Thick-lipped Gourami

The thick-lipped gourami is named for its lips, which are noticeably thicker than those of its relatives. It grows to 7–9 cm, between the dwarf gourami and the banded gourami in size. Males have an orange-brown body decorated with many thin, slanted turquoise bars; in the breeding season the throat and chest darken and turn blue, and the edges of the dorsal and anal fins glow orange-red.

It offers color and behavior similar to the dwarf gourami but is generally considered hardier and longer-lived. This makes it a good labyrinth fish choice for medium-sized community aquariums.

It lives in the lowland waters of Myanmar: densely vegetated, slow-flowing or still ponds, ditches, lake shores and flooded fields. These waters are warm, shallow and at times poor in oxygen; the labyrinth organ is a great advantage here.

• Volume: at least 60 liters for one male and two females; 80 liters or more is more comfortable.
• Water: 24–27°C is ideal, pH 6–7.5, soft to moderately hard water. A heater is needed.
• Surface: floating plants and stem plants reaching the surface; the male builds his nest among them.
• Flow: gentle. A strong filter outlet ripples the surface and tires the fish.
• Lid: warm air should remain between the lid and the water; cold air damages the labyrinth organ.

Omnivorous. Flakes and small granules should be the staple; add frozen brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworms and cyclops several times a week. Foods containing spirulina support its colors. Feed 1–2 times a day, as much as is eaten within a few minutes; overfeeding ruins water quality.

Peaceful, curious and interested in its surroundings; it probes plants and its neighbors with its pelvic fins. Males display to each other and defend the area around the nest in the breeding season. It usually leaves adult dwarf shrimp alone but eats shrimplets.

Good companions: tetras, rasboras, zebra danio, corydoras, kuhli loach, otocinclus, bristlenose pleco, nerite snails.

Avoid: fin nippers (tiger barb, black skirt tetra), aggressive cichlids, male blue gouramis, a betta that would share the same surface.

The most balanced setup is 1 male and 2 females; a single male also lives happily. Two males should only be tried in an aquarium of 100 liters or more with the surface divided by plants. Females get along fine with each other. Since it has been reported to hybridize with its close relative the banded gourami, do not breed the two species in the same tank.

The male builds a bubble nest among floating plants at the surface and invites the female beneath it. A few hundred eggs released during the embrace float up to the surface, and the male places them in the nest and guards them. The female should be removed after spawning. The eggs hatch in about a day; when the fry become free-swimming, the male is removed too. The fry are fed infusoria in the first days, then newly hatched brine shrimp. While the labyrinth organ is developing, the air above the tank should stay warm and humid.

Hardy. Fin rot and bacterial infections can occur in poor water, and ich with sudden temperature drops. Weekly water changes of 20–25% and a 2-week quarantine for new fish are the best protection.

Males are more colorful; the slanted turquoise bars are distinct, the dorsal fin is long and pointed, and the edges of the dorsal and anal fins are orange-red. Their throats darken in the breeding season. Females are gray-brown with faint bars and a short, rounded dorsal fin; their bellies are fuller.