1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful but gets big and may eat tiny fish.
246 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful but gets big and may eat tiny fish. Does best with similar-sized, non-nippy tankmates; avoid fin-nippers as it uses its long feelers to explore.
Flakes, pellets, frozen bloodworms and blanched vegetables; takes small insects from the surface.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males have orange or red pelvic fins (the long feelers); females have yellow ones.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Bubble-nester · Moderate
Bubblenester that is not easy to breed. The male builds a loose bubble nest among surface plants; remove the female after spawning and the male once the fry swim freely.
Buy 6 juveniles and let a pair form, or add a ripe female to a conditioned male.
200 L or larger planted tank with floating plants, water level lowered to 20 cm, warm and still, no strong filter flow.
Raise the temperature to 28 C, feed live and frozen foods heavily, and do a warm water change.
500-1,000 eggs (up to 2,000 reported); they hatch in 1-2 days and the fry swim freely 2 days later.
Infusoria then newly hatched brine shrimp; fry need warm, still, humid air above the water as the labyrinth organ develops. Remove the female after spawning and the male once fry swim.
A plain silvery gourami from the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins with unusually long pelvic feelers. It lives in densely vegetated ponds and swamps and is used as a food fish in its native countries; most aquarium fish are farm-bred.
German-born British ichthyologist Albert Günther described this gourami in 1861. Its silvery, moonlit sheen has made it a popular peaceful gourami for larger community tanks.
First described by Albert Günther in 1861. Named for 'Microlepis' means small scales.
16 facts checked with sources
Older books and shops use Trichogaster microlepis (pre-2009 combination); Deschauenseeia chryseus and Trichopus parvipinnis are synonyms.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Trichopodus · FishBase: Trichopodus microlepis summaryLegacy has no family field. FishBase places the order as Anabantiformes.
FishBase: Trichopodus microlepis summarySeriously Fish gives 15 cm SL (standard length); FishBase 14 cm TL. Larger well-sourced figure (15 cm SL) used per the size rule.
Seriously Fish: Trichopodus microlepis · FishBase: Trichopodus microlepis summaryBoth sources run warmer than legacy 24-28.
Seriously Fish: Trichopodus microlepis · FishBase: Trichopodus microlepis summaryLegacy has no hardness; both sources agree.
Seriously Fish: Trichopodus microlepis · FishBase: Trichopodus microlepis summary90 x 30 cm base x 30 cm height = 81 L (Seriously Fish states ~81 litres). This is Seriously Fish's minimum; legacy 200 L is a generous figure for a 15 cm fish but is not what the source gives.
Seriously Fish: Trichopodus microlepisNo source gives a group size.
Seriously Fish: Trichopodus microlepisA skittish community fish; males may be territorial with other males and gouramis, and it will eat very small fish.
Seriously Fish: Trichopodus microlepisNo source names a swimming level; FishBase lists it as demersal, which conflicts with legacy "top".
FishBase: Trichopodus microlepis summarySeriously Fish's difficulty panel rates it Easy.
Seriously Fish: Trichopodus microlepisLegacy has no range field. Seriously Fish says wild fish are rare in the hobby; most are mass-produced in the Far East and Eastern Europe.
FishBase: Trichopodus microlepis summary · Seriously Fish: Trichopodus microlepisThe pelvic-fin colour cue is supported; the legacy "longer dorsal fin" claim was not found in the sources.
Seriously Fish: Trichopodus microlepisSeriously Fish recommends a water level of 6-8 inches and slowly raising to 85 F (about 29 C) for spawning.
Seriously Fish: Trichopodus microlepis · FishBase: Trichopodus microlepis summaryLegacy 500-1,000 eggs and 24-36 h hatch agree.
FishBase: Trichopodus microlepis summary · Seriously Fish: Trichopodus microlepis"Glows pale blue" and "one of the calmest large gouramis" are not stated in sources; range was given as the Mekong only (also Chao Phraya).
Seriously Fish: Trichopodus microlepis