brightly colored, larger, and have a more pointed dorsal fin. Females are mostly silver, occasionally with a hint of other colors. They are smaller and also chubbier in the midsection.

Breeding: The male will build a bubble nest at the surface of the water among floating plants, and where there is not a strong current. After courting the female by intensifying his colors and flaring his fins, she will follow him to the nest. There, the eggs are expelled and fertilized, and the male picks them up and blows them into the nest. After the fry hatch, they must be fed the tiniest of foods (such as infusoria), because they are extremely small.

Comments: Male fish of this species come in several color varieties, including Neon Blue, Powder Blue, and Sunset/Fire Red (shown in picture). The normal male Dwarf Gourami is blue with red vertical stripes.