Chocolate gourami

Care at a glance

The chocolate gourami from the peat swamps of Sumatra and Borneo is a warm chocolate brown with pale bars and has a pointed, slightly shy-looking head. It is one of the few labyrinth fish in which the female broods the eggs in her mouth.

It is decidedly sensitive and needs warm, very soft and acidic blackwater with leaf litter, subdued light and absolute calm. Feed small live or frozen foods and add no busy tankmates; under poor conditions it quickly becomes prone to disease.

Good to know

• Needs a mature, stable tank
• Hard to wean onto dry food

Related species

• Blue botiaYasuhikotakia modesta
• Kissing gouramiHelostoma temminkii
• Angelicus loach (polka-dot loach)Botia kubotai
• Giant gouramiOsphronemus goramy
• Dwarf chain loachAmbastaia sidthimunki
• Moonlight gouramiTrichopodus microlepis