Three spot gourami
Encyclopedia
The three spot gourami
, Trichopodus trichopterus, (formerly Trichogaster trichopterus ) is a labyrinth fish
. The natural coloration of this fish gets its name from the two spots along each side of its body in line with the eye, considered the third spot. Marketed fresh or salted and pickled, they are also popular in the fishkeeping
hobby, commonly kept in aquariums. Depending on the various artificial color morphs, the species may be known under other common name
s including the blue gourami, Cosby gourami, gold gourami, and the opaline gourami.
in Cambodia
, Laos
, Thailand
and Vietnam
and Yunnan
in southeast Asia
. These fish live in marshes, swamps, canals, and lowland wetlands. They migrate
during the flood season from permanent water bodies to flooded areas, such as seasonally flooded forests in the middle and lower Mekong. During the dry season, they will return to these permanent water bodies. These fish feed on zooplankton
, crustacean
s and insect
larva
e. The male builds a bubble nest
for the eggs, which he protects aggressively.
Male gouramis are known to be very aggressive; they may also be fin nippers and generally may bother other fish in the tank. They will often show aggression toward species with long, flowing fins like male guppies
, goldfish
and betta
s, because they display a long tail and bright colors, presenting competition for impressing a female gourami. Female gouramis sometimes bother other fish but usually keep to themselves.
and requires both algae-based foods as well as meaty foods. An algae-based flake food, along with freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex worms
, and brine shrimp
will provide these fish with the proper nutrition. Live foods such as mosquito larvae and daphnia are also beneficial. The average weight of a blue gourami is 50–100 g (1.8–3.5 ).
. In the male, the dorsal fin is long pointed and the anal fin is pointed, while the female's are shorter and rounded. However, some females may have a dorsal fin as long as the male's. For breeding, the temperature should be above 26 °C (78.8 °F). When ready to breed, the male builds a bubble nest
and then begins to entice the female by swimming back and forth, flaring his fins and raising his tail. When this behavior is noticed, the water level should be reduced to 15 centimetres (5.9 in). The depth is not extremely important as it is in other labyrinth fish. The female may lay up to 700 to 800 egg
s. After spawning the female should be removed to a separate aquarium as the male may become aggressive toward her. The male protects the eggs and fry
, but should be removed after they become free-swimming. After hatching, there should be frequent water changes, especially during the third week, as this is when the labyrinth organ is developing. The fry
should be fed infusoria
and brine shrimp
nauplii.
Gourami
Gouramis are a family, Osphronemidae, of freshwater perciform fishes. The fish are native to Asia, from Pakistan and India to the Malay Archipelago and north-easterly towards Korea. The name "gourami" is also used for fish of the families Helostomatidae and Anabantidae. "Gouramis" is an example of...
, Trichopodus trichopterus, (formerly Trichogaster trichopterus ) is a labyrinth fish
Anabantoidei
The Anabantoidei is a suborder of perciform ray-finned freshwater fish distinguished by their possession of a lung-like labyrinth organ, which enables them to breathe air. The fish in the Anabantoidei suborder are known as anabantoids or labyrinth fish...
. The natural coloration of this fish gets its name from the two spots along each side of its body in line with the eye, considered the third spot. Marketed fresh or salted and pickled, they are also popular in the fishkeeping
Fishkeeping
Fishkeeping is a popular hobby concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. There is also a fishkeeping industry, as a branch of agriculture.-Types of fishkeeping systems:...
hobby, commonly kept in aquariums. Depending on the various artificial color morphs, the species may be known under other common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s including the blue gourami, Cosby gourami, gold gourami, and the opaline gourami.
Distribution and ecology
Three spot gourami are endemic to the Mekong basinMekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
in southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. These fish live in marshes, swamps, canals, and lowland wetlands. They migrate
Fish migration
Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousands of kilometres...
during the flood season from permanent water bodies to flooded areas, such as seasonally flooded forests in the middle and lower Mekong. During the dry season, they will return to these permanent water bodies. These fish feed on zooplankton
Zooplankton
Zooplankton are heterotrophic plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The word "zooplankton" is derived from the Greek zoon , meaning "animal", and , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter"...
, crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e. The male builds a bubble nest
Bubble nest
Bubblenests, also spelled bubble nests or bubble-nests, created by some fish species, are floating masses of bubbles blown with an oral secretion, saliva bubbles, and occasionally aquatic plants, or an area for egg deposit attached at the bottom. Fish that build and guard bubble nests are known as...
for the eggs, which he protects aggressively.
In the aquarium
The Three spot gourami is a hardy fish. This species can be housed with a variety of tank mates that are of similar size and temperament. While males can be territorial with each other, they become timid around other, more aggressive fish. The ideal tank set-up would be an aquarium of a minimum of 150 litres (317 US pt) and have plenty of live plants as well as rocks and driftwood for use as hiding places.Male gouramis are known to be very aggressive; they may also be fin nippers and generally may bother other fish in the tank. They will often show aggression toward species with long, flowing fins like male guppies
Guppy
The guppy , also known as the millionfish, is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. It is a small member of the Poeciliidae family [females long, males long] and like all other members of the family, is live-bearing....
, goldfish
Goldfish
The goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish....
and betta
Betta
Betta is a large genus of small, often colorful, freshwater ray-finned fishes in the gourami family . The type species is B. picta, the spotted betta.By far the best known Betta species, however, is B...
s, because they display a long tail and bright colors, presenting competition for impressing a female gourami. Female gouramis sometimes bother other fish but usually keep to themselves.
Feeding
The Three spot gourami is an omnivoreOmnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
and requires both algae-based foods as well as meaty foods. An algae-based flake food, along with freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex worms
Tubifex tubifex
Tubifex tubifex, also called the sludge worm, or sewage worm, is a species of tubificid segmented worm that inhabits the sediments of lakes and rivers on several continents...
, and brine shrimp
Brine shrimp
Artemia is a genus of aquatic crustaceans known as brine shrimp. Artemia, the only genus in the family Artemiidae, has changed little externally since the Triassic period...
will provide these fish with the proper nutrition. Live foods such as mosquito larvae and daphnia are also beneficial. The average weight of a blue gourami is 50–100 g (1.8–3.5 ).
Breeding
The best way to differentiate between the male and female Three spot gourami is by the dorsal finDorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
. In the male, the dorsal fin is long pointed and the anal fin is pointed, while the female's are shorter and rounded. However, some females may have a dorsal fin as long as the male's. For breeding, the temperature should be above 26 °C (78.8 °F). When ready to breed, the male builds a bubble nest
Bubble nest
Bubblenests, also spelled bubble nests or bubble-nests, created by some fish species, are floating masses of bubbles blown with an oral secretion, saliva bubbles, and occasionally aquatic plants, or an area for egg deposit attached at the bottom. Fish that build and guard bubble nests are known as...
and then begins to entice the female by swimming back and forth, flaring his fins and raising his tail. When this behavior is noticed, the water level should be reduced to 15 centimetres (5.9 in). The depth is not extremely important as it is in other labyrinth fish. The female may lay up to 700 to 800 egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s. After spawning the female should be removed to a separate aquarium as the male may become aggressive toward her. The male protects the eggs and fry
Fry
-Food and cooking:* Frying, the act of cooking food in oil or fat** Pan frying, frying food in a flat pan** Stir frying, frying food in a wok and stirring it while it cooks* Full breakfast, a traditional cooked meal, also called a fry-up or Ulster fry...
, but should be removed after they become free-swimming. After hatching, there should be frequent water changes, especially during the third week, as this is when the labyrinth organ is developing. The fry
Fry
-Food and cooking:* Frying, the act of cooking food in oil or fat** Pan frying, frying food in a flat pan** Stir frying, frying food in a wok and stirring it while it cooks* Full breakfast, a traditional cooked meal, also called a fry-up or Ulster fry...
should be fed infusoria
Infusoria
Infusoria is a collective term for minute aquatic creatures like ciliates, euglenoids, protozoa, and unicellular algae that exist in freshwater ponds...
and brine shrimp
Brine shrimp
Artemia is a genus of aquatic crustaceans known as brine shrimp. Artemia, the only genus in the family Artemiidae, has changed little externally since the Triassic period...
nauplii.