Chocolate Gourami

About

The chocolate gourami (Sphaerichthys osphromenoides) is one of those species that rewards patient, experienced keepers willing to meet its specific demands. Native to the peat swamp forests of Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula, it lives in some of the softest, most acidic water found anywhere. Conditions that need to be replicated closely in captivity. The fish itself is a warm brown with pale vertical bars, modest in size and slow in movement, which means it gets easily bullied or outcompeted at feeding time. Tankmates need to be chosen with real care. Calm, similarly-sized species like small rasboras or Pangio loaches work well, while anything boisterous is a bad idea. Keep at least six together, as they clearly benefit from conspecific interaction and show far more engaging behavior in a group, including a hierarchy with dominant individuals claiming prime spots and food. There's also a peculiar behavior where one fish will lie on its side and let another mouth its body. Nobody has figured out exactly what this means, though dominance signaling seems the leading theory. Breeding is genuinely interesting: unusually for anabantoids, it's the female who broods the eggs in her mouth, retaining them for up to three weeks before releasing fully-formed juveniles. Like all labyrinth fish, it breathes atmospheric air, and proper development of the labyrinth organ makes a tight-fitting lid essential.