Page 112 - Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish, 3rd Edition

110 FRESHWATER FISH DIRECTORY

Trichopsis vittata Trichopsis pumila Ctenops nobilis
Croaking Gourami Pygmy Gourami Frail Gourami

ORIGINS Southeast Asia, from Vietnam, Thailand, and ORIGINS Southeast Asia, in Cambodia (Kampuchea), ORIGINS Asia, where it occurs in eastern parts of India
the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. Vietnam, Thailand, and the Malay Peninsula. and in Bangladesh.
SIZE 3 in (7.5 cm). SIZE 1 ⁄2 in (4 cm). SIZE 4 in (10 cm).
1
DIET Prepared foods and live foods. DIET Prepared foods and live foods. DIET Prepared foods and live foods.
WATER Temperature 77–82°F (25–28°C); soft (50 mg/l) WATER Temperature 77–82°F (25–28°C); soft (50 mg/l) WATER Temperature 68–75°F (20–24°C); hard
and acidic (pH 6.5). and acidic (pH 6.5). (100–150 mg/l) and neutral (pH 7.0).
TEMPERAMENT Rather shy. TEMPERAMENT Only aggressive when spawning. TEMPERAMENT Aggressive.
Chocolate striping along the side of the body helps Brown coloration and variable lighter markings are
to identify this species. Raising the temperature of characteristic of the Frail Gourami. The pale
the water and lowering the level to about 4 in stripes along the sides of young fish fade with age.
(10 cm) should help to trigger spawning behavior, Males, which have red edging on their caudal and
when the croaking calls uttered by these fish are anal fins, must not be kept together because they
most likely to be heard. The male may use floating will fight. A tank for Frail Gouramis should be
plants as anchorage points for the bubble nest, well planted, with calm water conditions. This is a
which will trap up to 200 eggs laid by the female. mouth-brooding gourami, and the young leave the
female’s mouth about two weeks after spawning.
Long, pointed head Dark speckling on
Coloration varies the caudal fin
between individuals This small gourami has semitransparent fins
patterned with red and blue, while the body
displays variable brownish markings that
form two lines along the body. The male builds a
small, fragile bubble nest under the leaf of a large
Relatively plant, such as a suitable cryptocoryne. Nearly 200
slender body eggs are laid; the fry hatch after two days and
shape become free-swimming after a similar period.

Trichogaster labiosa
SURVIVING IN THE MURKY SHALLOWS
Thick-Lipped Gourami
In the wild, anabantoids are often found in labyrinth organs. Located on either side of the
shallow, muddy waters. The temperature in these head, close to the gills, these structures enable ORIGINS Asia, being present in parts of northern India
surroundings can rise rapidly during the day the fish to breathe atmospheric air directly, and Myanmar (Burma).
under the heat of the tropical sun, with the supplementing the meager amounts of SIZE 4 in (10 cm).
result that less oxygen is available to the fish. oxygen that they can extract from the water DIET Prepared foods, algae, and live foods.
To help them survive in such a poorly oxygenated with their gills. WATER Temperature 72–82°F (22–28°C); soft (50 mg/l)
environment, anabantoids have developed Another anabantoid adaptation to living in and acidic (pH 6.0–6.5).
muddy water is the way in which the pelvic TEMPERAMENT Suitable for a community tank.
fins have moved right to the front of the
body and developed into hairlike feelers. Restricted
These feelers not only enable anabantoids orange banding
to sense their surroundings by touch, but
they also help the fish to find mates. The
male uses his feelers to detect chemicals
called pheromones, which females release
into the water when they are ready to spawn.

Female

Pointed tips on the
dorsal fin and a brighter
coloration make males of this species easy to spot.
They construct a large, relatively fragile bubble
nest at the surface, often continuing to increase its
size even after egg-laying. As in other cases, the
filtration in the tank must be gentle in order to
prevent damage to the bubble nest.

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