Grazes algae; can bully smaller fish.
494 species in our list are a good match.
Grazes algae; can bully smaller fish.
Pellets, vegetables, algae.
Tap a food to see what it is.
No reliable external differences; adult females are rounder-bellied than males when full of eggs.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Egg-scatterer · Hard
Spawns under floating plants and scatters buoyant, floating eggs with no parental care; rarely bred by aquarists.
Buy a group of 6 young fish and grow them on. Sexing is very hard. Pairs form only in a mature group.
A 100+ gallon (380 L) tank with floating plants, 26-28 C and soft water. They are large and need space.
Warm, clean water and heavy feeding with algae and veggies. Hormones are often used on commercial farms.
Several thousand floating eggs per spawning; eggs hatch in about 24-36 hours and fry swim free about 2 days later.
Feed infusoria, then baby brine shrimp and crushed flake. Remove the adults after spawning because they eat the eggs.
The famous 'kiss' seems at least partly a contest for social dominance between rivals, though its exact purpose is not confirmed. It grows to about 25-30 cm and can live over 20 years. The pink form is a leucistic variety bred for the trade.
Georges Cuvier described the kissing gourami in 1829. Its 'kissing' is actually a ritualised lip-to-lip contest between rivals. In Southeast Asia it is also farmed as a food fish.
First described by Georges Cuvier in 1829. Named for Named after Dutch zoologist Coenraad J. Temminck.
17 facts checked with sources
Spelling: Cuvier's 1829 original was 'temminkii'; Catalog of Fishes and FishBase treat it as an inadvertent error and use 'temminckii'. Seriously Fish still uses 'temminkii'. Either spelling may appear in shops.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Helostoma temminkii / temminckii · FishBase: Helostoma temminckii summaryLegacy had no family. It is not in Osphronemidae with the other gouramis.
FishBase: Helostoma temminckii summary · Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkiiFishBase maximum 30 cm TL (preferred for size); Seriously Fish 25 cm SL. Legacy 20 cm is too small for a full-grown adult; matures at about 12-15 cm SL (Seriously Fish).
FishBase: Helostoma temminckii summary · Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkiiFishBase matches legacy exactly; Seriously Fish allows up to 30 °C. Minor.
Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkii · FishBase: Helostoma temminckii summaryLegacy had none.
Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkii · FishBase: Helostoma temminckii summary150 x 45 cm footprint x 45 cm height = 303,750 cm³ ≈ 304 L. Legacy 300 L matches (rounding).
Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkiiNot gregarious as adults; keep one, or several bought as juveniles together, never two.
Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkiiSeriously Fish: lifespan can exceed 20 years (many shop fish die much sooner due to poor care). Legacy 7-10 years is far too short.
Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkiiSeriously Fish: can turn aggressive when space is limited; its difficulty card lists temperament as unknown.
Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkiiBenthopelagic = mid-water to lower levels; also takes insects near the surface (FishBase).
FishBase: Helostoma temminckii summarySeriously Fish care rating: Moderate.
Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkiiLegacy had no range. Catalog of Fishes lists Vietnam and the Philippines as introduced; Seriously Fish includes Vietnam in the native range and calls the Sarawak population introduced (1950s).
FishBase: Helostoma temminckii summary · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Helostoma temminkii / temminckii · Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkiiLegacy breeding.type 'egg-scatterer' fits: no nest and no parental care (Seriously Fish).
Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkii · FishBase: Helostoma temminckii summaryHatch time agrees; egg count is higher than legacy (several thousand vs 500-1000+).
Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkii · FishBase: Helostoma temminckii summarySoftened: Seriously Fish says the kissing is 'at least in part' about dominance and may also involve territory or courtship; legacy states it as fact. Size and lifespan added. Described by Cuvier in 1829 from Java. IUCN Least Concern (assessed 2019, per FishBase).
Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkii · FishBase: Helostoma temminckii summary