The pygmy gourami (''Trichopsis pumila''), also known as the sparkling gourami, is a freshwater

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of gourami native to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

Description

Pygmy gouramis can reach a length of SL. In color, they sparkle with

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...

, and

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

hues, and can produce an audible croaking noise using a specialised pectoral mechanism. In the right light, its eyes appear bright blue, and its arrowhead-shaped body and caudal fins reflect a rainbow of colors as it swims. Sexing is difficult, but males have red spots above the "body line" or the stripe through their body, and females spots are duller.

Habitat

Its native habitat is slow

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

s, rice paddies, ditches and small

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...

s. It is most commonly found in standing not stagnant water (including waters with low oxygen levels) that has a dense cover of floating plants. The pygmy gourami can survive in these waters because of its labyrinth organ, which allows it to breathe air from the surface. Its native habitat has a pH of 6.0–7.5, dH of 5–19, and temperature 25 °C to 28 °C (77 °F to 83 °F). It feeds on

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

and aquatic

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

Importance to humans

The pygmy gourami can be found in the

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

trade.

In the aquarium

The pygmy gourami is hardy and tolerant of less-than-ideal water conditions in the tank. It is important to avoid any strong currents in the aquarium and have plenty of hiding places; a heavily planted tank with subdued lighting is ideal. They require some space between the top of the water and the tank cover from which to gulp air. Preferred water conditions include a temperature of 25 °C (76 °F) or above, and a pH of less than 7. While these are not

schooling A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

fish, they can usually be kept peacefully in small groups. Keep in mind that they will not compete well for food with aggressive tank mates and will not cope well with constant harassment. Notoriously nippy fish such as

tiger barb The tiger barb or Sumatra barb (''Puntigrus tetrazona''),Kottelat, M. (2013)The Fishes of the Inland Waters of Southeast Asia: A Catalogue and Core Bibliography of the Fishes Known to Occur in Freshwaters, Mangroves and Estuaries. ''The Raffle ...

s or large

danio ''Danio'' is a genus of small freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae found in South and Southeast Asia, commonly kept in aquaria. They are generally characterised by a pattern of horizontal stripes, rows of spots or vertical bars. Some species ...

s are poor choices for tank companions. Because of their small size, pygmy gouramis are an ideal choice for smaller aquaria. A good size aquarium for a trio or pair would be a planted 5 gallon tank. They will be targeted by male bettas so should not be kept with them. They are not finicky about food, and will readily accept

flake food Aquarium fish feed is plant or animal material intended for consumption by pet fish kept in aquariums or ponds. Fish foods normally contain macronutrients, trace elements and vitamins necessary to keep captive fish in good health. Approximately ...

s, live foods, or frozen foods. They should be fed once or twice every day.

Breeding

Pygmy gouramis can be induced to breed by raising the temperature and dropping the water level about 15 cm (6 inches). During mating, the male embraces the female, with their bodies intertwining tightly. The female deposits the eggs and both the male and female will collect the eggs in their mouths and deposit them into a bubble nest created earlier by the male. Other tankmates should ideally be removed at this point, since the male vigorously guards the eggs and may attack other fish. The male can be left with the eggs until they hatch. The fry are tiny and require microscopic infusoria until they are large enough to accept newly hatched brine shrimp or dry food. The water in the tank should be kept very clean with frequent water changes.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pygmy Gourami

Pygmy gourami The pygmy gourami (''Trichopsis pumila''), also known as the sparkling gourami, is a freshwater species of gourami native to Southeast Asia. Description Pygmy gouramis can reach a length of SL. In color, they sparkle with red, green, and blu ...

Fishkeeping Fish of Southeast Asia Fish of Thailand Freshwater fish of Indonesia Freshwater fish of Malaysia Fish described in 1936