1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful but males are territorial toward each other.
424 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful but males are territorial toward each other. Suits calm community tanks.
Flakes, pellets, frozen foods and some vegetable matter.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males are much more colourful than females and develop pointed dorsal and anal fins as they mature; the anal fin often has a red edge.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Bubble-nester · Moderate
Bubblenester that builds a large nest among floating plants. The male gathers the eggs into the nest and guards them; remove the female after spawning for her safety. Keep the tank tightly covered for the fry.
One male to a conditioned female in a roomy tank.
60 L tank with floating plants, water level 15-20 cm, 26-28 C.
Warm water, plenty of live food.
500-1,000 eggs; they hatch in about 24-36 hours and the fry swim freely about 3 days later.
Infusoria, then newly hatched brine shrimp. Remove the female after spawning.
The largest gourami in its genus, from Pakistan to Myanmar, with oblique orange and blue bars on a greenish body. It is a popular food fish at home but is not often sold for aquariums now.
This gourami was described in 1801 in a major catalogue of fishes by Marcus Bloch and Johann Schneider. It has been kept in aquariums since the early 1900s.
First described by Marcus E. Bloch & Johann G. Schneider in 1801.
16 facts checked with sources
TAXONOMY FLAG: Knight et al. 2022 revalidated Trichogaster bejeus (Hamilton 1822), with T. colisa and T. cotra as its synonyms, and Catalog of Fishes now lists the dwarf gourami name Trichopodus lalius as a synonym of T. fasciata ("Synonym of Trichogaster fasciata Bloch & Schneider 1801 -- (Knight et al. 2022)"). Catalog of Fishes gives the same range for T. bejeus, so some fish sold as banded gourami may be T. bejeus. Older name Colisa fasciata is common in shops. Hybridises with T. labiosa.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Trichogaster · FishBase: Trichogaster fasciata summaryLegacy has no family field. FishBase places the order as Anabantiformes.
FishBase: Trichogaster fasciata summarySeriously Fish gives 10 cm SL (standard length); FishBase 12.5 cm TL, which is about the same fish measured with the tail. Kept at 10 cm SL.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster fasciata · FishBase: Trichogaster fasciata summaryLegacy 20 C minimum is below both sources.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster fasciata · FishBase: Trichogaster fasciata summaryBoth sources top out at 7.5, below legacy 8.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster fasciata · FishBase: Trichogaster fasciata summaryLegacy has no hardness.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster fasciata · FishBase: Trichogaster fasciata summary75 x 30 x 30 cm = 67.5 L; Seriously Fish states 71 L (using imperial inches). Source figure recorded.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster fasciataNo source gives a group size; Seriously Fish sizes the tank for a pair.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster fasciataMales fight each other in small tanks.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster fasciataNo source names a swimming level.
FishBase: Trichogaster fasciata summarySeriously Fish's difficulty panel lists it as suitable for beginners.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster fasciataLegacy story omits Pakistan and Nepal.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster fasciata · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus TrichogasterLegacy 300-800 eggs is lower than both sources.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster fasciata · FishBase: Trichogaster fasciata summaryBars are oblique, not vertical; range wider than India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. "Tolerates cooler water than most gouramis" is not stated (Seriously Fish minimum is 21 C).
FishBase: Trichogaster fasciata summary · Seriously Fish: Trichogaster fasciata