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Chocolate Gourami
Sphaerichthys osphromenoides
Animalia›Chordata›Actinopterygii›Osphronemidae
📍 Southeast Asia
A beautiful but demanding gourami with a rich chocolate-brown body and cream vertical bars. A mouthbrooder with fascinating breeding behaviour. Requires very soft, acidic water and pristine conditions. Not for beginners.
Care Guide
Diet
Chocolate Gouramis are micropredators requiring small, high-quality foods fed once daily in small portions. Offer a varied diet of micro pellets, crushed flakes, small frozen foods (brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworms), and live foods like copepods or small insects when available. They have small mouths and prefer foods that sink slowly or remain suspended in the water column.
Behavior
These are shy, peaceful fish that spend most of their time in mid-water areas among dense vegetation, rarely venturing into open spaces. They are best kept in small groups (minimum 4) where they display more natural schooling behavior and reduced stress. Males may show mild territorial displays but rarely cause harm; they are sensitive to sudden movements and loud noises, making a calm, quiet environment essential.
Breeding
Breeding in captivity is extremely difficult and rarely achieved in home aquariums. They are mouthbrooding fish requiring pristine water conditions (pH 4.0–5.5, very soft water), stable temperatures around 80–82°F, and dense vegetation for spawning sites. Success requires expert-level care and patience; most specimens in the hobby are wild-caught.
Tank Mates
Similar size, peaceful temperament, and preference for soft acidic water make them ideal companions
Small, non-aggressive algae eaters that thrive in the same soft, acidic blackwater conditions
Peaceful invertebrates that prefer similar water parameters; avoid if shrimp are too small to avoid predation
Foreground plant that provides cover and mimics natural habitat without competing for space
Dense moss provides essential shelter and spawning sites while thriving in acidic, low-light conditions
Small, peaceful bottom-dwellers compatible with soft water; ensure adequate feeding as they occupy different zones
Common Diseases
Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis)
White spots on body and fins, rapid breathing, lethargy, rubbing against objects
Raise temperature gradually to 82–84°F, perform daily 25% water changes, use aquarium salt cautiously (these fish are salt-sensitive); consider formalin-based treatments at half-strength if needed
Fin Rot
Frayed or disintegrating fins, white or black edges on fins, lethargy
Perform immediate 50% water change, improve water quality and stability, treat with antibacterial medication (e.g., methylene blue) at reduced doses; avoid salt treatments
Bacterial Infection (Columnaris)
White or grayish film on body, mouth rot, rapid gill movement, loss of appetite
Isolate affected fish, perform daily large water changes, treat with antibiotics (e.g., tetracycline) at reduced doses; maintain pristine water conditions and avoid stress
Parasitic Infection
Excessive scratching, visible parasites, clamped fins, weight loss
Perform frequent water changes, treat with anti-parasitic medication (e.g., fenbendazole) at reduced strength; quarantine new fish before adding to main tank
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Quick Facts
- diet
- Omnivore – frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, high-quality micro pellets
- lifespan
- 5–8 years
- max size
- 6 cm (2.4 in)
- tank size
- 15 gallons minimum
- temperament
- Peaceful, shy
Water it likes
- ph
- 4.0–6.0
- ammonia
- 0 ppm
- nitrate
- <10 ppm
- hardness
- 0–4 dGH
- temperature
- 77–82°F (25–28°C)