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Encyclopedia / Gouramis & Bettas / Nagy's licorice gourami
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Nagy's licorice gourami

Parosphromenus nagyi · Licorice gourami (nagyi), Malaysian licorice, Parosphromenus nagyi

Peaceful and shy, with a small territory around its cave.

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4 cmAdult size ✓
22–27 °CTemperature ✓
4–6.5pH ✓
16 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. Nagy's licorice gourami only grows to 4 cm.
Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Nagy's licorice gourami is tropical.
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Nagy's licorice gourami only grows to 4 cm.
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 6.5.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 6.5.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 6.5.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

244 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓1–4 dGH
Group size ✓2 or more
Temperament ?Peaceful
Swims at ?Bottom
Care level ✓Moderate
Diet Carnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 2–3 cm
Growth Slow

Behavior

Peaceful and shy, with a small territory around its cave. Needs a dedicated soft-water tank or only tiny peaceful tankmates.

  • cave

Food

Live foods like baby brine shrimp, cyclops and daphnia.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males have a black band in the dorsal, anal and tail fins edged on both sides by iridescent blue bands, and iridescent emerald-green pelvic fins with a very short filament; breeding males turn reddish-brown above and dark below. Females are much plainer, lack the blue fin bands and turn pale yellowish when breeding.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

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.

Pairing

A conditioned pair in a small, dim tank with a cave.

Setup

10-20 L of soft acidic water (pH 4.5-5.5) with plant cover and half coconut shells.

What starts it

Very soft acidic water and live foods.

Eggs

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.

Raising the fry

Fry feed on infusoria then newly hatched brine shrimp.

Common mistakes
  • Hard water
  • Active tankmates
  • Dry food diet
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionEast coast of Peninsular Malaysia
HabitatBlackwater peat-swamp streams
Native rangeAbout 150 km across
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The story of the nagy's licorice gourami

A licorice gourami from peat swamps on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Most of its habitat has been lost to deforestation and it now survives mostly in ditches and roadside canals; it is not normally sold commercially and is passed around mainly by private breeders.

Dietrich Schaller described this licorice gourami in 1985 from eastern Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the darkest-coloured Parosphromenus.

First described by Dietrich Schaller in 1985.

  • It lives in peat-swamp streams threatened by land clearing.
  • Males build tiny nests in caves rather than at the surface.
  • It stays under 4 cm long.

Sources

16 facts checked with sources