Licorice Gourami

About

Found in the blackwater peat-swamp forests and deeper creek channels of East Malaysia around Kuantan, Parosphromenus nagyi is a tiny labyrinth fish commonly known alongside its relatives as a licorice gourami or 'paro'. Males are the more ornate sex, displaying iridescent emerald green on the pelvic fins with black markings, a pointed dorsal fin, and a short rounded tail edged with a pale band that varies from bluish to whitish depending on which population the fish came from. Like all members of the suborder Anabantoidei, it possesses a labyrinth organ that allows it to breathe atmospheric air directly, though paros use this ability less conspicuously than many of their relatives. This species rarely appears through commercial channels and is mostly passed between dedicated private hobbyists, which tells you something about the kind of keeper it suits best. It really should not be mixed into a general community tank. Its preference for extremely soft, acidic water rules out most tankmates anyway. A species-only setup or a carefully chosen group of small, peaceful cyprinids like Boraras works best. Mixing different Parosphromenus species together is a bad idea due to hybridization risk. Breeding involves cave spawning with a dramatic head-down courtship display from the male, who then takes sole responsibility for guarding the eggs and wrangling the newly hatched fry.