1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful and shy; males defend a cave.
Many licorice gouramis sold as P. deissneri are other Parosphromenus species.
244 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful and shy; males defend a cave. Very small tankmates only; avoid fast eaters.
Live and frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia and mosquito larvae. Many refuse dry foods.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males have black-based dorsal, anal and tail fins with a thin whitish-blue edge, a black band and a row of bluish oval spots, plus iridescent blue-green pelvic fins with a filament tip, and colour up strongly when breeding. Females are much plainer and lack the blue and red fin bands.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Cave spawner ·
Cave spawner. The male holds a small territory around a cave (leaf litter in nature; a small pot, pipe or film canister in the aquarium) and the eggs are stuck to the cave ceiling. Some males build a small bubble nest inside the cave, others do not. The male alone cares for the eggs and fry; the female defends the area outside.
Put a conditioned pair in a small tank with caves.
10-20 L tank of very soft, acidic water (pH 4.5-5.5), low light, leaves and small caves such as half coconut shells or tubes, gentle flow.
Very soft acidic water and live foods.
Eggs hatch in about 24-36 hours; fry become mobile 4-6 days later and are fully free-swimming and leave the cave after 3-5 more days, when parental care stops. First foods: Paramecium or rotifers, then Artemia nauplii.
The male guards the nest for about 5-7 days; fry then eat infusoria and newly hatched brine shrimp.
A tiny blackwater gourami known only from Bangka Island, Indonesia, where it lives among plants in tea-coloured jungle streams and swamps, now often only in ditches and canals. Described in 1859, it was the only known licorice gourami for almost a century, so its name has been widely misapplied; the true species has probably always been very rare in the hobby. It is listed as Endangered.
Dutch ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker described this tiny gourami in 1859 from Bangka. For decades many similar species were sold under its name before scientists separated them.
First described by Pieter Bleeker in 1859.
16 facts checked with sources
Valid name (Bleeker, 1859; neotype fixed by ICZN Opinion 1946). Wrong-name warning: for almost a century it was the only named Parosphromenus, so 'deissneri' / 'licorice gourami' in shops is very often another species (Seriously Fish). IUCN Red List: Endangered (EN B2ab(iii), assessed 6 January 2020, per FishBase).
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Parosphromenus deissneri · FishBase: Parosphromenus deissneri summary · Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneriLegacy has no family field; sourced value recorded.
FishBase: Parosphromenus deissneri summary · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Parosphromenus deissneriBoth SL. Seriously Fish 4.0 cm SL is the larger well-sourced figure and is used; FishBase 3.0 cm SL (from the 1998 redescription).
Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneri · FishBase: Parosphromenus deissneri summaryLegacy 22-27 lies inside Seriously Fish's 22-28.
Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneri · FishBase: Parosphromenus deissneri summaryLegacy range lies inside Seriously Fish's 3.0-6.5 (preferred for husbandry). FishBase gives 5.6-7.2.
Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneri · FishBase: Parosphromenus deissneri summaryLegacy has no hardness; Seriously Fish range recorded (needs negligible carbonate hardness). FishBase gives up to 10.
Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneri · FishBase: Parosphromenus deissneri summary40 x 20 cm base x 20 cm height = 16,000 cm³ = 16 L (Seriously Fish lists ~16 litres) for one pair. Legacy 30 L is more generous, not wrong as a comfortable size.
Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneriA pair. A mixed-sex group is possible. Do not mix different Parosphromenus species (females look alike and some hybridise).
Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneriSeriously Fish rates temperament as 'needs a tank of its own' rather than peaceful/aggressive. Sexually active males hold small territories around a cave. Not a community fish.
Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneriNo source names an aquarium swimming level.
FishBase: Parosphromenus deissneri summarySeriously Fish's label is Moderate, but it scores 7 of 8 difficulty measures (soft acidic water, live food, own tank, mature tank needed), so the legacy 3 (difficult) is understandable. Recorded as the source label.
Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneriLegacy story says 'Sumatra and Bangka'; it is not known from Sumatra. Fish from Sumatra and elsewhere once called deissneri are other species (e.g. P. bintan from Bintan and south/west Bangka).
Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneri · FishBase: Parosphromenus deissneri summaryLegacy agrees in substance. The 'rounder female with pale belly' detail was not found. Both sexes darken quickly when aggressive.
Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneriLegacy text agrees. Inexperienced pairs often eat the first spawns.
Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneri · FishBase: Parosphromenus deissneri summaryLegacy egg count (20-150 eggs) was not found in a source. Legacy 'male guards the nest about 5-7 days' is roughly consistent (4-6 days to mobile fry, then 3-5 more days).
Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneriLegacy errors: range is Bangka only (not Sumatra); 'a classic of the hobby' fits the genus name, but true P. deissneri has probably always been very rare in the trade. 'Hard to keep alive' is not stated as such; Seriously Fish says it needs a mature, very soft acidic tank and live food.
Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneri · FishBase: Parosphromenus deissneri summary